Office
Marston Hall, 111B
Email
@email
Pronouns
he/him
Frank Sup
Professor, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering Dept
Adjunct Professor, Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
Director, Mechatronics Robotics Research Lab
Co-Director, Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation
Adjunct Professor, Elaine Marieb College of Nursing
Director, Mechatronics Robotics Research Lab
Co-Director, Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation
Core Faculty
EDUCATION
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University – Nashville, TN
M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University – Nashville, TN
B.S. with Honors in Mechanical Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
BIO
Dr. Frank Sup is a Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Director of the Mechatronics and Robotics Research Lab (MRRL). His research focuses on the design, modeling, and control of human-centered robotic and mechatronic systems, with an emphasis on physical human–machine interaction, mobility, and healthcare applications.
At MRRL, Dr. Sup leads research spanning healthcare robotics, assistive and rehabilitative devices, human movement analysis, and shared control of robotic systems. His work includes robotic prostheses and exoskeletons, teleoperation systems, and predictive models of human motion, with the goal of enabling robots to interact safely, effectively, and intuitively with people. A defining feature of his research approach is close collaboration with end users and domain experts to ensure technologies are grounded in real-world needs and constraints.
Dr. Sup received his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his MS and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, where his doctoral work focused on the design and control of powered lower-limb prostheses. He previously served as a postdoctoral researcher at Vanderbilt University’s Center for Intelligent Mechatronics and, during a sabbatical, as a Principal Scientist at the Honda Research Institute in Tokyo, Japan, studying teleoperation and human–robot interaction.
Dr. Sup’s research is supported by NSF, NIH, DoD, and industry partners. He mentors undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students in interdisciplinary research that integrates mechanical design, sensing, and control. In addition to his role at MRRL, he is Co-Director of the Elaine Marieb Center for Nursing and Engineering Innovation and holds an adjunct appointment in the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing, supporting collaborative research at the intersection of robotics and healthcare.
Recent Publications
Bose, R., & Sup IV, F.C. (2026). Progress Towards Underwater Robotic Gait Assistance: A Review, IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics, Accepted.
Georgadarellis, G.L., Beslic, N., Lee, S., Sup IV, F.C., Huber, M.E. (2026). Influence of Gripper Design on Human Demonstration Quality for Robot Learning. 2026 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA). Accepted.
Lee, S. and Sup IV, F.C. (2026). Gravity-Assisted Shape-Locking Articulated Discrete Serial Robot for Ceiling-Mounted Manipulation in Patient Care. 2026 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA). Accepted.
Price, M.A. and Sup IV, F.C. (2025) "A Sagittal Planar Ankle–Foot Prosthesis With Powered Plantarflexion and Socket Alignment," in IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics.
Bose, R., & Sup IV, F.C. (2025). Adaptive model predictive control for a simulated underwater hydrofoil-based gait assist system. Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Automation Science and Engineering (CASE).
Patel, Umang, N., Sup IV, Frank C., Modarres-Sadeghi, Y., (2025). Numerical simulation of flow around the legs during walking in water with implications for hydrotherapeutic exercise, Journal of Fluids and Structures, 137, 104352.
Blake, J. W., Lee, S., Georgadarellis, G. L., White, K., Roberts, S.C., Sup IV, F.C., Giuliano, K. K. (2024).The Use of Eye-tracking Technology to Measure Cognitive-Behavioral Processes During IV Medication Administration, ASPIRE - the HFES International Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ.
Bose, R., Carelton, A., Sitole, S., Modarres-Sadeghi, Y., Sup IV, Frank C., (2024). Force Transmission in Non-Uniform Fluid Flow by Controlling Vortices, IEEE International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM), Boston, MA, USA.
Georgadarellis, G. L., Cobb, T., Vital, C. J., & Sup IV, F. C. (2024). Nursing Perceptions of Robotic Technology in Healthcare: A Pretest–Posttest-Survey Analysis Using an Educational Video. IISE Transactions on Occupational Ergonomics and Human Factors, 1-16.
Han, Y., Sup IV, F.C., Han, Z., and Mi, Z. (2023) Effects of Added Mass on Muscle Activity and Joint Movement During Walking. J Bionic Eng.
Sitole, S.P. and Sup IV, F.C. (2023) Continuous Prediction of Human Joint Mechanics using EMG Signals: A Review of Model-based and Model-free Approaches. IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics,5(3), 528-546.
Carleton, A. G., Sup, F. C., & Modarres-Sadeghi, Y. (2022). Passive double pendulum in the wake of a cylinder forced to rotate emulates a cyclic human walking gait. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 17(4), 045006.
