College of Science Distinguished Speaker: The support zipper and its applications to portable structures and robotics
College of Science Distinguished Speaker Series
The support zipper and its applications to portable structures and robotics
Dr. Bill Freeman
Thomas and Gerd Perkins Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract:
With the help of others, I recently completed a 40-year-long project. Some time ago, I had developed a zipper with a novel function: it becomes a rigid structural support when zipped, and is flexible, like an ordinary zipper, when unzipped. Applications can include portable structures, such as tents, where the zipper would replace tent poles, or portable chairs and medical devices.
I'll describe the years-long journey of that invention, touching on building prototypes, entrepreneurship, and technological changes over time. Recently, working with Jiaji Li, Maxine Perroni-Scharf, Xiang Chang, Mingming Li, Jeremy Mrzyglocki, Takumi Yamamoto, Dingning Cao, and Stefanie Mueller, all of MIT, we resumed and completed the zipper project, and the work will appear in ACM CHI, Barcelona, April, 2026.
Bio:
William T. Freeman is the Thomas and Gerd Perkins Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) at MIT. Since 2015, he has also been a research manager in Google Research in Cambridge, MA. His research interests are computer vision, computational photography and AI for science. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the IEEE, ACM, and AAAI, and a co-author of the computer vision textbook, https://visionbook.mit.edu/, published by MIT Press.
Intended Audience:
Beginners, undergraduates, graduates. Those with interest in the topic.
This lecture will be in person, with a reception to follow in the Bruce and Nora James A-level Atrium.
To request an interpreter, please visit myaccess.rit.edu
Event Snapshot
When and Where
Who
This is an RIT Only Event
Interpreter Requested?
No