Jeffrey Ackerman
Teaching Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Jeff received a PhD in ME from Purdue University, studying the dynamics of legged locomotion while carrying heavy loads with highly-compliant suspension systems. His PhD work with Dr. Justin Seipel at Purdue was funded by an NSF grant and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (NDSEG). Jeff was a visiting assistant professor in ME at Purdue and worked as a Design Engineer at BraunAbility, the leading vehicle wheelchair lift and ramp manufacturer. Prior to joining Mines, he became the president of startup company Prehensile Technologies, which develops robotic assistive technology for people with disabilities (see feature in NPR’s All Tech Considered). Jeff also developed The Eco Face Shield — a fully recyclable plastic face shield — during COVID (featured on CBS Denver). Jeff is passionate about design, robotics, biomechanics, 3D printing, prototyping, and entrepreneurship. He incorporates real-life examples from his own entrepreneurial activities into his project-based classes in ME. He is also the adviser for the Mines Makers Society.
Contact
Brown Hall W310D
303-273-3496
ackerman@mines.edu
Education
- PhD, Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University
- BS, Mechanical Engineering, SUNY at Buffalo
Research Areas
- Design, Robotics, Biomechanics
Selected Publications
See full publication list on Google Scholar
- Ackerman, J., & Seipel, J. (2013). Energy Efficiency of Legged Robot Locomotion with Elastically Suspended Loads. IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 29(2), 321–330. https://doi.org/10.1109/tro.2012.2235698
- Ackerman, J., & Seipel, J. (2014). A Model of Human Walking Energetics with an Elastically-Suspended Load. Journal of Biomechanics, 47(8), 1922–1927. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2014.03.016
- Ackerman, J., & Seipel, J. (2015). Design of Stabilizing Arm Mechanisms for Carrying and Positioning Loads. ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, 137(10), 104501. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4030987
- Ackerman, J., & Seipel, J. (2016). Effects of independently altering body weight and mass on the energetic cost of a human running model. Journal of Biomechanics, 49(5), 691–697. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2016.01.016
Recent Courses
MEGN 200: Programming and Hardware Interface
MEGN 301: Mechanical Integration and Design
MEGN 481: Machine Design
MEGN 201: Design and Fabrication