Ben Krupp

iRobot (United States), University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

Papers

Total Citations

461

H-Index

About

Ben Krupp is a leading figure in humanoid robotics, renowned for his pioneering work in force-controlled actuation and bipedal locomotion. His most influential contribution is the development of series elastic actuators (SEAs), a paradigm-shifting technology that introduced intentional compliance into robotic joints. As detailed in his highly cited 2002 paper (342 citations), SEAs enable high-fidelity force control, low mechanical impedance, and safe, robust interaction with unstructured environments—a foundational concept for modern legged and collaborative robots. Krupp translated this innovation into practice through the mechanical design of the M2V2 bipedal robot (2008, 98 citations), a 12-degree-of-freedom platform that integrated SEAs with virtual model control for walking and balance recovery. He further advanced the field with the Yobotics-IHMC lower body humanoid (2009), demonstrating how force-controllable actuators and capture-point-based foot placement could achieve dynamic stability. By bridging actuator design with whole-body control, Krupp’s work has been instrumental in moving humanoid robots from stiff, position-controlled machines toward the compliant, adaptive systems that define the state of the art today.