Research

Robots, intelligent machines designed to complete tasks autonomously, have been built with hard materials conventionally; Living organisms, evolved to interact with the environment intelligently, are mainly composed of soft materials. Research in the Robotic Materials group takes the bottom-up, material-centric approach to create robots with soft materials. With a goal to achieve functions that mimic or exceed those of living organisms, we combine the development of smart materials with the creation of new actuation, sensing, control, and power mechanisms. We demonstrate our technologies in real-world applications, and we strive to bring broader impacts to address pressing societal needs in automation, healthcare, and sustainability.