Wedge, R. D., Sup IV, F. C., & Umberger, B. R. (2022). Metabolic cost of transport and stance time asymmetry in individuals with unilateral transtibial amputation using a passive prostheses while walking. Clinical Biomechanics, 105632.
K.K. Giuliano, F.C. Sup IV, E. Benjamin, S. Krishnamurty (2022) INNOVATE: Preparing Nurses to be Healthcare Innovation Leaders. Nursing Administration Quarterly, Issue 46.3, p 255-265.
E.J. Francisco, K.A., Boyer, and F.C. Sup IV (2021) Clutch-based quasi-passive knee brace to reduce tibio-femoral contact forces. American Society of Biomechanics Annual Conference.
Gregory, D. L., Sup IV, F. C., & Choi, J. T. (2021). Contributions of spatial and temporal control of step length symmetry in the transfer of locomotor adaptation from a motorized to a non-motorized split-belt treadmill. Royal Society open science, 8(2), 202084.
Fitzgerald, L. F., Bartlett, M. F., Nagarajan, R., Francisco, E. J., Sup IV, F. C., & Kent, J. A. (2021). Effects of old age and contraction mode on knee extensor muscle ATP flux and metabolic economy in vivo. The Journal of Physiology, 599(12), 3063-3080.
Price, M. A., & Sup, F. C. (2020). Non-anthropomorphic Prosthesis Design Generated from Simulated Gait Optimization. In 2020 8th IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference for Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob) (pp. 617-622). IEEE.
V.Q. Nguyen, M.A. Price, A.K. LaPrè, B.R. Umberger, and F.C. Sup IV, “Inclusion of Actuator Dynamics in Simulations of Assisted Human Movement”, Int J Numer Meth Biomed Engng; 36:e3334, 2020.
Sitole, S. P., LaPre, A. K., & Sup, F. C. (2020). Application and evaluation of lighthouse technology for precision motion capture. IEEE Sensors Journal, 20(15), 8576-8585.
Jaber, Y., Jimenez Francisco, E., Bartlett, M. F., Fitzgerald, L. F., Kent, J. A., & Sup, F. C. (2020). Magnetic resonance compatible knee extension ergometer. Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, 142(9).
Price, M. A., LaPrè, A. K., Johnson, R. T., Umberger, B. R., & Sup IV, F. C. (2020). A model‐based motion capture marker location refinement approach using inverse kinematics from dynamic trials. International Journal for Numerical Methods in Biomedical Engineering, 36(1), e3283.
R.D. Wedge, F.C. Sup IV, and B.R. Umberger. (2020). Speed Effects of Knee Joint Loading in People with Unilateral Transtibial Amputation, American Society of Biomechanics Annual Conference: Online.
Sup, F., Huber, M., and Follette, D. (2020). We engineered a protective face shield for COVID-19. Here are management lessons that apply to any industry, Fast Company, Apr, 20, 2020.
Nguyen, V. Q., Umberger, B. R., & Sup, F. C. (2019, June). Predictive simulation of human walking augmented by a powered ankle exoskeleton. In 2019 IEEE 16th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR) (pp. 53-58). IEEE.
Price, M. A., Beckerle, P., & Sup, F. C. (2019). Design optimization in lower limb prostheses: A review. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 27(8), 1574-1588.
Nguyen, V. Q., Johnson, R. T., Sup, F. C., & Umberger, B. R. (2019). Bilevel optimization for cost function determination in dynamic simulation of human gait. IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, 27(7), 1426-1435.
V.Q. Nguyen, F.C. Sup IV, and B.R. Umberger. (2019). Using direct collocation for solving bilevel optimization problems for human walking, Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics: Calgary, Canada.
Price, M. A., Umberger, B. R., & Sup, F. C. (2019). Dynamic optimization of gait with a generalized lower-limb prosthesis model. In 2019 IEEE 16th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR) (pp. 734-739). IEEE.
Price, M. A., & Sup IV, F. C. (2018). A handheld haptic robot for large-format touchscreens. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 23(5), 2347-2357.
LaPrè, A. K., Price, M. A., Wedge, R. D., Umberger, B. R., & Sup IV, F. C. (2018). Approach for gait analysis in persons with limb loss including residuum and prosthesis socket dynamics. International journal for numerical methods in biomedical engineering, 34(4), e2936.
R.D. Wedge, A.K. LaPré, F.C. Sup IV, and B.R. Umberger. (2018). Medial-Lateral Gait Stability in People with Transtibal Amputation across Walking Speeds, American Society of Biomechanics Annual Conference: Rochester, MN.
M.A. Price, A.K. LaPré, R.D. Wedge, B.R. Umberger, and F.C. Sup IV. (2018). Dynamic model marker placement refinement, World Congress of Biomechanics: Dublin, Ireland.
