Electrical and Computer Engineering Seminar
Wenzhong Yan, Post Doc Associate, UCLA
Friday, Feb 23 at 1pm in ITE 336 and via Webex:
https://uconn-cmr.webex.com/uconn-cmr/j.php?MTID=mad99c15c1f03d8139f399952bc51ceb8
Title: SoftMechs: Embedding Intelligence within Soft Robot Structures
Abstract:
Soft robots, inspired by nature and constructed mainly from compliant materials, strive to emulate the remarkable abilities of biological systems. They are particularly targeted for unstructured, challenging environments. Yet, they fall short in matching the structural adaptability, physical robustness, and power autonomy (the ability to operate indefinitely without manual infusion of energy) of their natural counterparts. My research aims to bridge this gap via Mechanical Intelligence (MI)—embedding sensing, control, actuation, and power into mechanical structures of robotic bodies. I will build a computational design and fabrication pipeline to achieve this MI strategy through advanced and digital manufacturing methods. This will lead to the creation of semiconductor-free and semiconductor-light soft autonomous robots, referred to as SoftMechs. The resulting material-like soft robots can find applications in environment monitoring, rescue, exploration, human-machine interaction, space, education, etc.
In this talk, I will demonstrate the power of MI, focusing on three thrusts: the power, body, and control of SoftMechs. Firstly, I will present methods to harvest and adapt low-power environmental energy via functional materials and structures into useful formats for independently powering robots. Then, I will showcase how to improve the structural adaptability of soft robots while maintaining loading capability by designing metamaterials with widely tunable morphology and mechanical properties. I will also introduce a method to achieve complete sense-decide-act loops in compliant materials for autonomous interaction with environments, demonstrated with several robots. I will conclude my talk with a discussion on establishing a comprehensive design and fabrication framework. This framework will integrate advancements in power, body, and control, enabling the creation of fully autonomous soft robots with animal-like capabilities, ready for complex and hostile environments.
Bio:
Wenzhong Yan is a postdoctoral fellow at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of UCLA, working with Ankur Mehta. He recently earned his Ph.D. degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering from the same institution in 2023. His research interests broadly include origami and soft robotics, mechanical intelligence, structural instability, computational fabrication, smart materials and structures, and wearable devices. He is the recipient of several awards, including the 2024 Edward K. Rice Outstanding Doctoral Student Award of UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, the Rising Star of the 2022 Southern California Robotics Symposium, the Harry M. Showman Prize of UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, the best presentation award at the 2022 ICRA Soft Robotics workshop, and the Chinese National Scholarship. His work has been published in Nature Communications, Science Advances, Soft Robotics, Advanced Materials Technology, etc., and highlighted by press outlets, e.g., National Science Foundation News, EurekAlert (AAAS), Popular Science, Daily Bruin, UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering.
For more information, contact: Brandy Ciraldo at brandy.ciraldo@uconn.edu