Embodying
complex behaviors,
such as autonomy,
in soft matter through
mechanical and fluidic
nonlinearities.

My research revolves around soft robotics and soft matter—machines and materials that display intricate and exciting physics when they deform. In particular, I study elastic solids and fluids that change shape in a nonlinear, dynamical fashion, rich in behavior for functional robotic-like applications.

Nonlinearities in soft systems lead to complex and useful phenomena, such as self-oscillations, spontaneous synchronization of locomotion gaits, and even memory embodied in the structure of soft machines. These dynamical behaviors emerge from the physical interactions within the mechanical structures and with their surroundings, making them more analogous to natural organisms than to conventional machines governed by computers and software.