Yoav Golan
I like robots, do you?
About me
Experienced mechanical engineer (PhD) with a focus on robotics and a passion for solving complex engineering problems. I hold three patents (on robotic fingertips, adhesive gripping, and a restructuring robotic hand), have taught numerous classes including Intro to ME and Intro to Electrical Engineering, have written 11 papers, and have presented at robotics conferences in Stockholm, Singapore, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo and more.
In my university robotics lab, I'm known as the guy with the crazy ideas. For example, when working with a team on figuring out how robotic hands could grab common objects, my idea to use stickers on the robot's 'fingers' was adopted as the core technology of an e-commerce picking startup. I integrated the fields of image processing and mechanical engineering to create an innovative method for item classification. I applied heat transfer principles to mobile robots to create a new navigation method with artificial temperature gradients. I invented a single-motor robotic hand that uses the novel concept of serial restructuring to maintain variability. And to spice up my own wedding, I invented a machine that blasted large multicolor LED foam glow sticks onto the dance floor!
I am particularly driven by new challenges that require thinking "outside the box." When I learned that it was generally believed in the industry that it was not possible to use machines to wrap Krembos (the chocolate-covered marshmallow snacks), I was eager to spend hours in my lab until I came up with a mechanical solution: a machine that uses pneumatics to gently wrap the delicate Krembo‒top first, then bottom‒without breaking it.
Throughout my career both in academia and as a Captain in the armed corps in the IDF, I've become dedicated to leading teams and inspiring individuals to collaborate together on projects that excite them. I believe that teams with diverse backgrounds and an open-minded culture are the ideal breeding ground for creative and effective solutions.
For more details, check out my CV here.
In my university robotics lab, I'm known as the guy with the crazy ideas. For example, when working with a team on figuring out how robotic hands could grab common objects, my idea to use stickers on the robot's 'fingers' was adopted as the core technology of an e-commerce picking startup. I integrated the fields of image processing and mechanical engineering to create an innovative method for item classification. I applied heat transfer principles to mobile robots to create a new navigation method with artificial temperature gradients. I invented a single-motor robotic hand that uses the novel concept of serial restructuring to maintain variability. And to spice up my own wedding, I invented a machine that blasted large multicolor LED foam glow sticks onto the dance floor!
I am particularly driven by new challenges that require thinking "outside the box." When I learned that it was generally believed in the industry that it was not possible to use machines to wrap Krembos (the chocolate-covered marshmallow snacks), I was eager to spend hours in my lab until I came up with a mechanical solution: a machine that uses pneumatics to gently wrap the delicate Krembo‒top first, then bottom‒without breaking it.
Throughout my career both in academia and as a Captain in the armed corps in the IDF, I've become dedicated to leading teams and inspiring individuals to collaborate together on projects that excite them. I believe that teams with diverse backgrounds and an open-minded culture are the ideal breeding ground for creative and effective solutions.
For more details, check out my CV here.
