Our research in soft robotics explores the benefits of human-robot collaboration, enabling the sharing of workspaces. These flexible robots are designed to delicately grasp fragile objects, making them ideal for areas such as minimally invasive surgery and hazardous zone inspection. Miniaturizing these machines poses a complex challenge, involving precise design, assembly, and control. Imagine miniature robots operating in confined spaces, offering innovative solutions in critical sectors like medicine and security. 

On the microscale, adhesion control becomes particularly challenging due to the increased influence of surface forces. Micro-manipulation tasks require precise control to overcome adhesive contact and manipulate objects effectively. A critical aspect of this project involves controlling the adhesion force to separate two objects, known as the pull-off force. Essentially, this entails creating models to understand the interactions between gripper fingers and micro-objects of varying shapes and sizes.

My research focuses on soft robotic manipulation through the development of modular soft fluidic robots. By combining lightweight, compliant actuators, these systems enable safe human–robot interaction and adaptable grasping. The modular approach allows scalability across multiple sizes and applications while reducing moving mass. This work aims to advance versatile and collaborative soft manipulators for real-world environments.