Andrew Bennett
Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
Biographical Information and Statement
Education
B.S. Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1985
M.S. Mechanical Engineering Design, Stanford University, 1986
Ph.D. Ocean Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1997
Professional Experience
Andrew Bennett has more than 20 years of R&D experience developing novel robot systems for land, water and air use. In 1985-86 he worked at the Stanford Department of Mechanical Engineering on a novel robotic all-terrain vehicle. From 1991 to 1997 Andrew worked on a variety of autonomous underwater vehicles at the MIT AUV lab, including the Sea Squirt, Odyssey I, Odyssey II and the WHOI Autonomous Benthic Explorer. From 1997 to 1998 he worked on control systems for underwater vehicles and SSTO rocket systems at the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory. From 1998 to 2000 he worked for Walt Disney Imagineering Research & Development where he helped create a full-sized walking quadruped robot technology demonstrator and several ride effects currently installed in Disney’s Animal Kingdom. From 2000 to 2008 he was Director of Research and the Division Technology Officer (DTO) for iRobot’s Government and Industrial Robotics division where he oversaw all research and technology development and related activities. At iRobot he was the Program Manager in charge of developing the PackBot mobile robot system under the DARPA Tactical Mobile Robotics (TMR) Program. From 2008 to 2010 he was the VP for Research & Development at Scientific Systems Company, Inc. of Waltham MA where he oversaw technical direction for a variety of cutting edge control and sensor development programs.
Dr. Bennett served on numerous advisory boards, including the medical advisory board to the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Two samples of Dr. Bennett's work, the PackBot and the MIT Daedalus 88, are displayed at the Smithsonian Museum. He is a member of numerous professional societies including IEEE Robotics and Automation, Vehicular Technology, and Ocean Engineering Societies.
