People | Light Robots | Tampere Universities

Group leader

Hao Zeng

Academy Research Fellow
Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences
Tampere University
hao.zeng@tuni.fi

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9150-214X

About me

I am a Senior Researcher at Tampere University and Academy of Finland Research Fellow. I lead a research group Light Robots. Click here to see more about Light Robots ambition.

We work at the interface between physics, soft mechanics and material engineering. We are interested in developing general research routes for materials robotics that are out of equilibrium, locomotive, interactive, and capable of self-feedback, adaptation, and communication.

Research topics

We seek ideas for imaginative projects.

FAIRY will take a significant leap in material science to develop small-scale light driven flying robots with adaptive features inspired by biological organisms.

OPTOPUS aims at developing a new type of wireless soft robotic system with overall size in a millimetre range, that is capable of sophisticated functions when fuelled by light energy only.

OSCILLATE aims to develop new concepts of self-oscillators that can perform non-reciprocal, multi-mode and zero-energy mode movements upon light excitation. Bioinspiration is our general guideline, and we wish to create new concepts of optical feedback mechanisms for robotic interaction, which can be generalized to other materials or chemical systems.

Research fields

Optics, soft mechanics, stimuli-responsive materials

Research career

Academy Research Fellow, Academy of Finland, Tampere University, 2021-2026

Academy of Finland Postdoctoral Researcher, Tampere University, 2018-2021

Post-doc, Tampere University of Technology, 2016-2018

PhD, European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS) / University of Florence, Atomic and Molecular Photonics, 3/2015.

M. Sc, Photonics and Technology, Nankai University, China, 7/2011

B. Sc, Physics, Nankai University, China, 7/2008

Project links

Top achievements

Funding

Selected publications

5. H. Guo, A. Priimagi*, Hao Zeng*, Optically controlled latching and launching in soft actuators. Adv. Funct. Mater. 2021, 2108919. DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202108919.

4. H. Zeng, H. Zhang, O. Ikkala*, A. Priimagi*, Associative learning by classical conditioning in liquid crystal network actuators. Matter (Cell Press) 2020, 2, 194.

3. H. Zeng*, M. Lahikainen, L. Liu, Z. Ahmed, O. M. Wani, M. Wang, H. Yang, A. Priimagi*, Light-fuelled freestyle self-oscillators. Nat. Commun. 2019, 10, 5057.

2. M. Lahikainen, H. Zeng*, A. Priimagi*, Reconfigurable photoactuator through synergistic use of photochemical and photothermal effects. Nat. Commun. 2018, 9, 4148.

1. O. Wani, H. Zeng*, A. Priimagi*, A light-driven artificial flytrap. Nat. Commun. 2017, 8, 15546.

Postdoctoral Researchers (co-supervised by Prof. Arri Priimagi)

Hongshuang Guo

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences
Tampere University
+358468415232
hongshuang.guo@tuni.fi

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3503-1774

More information

About me

I am a chemist working in a chem-opti-material science laboratory. My interest is to design and fabricate all kind of stimuli-responsive materials, devices or systems.

These responsive materials are based on chemically synthesized materials and then deform under various stimuli. And explore the relationship between the molecular structure of the material and the stimulus response.

I aim to provide novel materials and structural designs through my research, these materials can extend some new things to existing research fields.

Responsibilities

Successfully complete the tasks arranged by the boss

Find fun in scientific research

Find scientific research inspiration from life

Field of expertise

Good at chemical synthesis and coating preparation.

Research topics

LCE

Research unit

Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences

Research fields

Soft robot

Mission statement

Selected publications

1. H., Guo,Y., Han, W., Zhao, et al. Universally autonomous self-healing elastomer with high stretchability. Nat Commun 11, 2037 (2020).

2. H., Guo, T., Xu, J., Zhang, W., Zhao, J., Zhang, C., Lin, L., Zhang*. A multifunctional anti-fog, antibacterial, and self-cleaning surface coating based on poly (NVP-co-MA). Chem. Eng. J., 2018, 351, 409-417.

3. H., Guo#, J., Yang#, T., Xu, W., Zhao, J., Zhang, Y., Zhu, C., Wen, Q., Li, X., Sui, and L., Zhang*. A robust cotton textile based material for high flux oil-water separation. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2019, 11, 13704-13711.

4. H., Guo#, J.,Yang#, W., Zhao, T., Xu, C., Lin, J., Zhang, and L., Zhang*. Direct formation of amphiphilic crosslinked networks based on PVP as a marine anti-biofouling coating. Chem. Eng. J., 2019, doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2019.06.025.

5. C., Wen#, H., Guo#, H., Bai, T., Xu, M., Liu, J., Yang, Y., Zhu, W., Zhao, J., Zhang, M., Cao* and L., Zhang*. Beetle-Inspired Hierarchical Anti-Bacterial Interface for High Efficient Fog Harvesting. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces, 2019, 11, 34330-34337

Own links