Optional ZOOM LINK
Meeting ID: 952 2532 2147
Passcode: 558753

Soft robotics offers a range of advantages over their conventional rigid counterparts, especially in cases where human-machine-environment interactions are involved. Soft structures with dynamically tunable adhesion/friction have ample applications in robotic manipulation, locomotion and haptics. This talk will focus on mechanics of soft active structures for compliant manipulation of various objects with different sizes, weights, curvatures, and texture. Existing approaches to compliant robotic manipulation will be first reviewed, and then novel approaches to dynamically tunable adhesion through subsurface stiffness/pressure modulation will be proposed and explored thoroughly. The underlying mechanics will be elaborated on for improved performances of the soft active structures with tunable adhesion/friction for soft robotics applications. Implications and future work on these topics will also be discussed.

Co-hosted by Professors Jifeng Liu and Vikrant Vaze.

About the Speaker(s)

Wanliang Shan
Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Syracuse University

Shan joined the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Syracuse University (SU) in 2019. Before that, he was assistant professor of mechanical engineering at University of Nevada, after finishing a two-year postdoctoral research fellowship at Carnegie Mellon University. He completed his PhD at Princeton University and his BE in thermal science and energy engineering at University of Science and Technology of China. His research group currently focuses on interdisciplinary research in smart, hybrid, active and nature-inspired materials, mechanics, and machines. Fundamental insights from solid mechanics, materials engineering, machine learning, and thermal science are emphasized for the design and fabrication of soft multifunctional materials and high-performance robotic mechanisms, which impact critical application domains such as soft robotics and biomedical devices. His research, innovation and educational efforts have been funded by SU, UNR, and NSF through multiple programs such as National Robotics Initiative, Partnership for Innovation, and Research Experiences for Undergraduates. He is currently serving as associate editor on soft robotics for IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters.

Contact

For more information, contact Amos Johnson at amos.l.johnson@dartmouth.edu.