Mandayam A. Srinivasan

Mandayam A. Srinivasan is a Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MIT and Principal Investigator at the Research Laboratory of Electronics (RLE). He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University (1984). His research focuses on haptics, including human-machine interaction, tactile perception, and biomechanics, with applications in medical simulation, robotics, and assistive technologies. He leads teams developing tactile displays using MEMS, medical procedure simulators, and shared virtual environments.

Dr. Srinivasan’s work bridges engineering and bioscience, pioneering the field of 'computer haptics' and developing tactile sensors like GelSight. His research has implications for prosthetics, rehabilitation, and autonomous robotics. He has contributed to medical diagnostics (e.g., malaria detection via deep learning) and accessibility technologies for visually impaired individuals. His lab, the Laboratory for Human and Machine Haptics (The TouchLab), advances haptic interfaces for virtual reality and surgical training.

Key projects include tactile blood pressure imaging, C. elegans biomechanics studies, and haptic feedback systems for blind navigation (BlindAid). His publications span haptics, robotics, and biomedical engineering, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration across mechanical engineering, neuroscience, and computer science.