We seek ideas for imaginative projects.
Ongoing projects.
FAIRY
Recently, light-responsive soft materials have proven their unique ability of actuation, providing novel approaches for miniaturization of soft robots by powering them wirelessly through remotely controlled light beam(s). This has led to demonstrations of versatile light-driven robots that can walk, swim, jump, etc. FAIRY will take a significant leap in material science to develop small-scale light driven flying robots with adaptive features inspired by biological organisms. Funding source: Academy of Finland. Photo credit: Jianfeng Yang.
Self-Oscillation
Self-oscillation is a phenomenon where an object sustains periodic motion upon non-periodic stimulus. It occurs commonly in nature, a few examples being heartbeat, ocean waves and the fluttering of leaves, in which the feedback mechanics always plays an essential role. Stimuli-responsive materials allow creating self-oscillators that can transfer different forms of energy, e.g., heat, light and chemicals into cyclic mechanical motion, and interactions between different materials.We are seeking for new concepts of optical feedback mechanisms for robotic interaction based on self-oscillator systems. The concepts are expected to be generalized to other materials or chemical systems.
Communication
In biological context, communication refers to interactive behaviour of one organism affecting the current or future behaviour of another. In the context of bioinspired materials, we will develop life-like material structures that communicate with each other via physical contact, fluidic medium,
or optical beams. These inanimate materials will be coupled to form networks that communicate autonomously through light. Funding source: ERC Starting Grant 2022 (ONLINE).
Past project.
OPTOPUS
Soft robotics offers technical innovations to overcome the grand challenges encountered in conventional rigid machines that relate to adaptive motion and safety concerns. However, presently available actuation and control strategies prevent device miniaturization. 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. Drawing from physics, microrobotics, chemistry and material science, we devise soft-bodied robots that perform jumping and 2D locomotion steering with light, as well as miniature actuators that can recognize and grasp objects based on their colours