From farm devices to wearable battlefield tech: Markvicka brings new era for robotics

Eric Markvicka, assistant professor of mechanical and materials engineering grew up helping on his grandparents' farm and was inspired by fellow Ravenna native and Nebraska Engineering professor and surgical robotics innovator Shane Farritor. At UNL, he is working to create a future where humans and technology work together more intimately. He is the pillar of a team funded by the National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI) at the University of Nebraska to introduce several early generations of a sensitive surveillance system in the form of a wearable electronic nose. The nose would enable continuous monitoring and localization of air-borne chemical vapors, which is critically important to mitigate the effects of environmental and chemical weapons of mass destruction.