Steve Collins

Steve Collins is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University, where he directs the Stanford Biomechatronics Laboratory and teaches widely in robotics and design. His research integrates biomechanics, robotics, and human-centered optimization to improve the performance of prosthetic limbs, exoskeletons, and energy-efficient autonomous walking machines. Collins is known for pioneering the use of versatile device emulators and human-in-the-loop optimization algorithms to rapidly discover personalized assistive device settings, enabling new levels of mobility support. His work has produced landmark results, including autonomous robots with record-breaking energy efficiency and passive exoskeletons that reduce the metabolic cost of human walking without external power. Prior to joining Stanford, Collins held faculty positions at Carnegie Mellon University following doctoral work at the University of Michigan and postdoctoral research on humanoid robots at TU Delft. His contributions have been recognized through awards from ASB, ICRA, and multiple teaching honors.