About
Prof Andy Ruina is a Visiting Professor at Plaksha. His main expertise is in Solid Mechanics and Dynamics with specialties in robotics, biomechanics, friction, collisions, bicycle dynamics and mechanics of legged locomotion. His best known papers are on state-variable friction, energy-efficient walking robots, and bicycle balance.
Prof Ruina has had extended visits to MIT, Helsinki University of Technology (Aalto), the Åland University of Applied Sciences, the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, and the US Geological Survey in Menlo Park, CA.
His teaching has mostly been in Solid Mechanics, Engineering Dynamics and Engineering Math.
Prof Ruina's significant teachers and mentors include William Prager at Brown, James R Rice at Brown, James Dieterich at the USGS, and Jim Papadopoulos (now at T-Omega wind). His contributions to the YouTube channel Veritasium on bicycles, sewing machines, and falling chains have had over 50 million hits.
Together with Plaksha VC Rudra Pratap, Prof Ruina has written a 1000 page textbook on statics and dynamics. Before college he took a gap year in Israel learning Fortran, picking oranges, unloading ships and working on a freighter. For 6 years Prof Ruina ran a community bicycle-repair shop in Ithaca, NY. In recent years he enjoys fixing old sewing machines and sailing an old boat.
Some links:
Andy's home page
Videos
Publications on Google Scholar
Statics and Dynamics book (free download)
Falling Chain on Veritasium