Robot Creator

Would you want a mechanical helper who could clean your room or kick a soccer ball around? It might sound like science fiction, but Dennis Hong builds robots that can do all that and more. Hong’s fascination with robots began at age 7, when his parents took him to see Star Wars. “I was completely mesmerized by the droids in the movie,” Hong says.

Today Hong is an engineer at the University of California, Los Angeles. He leads the Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory, or RoMeLa. In the lab, he and his team of engineering students design robots to tackle tasks from disaster relief to dinner prep. “Our goal is to make intelligent machines that do work people cannot or don’t want to do,” says Hong.

Would you want a robot to clean your room? How about to kick a soccer ball with you? It might sound like science fiction. But Dennis Hong builds machines that can do those things and more. Hong first became interested in robots at age 7. That’s when his parents took him to see Star Wars. “I was completely mesmerized by the droids in the movie,” he says.

Today Hong is an engineer at the University of California, Los Angeles. He and his students design robots in their laboratory. Their creations tackle jobs from disaster relief to dinner prep. “Our goal is to make intelligent machines that do work people cannot or don’t want to do,” says Hong.

In the past, the lab has worked with government agencies to create robots that assist in emergency situations. It also partnered with a Korean food-delivery company to develop YORI, a robotic cooking system. YORI can bake, boil, and fry ingredients into many different meals.

When designing a new robot, Hong and his team start by brainstorming and running computer simulations to test ideas. They then program the robot’s software and build parts and electronics. Once assembled, each robot is tested to see what needs improving.

RoMeLa specializes in creating humanoids, or human-shaped robots. Getting robots to walk, balance, and use their hands like people do can be a challenge, but it’s also very important, says Hong. That’s because everyday objects—from stairs, to stoves, to doors—are built for humans, he explains. To move through our world, robots need to interact with these things like we do.

The lab has worked with the government to create robots that help in emergencies. It also helped a Korean food-delivery company develop a robotic cooking system. The robot can bake, boil, and fry ingredients into many different meals.

To design a new robot, Hong and his team start by brainstorming. They run computer simulations to test out their ideas. They then build the robot and program the software that will run it. After putting a robot together, they test it to see what they can improve.

Hong’s lab specializes in human-shaped robots. Getting robots to walk and use their hands like people do can be a challenge! But it’s very important, says Hong. That’s because everyday objects—like stairs, stoves, and doors—are built for humans. Robots need to use these things like we do to move through our world.

Every year, Hong and his team participate in the RoboCup, a soccer competition where all the players are autonomous—or self-controlled—robots. They’re programmed to locate, kick, and aim the ball by themselves. In 2024, the team won with a bot named ARTEMIS. It’s the world’s fastest-walking humanoid robot. It was the sixth time RoMeLa had won the RoboCup since the competition began in 1997!

Hong says he’s seen how robots can improve lives, and he believes they’ll become even more useful as technology evolves. “All our projects, big or small, make the world a better place,” he says.

Every year, Hong and his team participate in the RoboCup. That’s a soccer competition where all the players are robots! They’re programmed to find, kick, and aim the ball by themselves. In 2024, Hong’s team won with a bot named ARTEMIS. This human-shaped robot can walk faster than any other robot in the world. It was the sixth time Hong’s lab had won the RoboCup!

Hong says robots can improve people’s lives. He thinks they’ll become even more useful as technology evolves. “All our projects, big or small, make the world a better place,” he says.