Kris Pister

Kris Pister is a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at UC Berkeley, internationally known for pioneering work in microrobotics, MEMS, and embedded wireless sensing systems. His research group leads two landmark efforts: Smart Dust and synthetic insect microrobots. The Smart Dust project aims to engineer sensing and communication platforms at millimeter scale, combining power, computation, sensors, and radios into dust-sized autonomous nodes capable of large-scale distributed sensing. These platforms enable applications ranging from environmental monitoring to medical instrumentation and immersive virtual interaction. The synthetic insect project extends this vision by developing millimeter-scale legged or flying robots informed by biological principles of locomotion. Pister’s long-term goal is a design ecosystem where researchers can compose virtual components—legs, motors, sensors, electronics—simulate behaviors, and fabricate fully functional devices. His work continues to push the limits of scalable fabrication, autonomous microagents, and the integration of mechanical, electronic, and biological inspiration in robotics.