Seminar on Shape morphing robotic surface

03 Oct 2023 10.00 AM - 11.00 AM MAE Meeting Room D (Blk N3.2-02-59) Current Students, Public

Dr Liu Ke

Assistant Professor

Peking University, China

This seminar will be chaired by Asst Prof Wang Yifan

Seminar Abstract

Continuous and controlled shape morphing is essential for soft machines to conform, grasp, and move while interacting safely with their surroundings. Most existing demonstrations lack the ability to reprogram their shape, face limitations on attainable geometries, or have insufficient mechanical stiffness to manipulate objects. We create a soft, robotic surface that allows for large, reprogrammable, and pliable shape morphing into smooth 3D geometries. The robotic surface leverages local instability to provide sufficient mechanical stiffness and global stability to manipulate other objects. We propose reduced order model to efficiently simulate the large deformation of the robotic surface. We also develop new artificial muscles that would enable real time reactions. Our design has the potential to address the needs of a range of applications beyond shape changes, such as human-robot interactions and biomimetic locomotion.

Speaker’s Biography​
Dr. Ke Liu is an Assistant Professor of the Department of Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics at Peking University, China. He got his PhD degree from Georgia Tech in 2019, advised by Prof. Glaucio Paulino. He then worked with Prof. Chiara Daraio at Caltech for 3 years as a postdoc. His research covers soft robots, metamaterials, reconfigurable structures, and AI for design, with focus on the interplay between geometry and mechanical properties. He is awarded the Sigma Xi Best Ph.D. Thesis Award by Georgia Tech, the Melville Medal by ASME, and the First Prize in Young Faculty Teaching Competition by Peking University. He has published more than 20 peer reviewed journal papers, including publications on prestigious journals including Science, Science Robotics, Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, PRL, and JMPS.

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