K. Jung, Y. Jaber, F.C. Sup IV. (2018). A Validation of MR Flow Velocity Mapping with Automated Phase Offset Correction Using a Gel Flow Phantom Controlled by a Motorized Piston in MR Phase Contrast Cine Flow Measurement” Int. Society of Magnetic Resonance Meeting.
R. Nagarajan, Y. Jaber, M. Bartlett, L.F. Fitzgerald, J. Miehm, F.C. Sup IV, J.A. Kent. (2017). Development of a Non-Magnetic Ergometer for Quantitation of Human Skeletal Muscle Bioenergetics During Supine Dynamic Contractions of the Knee Extensors. Int. Society of Magnetic Resonance Meeting.
LaPre, A. K., Wedge, R. D., Umberger, B. R., & Sup, F. C. (2017, July). Preliminary study of a robotic foot-ankle prosthesis with active alignment. In 2017 International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR) (pp. 1299-1304). IEEE.
da Silva, A. R., & Sup, F. C. (2017). A robotic walker based on a two-wheeled inverted pendulum. Journal of intelligent & robotic systems, 86(1), 17-34.
Kadrolkar, A., & Sup IV, F. C. (2017). Intent recognition of torso motion using wavelet transform feature extraction and linear discriminant analysis ensemble classification. Biomedical signal processing and control, 38, 250-264.
LaPrè, A. K., Nguyen, V. Q., Baspinar, U., White, M., & Sup, F. C. (2017). Capturing prosthetic socket fitment: Preliminary results using an ultrasound-based device. In 2017 International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR) (pp. 1221-1226). IEEE.
Ruiken, D., Cummings, J. P., Savaria, U. R., Sup, F. C., & Grupen, R. A. (2017). ubot-7: A dynamically balancing mobile manipulator with series elastic actuators. In 2017 IEEE-RAS 17th International Conference on Humanoid Robotics (Humanoids) (pp. 676-682). IEEE.
Nie, Q., & Sup, F. C. (2017). A soft four degree-of-freedom load cell based on the hall effect. IEEE Sensors Journal, 17(22), 7355-7363.
B.R. Umberger, A.K.LaPré, R.T. Johnson, R.D. Wedge and F.C. Sup IV. (2017). Simulation of Residuum-Socket Dynamics in Walking Following Limb Loss, Congress of the International Society of Biomechanics: Brisbane, Australia.
R.D. Wedge, A.K. LaPré, F.C. Sup IV, and B.R. Umberger. (2017). Gait Stability in People with Unilateral Transtibial Amputation across Walking Speeds, American Society of Biomechanics Annual Conference: Boulder, CO.
D.L. Gregory, F.C. Sup, J.T. Choi. (2017). Generalization of Split-Belt Locomotor Adaptation: Motorized Treadmill After-effects are Preserved after Washout on a Non-Motorized Treadmill, American Society of Biomechanics Annual Conference: Boulder, CO.
Cummings, J. P., Ruiken, D., Wilkinson, E. L., Lanighan, M. W., Grupen, R. A., & Sup, F. C. (2016). A compact, modular series elastic actuator. Journal of Mechanisms and Robotics, 8(4).
Zhang, H., Kadrolkar, A., & Sup, F. C. (2016). Design and preliminary evaluation of a passive spine exoskeleton. Journal of Medical Devices, 10(1).
Price, M., & Sup, F. C. (2016, April). A robotic touchscreen totem for two-dimensional haptic force display. In 2016 IEEE Haptics Symposium (HAPTICS) (pp. 72-77). IEEE.
Kennedy LaPrè, A., Umberger, B. R., & Sup, F. C. (2016). A robotic ankle–foot prosthesis with active alignment. Journal of Medical Devices, 10(2).
Erwin, A., & Sup IV, F. C. (2015). A haptic feedback scheme to accurately position a virtual wrist prosthesis using a three-node tactor array. PloS one, 10(8), e0134095.
R.D. Wedge, A.K. LaPré, F. Sup, and B.R. Umberger. (2015). Effects Of Walking Speed On The Stump-Socket Interface In Transtibial Amputees. American Society of Biomechanics Conf.
R.D. Wedge, A.K. LaPré, F. Sup, and B.R. Umberger. (2015). A Lower-Limb Amputee Musculoskeletal Model for Quantifying Stump-Socket Kinematics And Kinetics. 2015 Int. Society of Biomechanics Conf., SS-0048.
