Two Women Roboticists Win Top Awards, Lead Medical Breakthroughs

Two groundbreaking roboticists are transforming healthcare with compassionate machines designed to help people heal and thrive.

Dr. Maja Matarić from the University of Southern California and Dr. Tania Morimoto from UC San Diego recently won MassRobotics' top honors during Women's History Month. Their innovations are making quality care more accessible to people who need it most.

Matarić has spent nearly 30 years pioneering socially assistive robotics, machines that provide emotional support without physical contact. Her latest project brings hope to college students struggling with mental health.

Her lab created a social robot companion that guides students through cognitive behavior therapy exercises at home. The robot doesn't replace therapists but helps students practice crucial skills like eye contact and turn-taking in a judgment-free environment.

Right now, her team is deploying these robots in USC dorms to see how students benefit. "No matter what insights we get, I really hope that we actually help some students," Matarić said.

Morimoto is tackling a different challenge: making surgery and rehabilitation more accessible. Her lab develops snake-like flexible robots that can reach deep inside the body for minimally invasive procedures.

These soft, bendable robots cause less trauma than traditional surgical tools. They move like elephant trunks or octopus tentacles, navigating through the body with gentle precision.

Her team also creates wearable robotic devices for stroke survivors. These soft robots, designed like clothing, could eventually help people do physical therapy at home instead of traveling to clinics multiple times per week.

Both scientists emphasize that their students drive much of this innovation. Matarić's former student Elaine Short transformed the lab's culture around diversity during her five years there, and she's now a professor herself.

Morimoto's female Ph.D. students run outreach programs that bring middle and high school girls into robotics early. "These students are going to be the next generation of engineers who lead technological development in the coming decades," she said.

The Ripple Effect

Women still make up only 16% of engineers, despite comprising over 40% of the global workforce. But these roboticists are changing that equation by mentoring the next generation while solving real problems.

Their work shows that diverse perspectives create better technology. Students from different backgrounds bring fresh ideas about what problems matter and how to solve them.

The robots these labs create could transform healthcare access for millions, from college students seeking mental health support to stroke survivors rebuilding their independence at home.

When women lead in robotics, everyone benefits from the compassionate innovation they bring to the field.