Anindo Roy, PhD, CTO
Anindo Roy, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer, is a leading expert in medical robotics, control systems, and human-robot interaction with a focus on clinical neuro-rehabilitation. He holds dual academic appointments as an Adjunct Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Dr. Roy began his academic journey with a Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering from Jamia Millia Islamia in New Delhi, India. He subsequently earned a Master of Philosophy in Engineering from the University of Sussex, UK , and a Ph.D. in Applied Science from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where he focused on the modeling of biological control systems. Following his Ph.D., he completed highly specialized post-doctoral fellowships at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), training under pioneers in neuromechanics and rehabilitation robotics (Dr. Neville Hogan). During his tenure at MIT, Dr. Roy played a pivotal role in the design, control, and clinical application of the MIT-anklebot, a novel robotic device engineered for ankle rehabilitation. His groundbreaking research utilizing this device established new methods for measuring human ankle stiffness and pioneered deficit-adjusted control approaches for locomotor training in stroke survivors.
Joining the University of Maryland and the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Dr. Roy established a rigorous research program dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with neurological disabilities. Serving as the Director of the Engineering Core at the VA RR&D Center of Excellence and as Chief Robotics Engineer, he spearheaded the development of advanced control systems for rehabilitation robotics. Convinced that traditional robotic therapy required a more personalized approach, his pivotal research focused on bridging automatic control theory with human-robot interaction to create novel, deficit-adjusted robotic therapies.
Dr. Roy's pioneering work led to the creation of a "Bio-Based Software Engine for Adaptive Control of Modular Robots," an innovation that earned him the prestigious Abell Foundation Award. His extensive clinical trials and engineering advancements demonstrated that adaptive-control ankle robotics can safely and durably improve gait biomechanics and facilitate the reversal of foot drop in chronic stroke survivors. This transformative technology is backed by an extensive portfolio of U.S. and international patents and has been supported by over $5.4 million in NIH funding. Furthermore, his groundbreaking research has garnered significant national and international media attention, with features in prominent outlets such as CNN, Yahoo News, and The Baltimore Sun, as well as recognition by the American Heart Association.
These technical and clinical breakthroughs laid the foundation for his role as CTO of NextStep Robotics. At NextStep, Dr. Roy leads the technological vision, development, and engineering of portable neurorobotic devices designed to restore mobility and human autonomy. His extraordinary contributions to science and engineering have been recognized globally, earning him classification as an "Alien of Extraordinary Ability" by the U.S. government and the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. Alongside his executive leadership, Dr. Roy actively shapes the future of the field by mentoring the next generation of engineers as a faculty member at the Maryland Robotics Center.
