Biography
Travis grew up in Utah, where the rural countryside facilitated his love for racing dirt bikes and causing good, clean ruckus. In high school he broke his beloved 1991 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX, which meant he had to skip band class for shop class to rebuild its engine. He decided then that he would be a mechanic when he grew up, and his mother supported him… if he went to college first. So, here he is. Many broken bones later and he no longer races motorcycles, but enjoys his time rock climbing and skiing, alongside 3D printing and tinkering – all of which are with his wife and friends. Here in Gunnison he gets to work with amazing students, awesome faculty, the robots that he is passionate about, and couldn’t be happier.
What most excites you about your field?
The possibility of bringing machines to life… or some semblance of it. I’ve always loved watching machines move, and to be able to give a robot the ability to move on its own is fascinates me. As artificial intelligence, control theory, machine learning, and mechatronics evolve and feed of one another we are finding new ways to support and augment the human experience in exciting new ways.
What is your favorite thing about the Gunnison Valley?
My fellow faculty members! The professors and staff here are amazing, they’re experts in their respective field, love what they are doing, and are great to spend time with. Also, the small town traffic (or lack thereof) combined with access to climbing and skiing is unbeatable (we can’t spend all day in the lab!).
Courses taught
- Intro to Robotics – CSCI-3302
- Artificial Intelligence – CSCI-3205
- Machine Learning – CSCI-4622
- System Dynamics – MCEN-4043
Publications
- T. Hainsworth, et. al., “Bio-Inspired Untethered Locomotion of Soft Snake Robot.” In Preparation (2023)
- T. Hainsworth, et. al., “Simulating Electrohydraulic Soft Actuator Assemblies Via Reduced Order Modeling.” IEEE Robosoft (2022)
- B. Hayes, T. Hainsworth, R. MacCurdy, “Inkjet Liquid-Solid Co-Printing of Multi-Material 3D Fluidic Devices.” Science Advances (2022)
- L. Smith, T. Hainsworth, et. al., “Automated Synthesis of Pneumatic Soft Actuators.” IEEE Robosoft (2022)
- L. Smith, T. Hainsworth, et. al., “A Seamless Workflow for Design and Fabrication of Multimaterial Pneumatic Soft Actuators.” Automation Science and Engineering (CASE) (2021), Best Application Paper Award
- T. Hainsworth, L. Smith, et. al., “A Fabrication Free, 3d Printed, Multi-Material, Self-Sensing Soft Actuator.” RAL (2020).
Conference Presentations
- T. Hainsworth, “Combining Flexible Circuit Boards with Flexible Actuators for Seamless Robotic Integration.” Flex at Semicon West (2022)
- T. Hainsworth, “Untethered Soft Robot Enabled by Flexible High-Voltage Drivers and Electro-Hydraulic Continuum Actuators.” Nextflex Days (2021)
- T. Hainsworth, “Multi-Material Co-Extrusion for Printing Heterogeneous Objects.” SCF (2018)
