Ed Colgate

J. Edward Colgate received his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from M.I.T. in 1988 and subsequently joined Northwestern University, where he is currently the Allen and Johnnie Breed University Design Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. His primary research interests include haptics and human-robot interaction, and he is known for co-inventing collaborative robots, or "cobots," alongside collaborator Michael Peshkin. Colgate has served as an associate editor for several prestigious journals, including the Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement and Control, and was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Haptics. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and the National Academy of Inventors. In addition to his academic contributions, Dr. Colgate has founded three start-up companies and played a key role in establishing the Segal Design Institute at Northwestern University. He also directs the Master of Science in Engineering Design and Innovation program, which emphasizes human-centered design principles.