Robert J. Webster III

Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering

Vanderbilt University,
Department of Mechanical Engineering
VU Station B 351592
2301 Vanderbilt Place
Nashville, TN 37205-1592

Phone: 615-322-0193
Fax: 615-343-6687
Email: robert.webster (at) vanderbilt.edu
MED Laboratory                 Courses                    Publications                     CV

Robert (Bob) J. Webster III received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Clemson University in 2002, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Johns Hopkins Univeristy in 2004 and 2007, respectively.  At Johns Hopkins he was affiliated with the Haptics, LIMBS, and CISST-ERC laboratories. He has pursued research as a visiting scholar at University of Newcastle, Australia, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Italy, and the Savannah River Site (a Department of Energy Laboratory).  He joined the faculty of the Vanderbilt University Mechanical Engineering Department in January 2008, where he directs the Medical & Electromechanical Design (MED) Laboratory.  Professor Webster's research interests are in electromechanical design, modeling, and control, particularly as applied to medical systems. His research involves image-guided surgery, medical robotics, thin flexible snake-like manipulators, and steerable needles. He is also developing pill-sized swallowable legged robots and haptic human-machine interfaces for surgical training and teleoperation.