Biography
Present: Assistant Professor
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Present: Graduate Faculty
Harrington Department of Bioengineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
April 2007 - Aug. 2008: Postdoctoral Research Associate
A.E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Advisors: Gerald E. Loeb (primary) and Rahman Davoodi
Developed a novel biomimetic tactile sensor for prosthetic and mechatronic hands. Designed a testbed for developing controllers for prosthetic fingertips.
2007: Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engin. with Biometry minor
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Advisors: Francisco J. Valero-Cuevas (chair), Carlos D. Bustamante,
Donald L. Bartel, Mark Campbell"A Bayesian Approach to Biomechanical Modeling: A Treatise on the Human Thumb" (Abstract)
2004: M.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
2000 - 2001: R&D Engineer (2/01 - 6/01), Quality Engineer (2/00 - 2/01)
Guidant Corporation-Vascular Intervention, Santa Clara, CA
Designed and tested coronary stent delivery systems.
1999: B.S. in Mechanical Engineering with Music minor
University of California, at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Honors and Awards
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National Institutes of Health Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award for Individual Postdoctoral Fellows (declined in order to accept appointment as Assistant Professor at Arizona State University, 2008)
Selected Publications
Peer-reviewed Journal Articles
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Keenan, K., Santos, V. J., Venkadesan, M., and Valero-Cuevas, F. J. “Maximal voluntary fingertip force production is not limited by movement speed in combined motion and force tasks.” J. Neurosci. Brief communication. In press.
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Santos, V. J., Bustamante, C., and Valero-Cuevas, F. J. “Improving the fitness of large-scale biomechanical models via data-driven stochastic exploration.” Submitted to IEEE Trans Biomed Engin (full paper). Accepted with minor revisions. (Abstract)
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Wettels, N., Santos, V. J., Johansson, R. S., and Loeb, G. E. “Biomimetic tactile sensor array.” Advanced Robotics 2008:22(8):829-849. (Abstract)
Peer-reviewed Conference Proceedings Articles (full-length abstracts)
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Fishel, J. A., Santos, V. J., and Loeb, G. E. “A robust micro-vibration sensor for biomimetic fingertips.” Proc. IEEE Intl Conf Biomed Robotics and Biomechatronics, Scottsdale, AZ, Oct. 19-22, 2008.Wettels, N., Smith, L. M., Santos, V. J., and Loeb, G. E. “Homogeneous skin geometry and material selection to control the response of a biomimetic tactile sensor.” Proc. IEEE Intl Conf Biomed Robotics and Biomechatronics, Scottsdale, AZ, Oct. 19-22, 2008.
Peer-reviewed Conference Proceedings Abstracts
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De Gregorio, M., Bair, K., and Santos, V. J. “Characterizing reflexive grip responses to rotational perturbations of an object in precision grasp.” Proc Robotics: Science and Systems Conf, Seattle, WA, June 28 - July 1, 2009.
White Papers
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Santos, V. J., Davoodi, R., and Loeb, G. E. “Intelligent Local Grasp Control Algorithms Plan for RP2009.” Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Revolutionizing Prosthetics 2009 Program, Aug. 2007.
Manuscripts in Preparation
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Santos, V. J. and Valero-Cuevas, F. J. “A study of anthropometric measurements of the human hand.” Target journal: J. Biomech. Brief communication.
Selected Invited Presentations
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“Sensory event-driven grip control of prosthetic hands”, Engineering Neuroscience and Health seminar, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, April 28, 2008. (View Part A, Part B)
