Dr. Alexander Abad, a professor in the Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering (DECE) at the De La Salle University-Manila (DLSU-Manila), made history as he won second place in the Queen Mary United Kingdom (UK) Best PhD in Robotics Award.
 

The 43-year-old innovator was recognized for his study titled “Fine-grained Haptics: Sensing and Actuating Haptic Primary Colours (force, vibration, and temperature),” according to the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on Oct. 3.

The innovation, known as the "HaptiTemp" sensor, is a silicone-based sensor that has the ability to detect varying levels of temperature.

Abad's invention can sense and measure temperature, recognize texture, and perceive vibration with human-like capabilities, all achieved through the use of a low-cost silicone sponge readily available in the market.

This invention aims to be beneficial in the fields of medicine, space exploration, material texture analysis, and telerobotics.

He presented “HaptiTemp” during the 2023 Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems (TAROS) Conference, the longest-running international conference on robotics and autonomous systems hosted by the UK, held on Sept. 14.

He expressed gratitude for the support from the Philippines’ DOST-Engineering Research and Development for Technology (DOST-ERDT) Foreign PhD scholarship and the Mme. Maillefer Study Program of DLSU-Manila.

Abad arrived in the UK in February 2019 to study at Liverpool Hope University and completed his Computer Science and Informatics doctoral degree.

The Queen Mary UK Best PhD in Robotics Award is sponsored by the Center for Advanced Robotics at the Queen Mary University of London.

It is open to all candidates who have completed their robotics doctoral degrees from universities in the UK.