Research

Untethered micro/nanorobots
Untethered micro/nanorobots cannot possess internal batteries due to their volume. In order to power them, chemical energy [1,2] and external energies, such as magnetic energy [3], light energy [4], and ultrasound, are employed. However, non of them meets all demands of high controllability, manipulation depth, and good safety for bio-medical applications. Our group aims to find new method and designs of small-scale robots that tackle such bottlenecks, and further realize various applications in complex environment.
[References]
-
Fernandez-Barcia, M. et al., Appl. Mater. Today 2020, 10, 100629.
-
Jang, B. et al., ACS Nano 2016, 10 (11), 9983- 9991.
-
Jang, B. et al., ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2019, 11 (3), 3214-3223.
-
Jang, B. et al., ACS Nano 2017, 11 (6), 6146-6154.
Soft-robots

The Uniqueness of soft-robots comes from the unlimited DOF, which permits a full adaptability to the changes in surrounding environments. In different perspective, however, the high DOF inevitably leads to the non-linearity in motion. This may not be always generous when developing a locomotive soft-robots. Our group aims to develop soft-robots inspired by nature, such as animals and bacterias. For example, a multi-link nanorobot was developed, being inspired by sperm cells. Similar to the characteristics of the sperm cells, the soft-nanobot also shows multi-modal locomotion and multi-functionality under applied external magnetic field. In addition, other types of soft-robots, such as pneumatic soft-robots, are currently under development.
[References]
-
Wu, J. et al., Adv. Science,2021, 8 (8), 2004458
-
Jang, B. et al., IROS, 2018, 6193-6198.
-
Jang, B. et al., Nano Lett. 2015, 15 (7), 4829-33.
Tactile sensors

The research addresses the limitations inherent in conventional Hall effect-based tactile sensors, particularly their restricted sensitivity by introducing an inno-vative metastructure. Through meticulous finite element analysis optimization, the Hall effect-based auxetic tactile sensor (HEATS), featuring a rotating square plate configuration as the most effective auxetic pattern to enhance sensitivity, is developed. Experimental validation demonstrates significant sensitivity enhancements across a wide sensing range. HEATS exhibits a remarkable 20-fold and 10-fold improvement at tensile rates of 0.9% and 30%, respectively, com-pared to non-auxetic sensors. Furthermore, comprehensive testing demonstrates HEATS’ exceptional precision in detecting various tactile stimuli, including muscle movements and joint angles. With its unparalleled accuracy and adaptability, HEATS offers vast potential applications in human–machine and human–robot interaction, where subtle tactile communication is a prerequisite.
[References]
-
Yun, Y. et al., Adv. Intell, 2024, 2400337.