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About

Shannon Rios is a pioneering roboticist whose work sits at the intersection of micro-robotics, piezoelectric actuation, and bio-inspired design. Her research focuses on developing miniature, untethered ambulatory robots that leverage structural resonance to achieve efficient locomotion. Rios’s major contribution is the creation of the MinRAR (Miniature Resonant Ambulatory Robot) series, which uses monolithic piezoelectric elements as both the structure and the actuator. By driving these elements at specific overlapping resonance modes, she enables insect-like, high-frequency walking without traditional motors or gears. Her most cited work, “Miniature Resonant Ambulatory Robot” (84 citations), introduced the foundational design using piezoelectric bimorph benders, while her follow-up, “Monolithic Piezoelectric Insect With Resonance Walking” (59 citations), demonstrated a fully untethered hexapod with unprecedented simplicity and scale. Rios also developed a two-degree-of-freedom resonant leg model, advancing the theoretical framework for multi-modal locomotion. Her achievements include pushing the boundaries of what is possible in sub-centimeter robotics, offering a path toward swarms of low-cost, energy-efficient robots for exploration, inspection, and biomedical applications.