Will Robertson

Dr. Will Robertson is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, University of Adelaide, within the Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology. His research focuses on electromagnetics, magnetic levitation, vibration isolation, biomechanics, and sports engineering. He leads the AUMAG research group, which collaborates with industry partners on applications like wave energy conversion and maglev systems. Robertson advocates for Open Science principles to accelerate research progress. His work in biomechanics includes developing low-cost 3D scanning methods for body segment parameter estimation and musculoskeletal modeling. He teaches biomechanics and sports engineering, and supervises Honours, Masters, and PhD students in these fields.

Research interests span electromagnetics (magnetic levitation systems, electromagnetic actuators) and biomechanics (human gait analysis, spinal mechanics). Recent projects include quasi-zero stiffness magnetic springs, nonlinear hydrodynamic models for wave energy devices, and gait-based person re-identification using force platforms. He has pioneered spinal load reduction techniques through braced lifting methods and developed a 3D-printed Yidaki musical instrument. His work bridges theoretical electromagnetics with practical applications in sports equipment design and healthcare.

Publications reflect interdisciplinary strengths, combining electromechanical systems design with biomechanical analysis. He emphasizes reproducibility through open-source tools like the unicode-math LaTeX package and contributes to educational initiatives like Honours project assessment frameworks. Current projects explore magnetic levitation for skin friction measurement and soccer boot traction optimization.