Dr. Dennis Hong

Dr. Dennis Hong is a Professor and the Founding Director of RoMeLa (Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory) in the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Department at UCLA. Over the past two decades, he and his team have developed some 60 unique robots—spanning roughly 43 non-humanoid platforms and 17 humanoids—including ARTEMIS, one of the world’s first electrically driven dynamic humanoid robots, and DARwIn-OP, one of the most widely used open-source humanoid platforms for research and education. His team has won the RoboCup World Championship six times in the humanoid division. The Washington Post has called him “the Leonardo da Vinci of robots,” and Popular Science named him one of its “Brilliant 10” scientists.

Beyond engineering, Dr. Hong is a kinetic artist whose installations explore the emotional potential of motion—asking not only how to make robots move, but how to make robots move us.

Dr. Hong received his B.S. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and his M.S. and Ph.D. from Purdue University, all in Mechanical Engineering.

KASS Annual Meeting meals and events are open to attendees and registered guests. Bringing your family? Give them the best experience at KASS 2026 by registering them as official guests. Guest registration includes Thursday reception, Friday and Saturday breakfasts, and Friday Annual Dinner. Register your guest with your Annual Meeting Registration.

Rates
Adult Guests (13+): $250
Child Guests (5–12 yrs.): $100
Child 4 yrs. & under: $0

Badges will be required for all events!