Mark Cutkosky

Also known as Mark R. Cutkosky

Mark Cutkosky is a robotics researcher whose work on touch and imitation learning helps robots grasp and handle objects. He earned a mechanical engineering PhD at Carnegie Mellon and joined Stanford in 1985, where he launched the Dexterous Manipulation Lab. His lab built robot hands that sensed slipping, shape and texture, and he led the team that demonstrated the gecko-inspired Stickybot in 2006. In 2025, he coauthored DexForce, which used forces measured during demonstrations to train robot control policies. As of October 2026, he is the Fletcher Jones Professor in Stanford's School of Engineering and a professor of mechanical engineering.

Now at: Stanford University
Works: 572
Citations: 25,010
h-index: 82
Badges: Loyal

Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 27 October 2026.

Timeline

1985

A doctorate and Stanford

He grows up in Pittsburgh, building and repairing devices with his grandfather. He earns a mechanical engineering PhD at Carnegie Mellon in 1985. He joins Stanford in 1985 after working as a design engineer at ALCOA and in Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute, and launches the Dexterous Manipulation Lab.
1989–1994

Touch-guided robot hands

In 1989, he and graduate student Rob Howe build a two-fingered planar manipulator that detects small slips as it holds objects. His lab builds Marvin in 1994, with robotic fingers that sense shape, texture and softness.
2002

A Fulbright chair in Pisa

In 2002, he receives a Fulbright Distinguished Chair appointment at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, Italy.
2006

Stickybot climbs smooth surfaces

In 2006, he leads the Stanford team with Sangbae Kim that demonstrates Stickybot, a robot inspired by geckos that climbs smooth surfaces such as glass. Time names it one of its best inventions of 2006.
2014

An ASME fellowship

In 2014, he becomes a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for his work in robotics and mechanical design.
2024

The RAS Pioneer Award

In 2024, the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society gives him its RAS Pioneer Award for contributions to robot design inspired by biology.
2024

ReachBot uses extending limbs

In 2024, he coauthors “Locomotion as manipulation with ReachBot.” The robot uses extendable booms with microspine grippers to move over irregular rock surfaces.
2025

DexForce learns from contact

In 2025, he coauthors DexForce with Claire Chen, Zhongchun Yu, Hojung Choi and Jeannette Bohg. The method uses contact forces measured during demonstrations to calculate actions for training robot control policies. Policies trained with these actions achieve an average success rate of 76% across six tasks.
As of October 2026

Mechanical engineering at Stanford

As of October 2026, he is the Fletcher Jones Professor in Stanford's School of Engineering and a professor in its Department of Mechanical Engineering. His work covers the design and control of robotic hands, tactile sensors and devices for human-computer interaction.