Company
SynTouch, LLC developed and makes the only sensor technology in the world that endows robots with the ability to replicate - and sometimes exceed - the human sense of touch. Its lead product - the BioTac - mimics the mechanical properties, physical structure and the sensory capabilities of the human fingertip. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Los Angeles, SynTouch provides Machine Touch ™ - complete tactile sensing solutions inspired by human applications of touch.
SynTouch's products make it possible to do everything you've come to expect from your own sense of touch: they enable perception, improve dexterity, prevent damage, and provide awareness. We've introduced these technologies into to a wide variety of robotic hands through our platform neutral strategy to enable state-of-the-art research in industry and academia. Integrating Machine Touch into these robotic products requires not just advanced tactile sensors, but intelligent software to interpret and process this data. Our own research efforts have been pioneering the world's first fully automated tactile measurement system to meet the needs of multiple industries where the sense of touch has a tremendous influence on product quality and perception. Our work studying tactile sensing in prosthetic hands has led to breakthroughs in grasping technology that makes these devices more intuitive to operate. These provide the foundation for the application-specific code and commercial products that will get us to the Future of Machine Touch™.
Team
Gerald E. Loeb, M.D.
Chief Executive Officer, Founding Partner
Gerald Loeb is a co-founder of SynTouch, a spin-off company from the Medical Device Development Facility of the University of Southern California, which Dr. Loeb directs as Professor of Biomedical Engineering. He is a co-inventor of the BioTac technology among his more than 60 issued US patents covering many areas of neural engineering and prosthetics. As Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Loeb provides strategic guidance to the company and mentoring to the partners and staff.
Jeremy A. Fishel, PhD
Director of Research, Founding Partner
Jeremy is a co-founder of SynTouch and has led the development of its core technology and research since the company's founding. In 2012, he received his PhD from the University of Southern California for his work on fluid-based tactile sensing and Bayesian exploration for intelligent and humanlike texture discrimination. As Director of Research, Jeremy works with our engineering team to advance SynTouch's technology into emerging applications.
Matthew Borzage, PhD
Head of Business Development, Founding Partner
Matt is a co-founder of SynTouch and has been instrumental in developing the business framework for the company and coordinating its grants and contracts. His graduate education in biomedical engineering and experience in medical device engineering and sales give him unique insights into applications of SynTouch's technology. As Head of Business Development, Matt enjoys speaking with global leaders in robotics and prosthetics to explore how tactile sensing can enable their key applications.
David E. Groves, MBA
Chief Operating Officer
David joined SynTouch in 2012, bringing more than 20 years of management and business development experience in the medical device, consulting and manufacturing fields. David received his MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business in 2002. As Chief Operating Officer, David supervises operations and works with our expanding distribution network and strategic industry partners.
Rahman Davoodi, PhD
Senior Systems and Software Engineer
Rahman joined SynTouch in 2015 to lead the development of software applications for new products. He has over 25 years of experience in biomedical engineering research and development including medical devices for restoring function in paralyzed patients, prostheses for amputees, and manipulators for robot-assisted minimally invasive surgery. At SynTouch, Rahman is responsible for all aspects of software development, following modern software development methods and practices.
Chia-Hsien (Gary) Lin, M.S.
Senior Electrical Engineer
Gary joined SynTouch in 2009 to develop the electronics and firmware for the BioTac. He has a double major in life science and chemistry with as an electrical engineering background from the National Taiwan University and a M.S. in biomedical engineering from the University of Southern California. Gary is responsible for the layout, design and programming of all SynTouch electronics as well as developing algorithms for manipulating and perceiving objects in prosthetics and robotics applications.
Raymond A. Peck
Senior Design Engineer
Ray joined the team in 2008 as an Industrial Design Consultant and became a full time employee in 2010. Ray has 20+ years of experience in the design and fabrication of microelectrode arrays and solutions in electromechanical design of medical devices including implantable micro-pumps, RF neuromuscular stimulators, and cochlear electrode arrays. In addition to assisting the team with research and development, Ray is responsible for supervising the design and production of SynTouch's products.
Blaine Matulevich
Engineering Projects Manager
Blaine worked with SynTouch in 2011 and 2012 as a summer intern before joining full time in 2013 as a Research and Development Engineer. He graduated from the California Institute of Technology in 2013 with a double major in Mechanical Engineering and History. At SynTouch, Blaine manages several of SynTouch's key grants and contracts, specializing in mechanical design and data processing algorithms for prosthetics and robotics.
Vikram Pandit
Operations Manager and Prosthetics Research Engineer
Vikram joined the company in 2012 as a Research Technician to explore the use of SynTouch's core technology in the field of prosthetics and joined full time in 2014 after completing his bachelors degree in Health and Humanities at USC. Having been born without a left hand, Vikram offers a unique perspective that has been instrumental in informing SynTouch's prosthetics research strategy. He has expanded his role at SynTouch to also include manufacturing, research and administrative duties.
