Victoria
Webster-Wood
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AT CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
VICTORIA WEBSTER-WOOD GREW UP IN LOS ALAMOS, N.M., where science was part of the landscape. “Everybody’s parents had Ph.D.s,” she said. “But at the same time, you didn’t really know what they did. You just knew they were scientists or they were engineers.” Her own parents encouraged her to develop both creative and mechanical skills: Webster-Wood’s mother instilled in her textile arts, and her father blacksmithing and machining.
That hands-on start carried through her academic path. After majoring in mechanical engineering, Webster-Wood discovered biohybrid robotics during her doctoral studies, growing muscle cells on collagen to create tiny crawling machines. “I just fell in love with that idea and the possibility of being able to use these living materials in our robots,” she said. A postdoc in tendon regenerative engineering followed, rounding out her credentials in biomedical applications.
Now at Carnegie Mellon University, Webster-Wood leads the Biohybrid and Organic Robotics Group, where her team is working to design robots made from renewable and biodegradable materials. “We’re really interested in understanding how to build robust, adaptable robots that can operate in dynamic environments,” she said.
“There are two guiding principles throughout my career I’ve kept coming back to: The first is plan the work, work the plan. Be systematic and keep everything organized and keep the big picture in mind. And the second is trust but verify, which I think has been just so important generally in doing science and engineering science.”
—Victoria Webster-Wood
BIODEGRADABLE ROBOTS
Her lab tackles this challenge from two directions within the context of bioinspired robotics. One focuses on biodegradable robotics and “how to develop new manufacturing methods and composites made out of plant or animal byproduct derived inert materials so that we’ve got robots that are much more biocompatible.” These systems, Webster-Wood explained, would be safe to deploy in sensitive environments and would naturally degrade at the end of their mission.
The other approach involves integrating living muscle cells directly into robots, taking advantage of their softness, energy efficiency, and ability to grow stronger with use—traits that could make future machines safer and more adaptable in real-world settings.
Her group’s research spans both areas, from biodegradable actuators made from algae-derived alginate to bioinspired tactile sensing technologies and a broader perspective on emerging directions in biohybrid robotics.
“We’re envisioning a future where we can use these biologically derived materials and get some of that robustness and adaptability and energy efficiency that we see in animals in the robots,” she explained. “What do we need to learn and develop now to enable sustainable, adaptable robotics in 10 or even 20 years?”
When asked about advice for students considering STEM careers, Webster-Wood’s response is both empowering and personal. “A piece of advice I got was don’t reject yourself for them,” she said. It’s a lesson that led her to apply to CMU, despite doubts about her qualifications—an application that ultimately launched her faculty career.
“I think it’s especially true when I talk with my junior trainees who are women, that they're hesitant to apply to these places where they don’t necessarily have every single one of the credentials,” Webster-Wood said.
When Victoria Webster-Wood got her first car, it didn’t just come with a key—it came in parts. “He hands me a box of parts,” she said of her dad. “The power steering pump and a whole bunch of belts and all these bits. I had to fix the car before I was allowed to drive it.”
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