LaPrè, A., & Sup, F. (2015). A control strategy for an active alignment transtibial prosthesis. In Dynamic Systems and Control Conference (Vol. 57243, p. V001T18A005). American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Erwin, A., & Sup, F. (2014). Design and perceptibility of a wearable haptic device using low-frequency stimulations on the forearm. In 2014 IEEE Haptics Symposium (HAPTICS) (pp. 505-508). IEEE.
Zhang, Z., & Sup, F. (2014). Activity recognition of the torso based on surface electromyography for exoskeleton control. Biomedical Signal Processing and Control, 10, 281-288.
LaPrè, A. K., Umberger, B. R., & Sup, F. (2014). Simulation of a powered ankle prosthesis with dynamic joint alignment. In 2014 36th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (pp. 1618-1621). IEEE.
LaPrè, A. K., & Sup, F. (2013, June). Redefining prosthetic ankle mechanics: Non-anthropomorphic ankle design. In 2013 IEEE 13th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR) (pp. 1-5). IEEE.
Kadrolkar, A., & Sup, F. (2013). Classification of trunk motion for a backbone exoskeleton using inertial data and surface electromyography. In 2013 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (pp. 3978-3983). IEEE.
Ryder, M. C., & Sup, F. (2013, June). Leveraging gait dynamics to improve efficiency and performance of powered hip exoskeletons. In 2013 IEEE 13th International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR) (pp. 1-6). IEEE.
LaPrè, A. K., & Sup, F. (2011). Simulation of a slope adapting ankle prosthesis provided by semi-active damping. In 2011 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (pp. 587-590). IEEE.
LaPre, A., & Sup, F. (2011). A semi-active damper design for use in a terrain adaptive ankle prosthesis. In ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (Vol. 54938, pp. 1289-1294).
Sup, F., Varol, H. A., & Goldfarb, M. (2010). Upslope walking with a powered knee and ankle prosthesis: initial results with an amputee subject. IEEE transactions on neural systems and rehabilitation engineering, 19(1), 71-78.
Lawson, B. E., Varol, H. A., Sup, F., & Goldfarb, M. (2010, August). Stumble detection and classification for an intelligent transfemoral prosthesis. In 2010 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology (pp. 511-514). IEEE.
Sup, F., Varol, H. A., Mitchell, J., Withrow, T. J., & Goldfarb, M. (2009, June). Self-contained powered knee and ankle prosthesis: Initial evaluation on a transfemoral amputee. In 2009 IEEE International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (pp. 638-644). IEEE.
Varol, H. A., Sup, F., & Goldfarb, M. (2009). Multiclass real-time intent recognition of a powered lower limb prosthesis. IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 57(3), 542-551.
Sup, F., Varol, H. A., Mitchell, J., Withrow, T. J., & Goldfarb, M. (2009). Preliminary evaluations of a self-contained anthropomorphic transfemoral prosthesis. IEEE/ASME Transactions on mechatronics, 14(6), 667-676.
F.C. Sup IV. (2009). A Powered Self-Contained Knee and Ankle Prosthesis for Near Normal Gait in Transfemoral Amputees. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, August 2009.
Varol, H. A., Sup, F., & Goldfarb, M. (2009, June). Powered sit-to-stand and assistive stand-to-sit framework for a powered transfemoral prosthesis. In 2009 IEEE International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (pp. 645-651). IEEE.
Sup, F., Bohara, A., & Goldfarb, M. (2008). Design and control of a powered transfemoral prosthesis. The International journal of robotics research, 27(2), 263-273.
Sup, F., Varol, H. A., Mitchell, J., Withrow, T., & Goldfarb, M. (2008, October). Design and control of an active electrical knee and ankle prosthesis. In 2008 2nd IEEE RAS & EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (pp. 523-528). IEEE.
Varol, H. A., Sup, F., & Goldfarb, M. (2008, October). Real-time gait mode intent recognition of a powered knee and ankle prosthesis for standing and walking. In 2008 2nd IEEE RAS & EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (pp. 66-72). IEEE.
Fite, K., Mitchell, J., Sup, F., & Goldfarb, M. (2007, June). Design and control of an electrically powered knee prosthesis. In 2007 IEEE 10th International conference on rehabilitation robotics (pp. 902-905). IEEE.
Sup, F., Bohara, A., & Goldfarb, M. (2007, April). Design and control of a powered knee and ankle prosthesis. In Proceedings 2007 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (pp. 4134-4139). IEEE.
F.C. Sup IV. (2006). Design and Control of Powered Transfemoral Prosthesis. M.S. Thesis, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, December 2006.
Sup, F. C., & Goldfarb, M. (2006, January). Design of a pneumatically actuated transfemoral prosthesis. In ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition (Vol. 47683, pp. 1419-1428).
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Contact Information
Office
Marston Hall, 111B
Email
@email
Pronouns
he/him