Raffaello D'Andrea (EngSci 9T1)

The Machine Revolution: Where we are, how we got here, and where we are going

Raffaello D’Andrea is a professor at ETH Zürich and the founder/CEO of Verity. He cofounded Kiva Systems, which was acquired by Amazon and rebranded as Amazon Robotics. During his time as a professor at Cornell University, he cofounded the systems engineering program and led the Cornell Robot Soccer team to four world championships. He is also a founder of RoboGlobal, home to the world’s first Robotics and AI Exchange Traded Fund.

His work as a new media artist has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale and is part of the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Canada and France’s FRAC Centre.  He created the drone design and choreographies for Cirque du Soleil’s Paramour on Broadway and Metallica’s WorldWired tour, and was executive producer for the drone light shows in Drake’s Aubrey & the Three Migos tour, Céline Dion’s Courage tour, and Justin Bieber’s Justice tour.  He is the co-creator of the Robotic Chair, a plain-looking wooden chair that falls apart and seems to defy the second law of thermodynamics by reassembling itself.  Other creations include Cubli, the Balancing Cube, the Distributed Flight Array, the Blind Juggler, and the Flying Machine Arena.

In 2020 he was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame and was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.  His TED and research videos, with tens of millions of views, offer an inspiring view into the world of engineering, robotics, and computer science.

In this year's ESEC, Professor Raffaello's speech will feature a live demonstration of Cubli - A cube that jumps, balances, and walks by itself. Stay tuned!