Back
In this talk, I will discuss the cutting-edge research conducted at our Soft Robotics Research Center and Biorobotics Lab, with an emphasis on the development of grippers and prosthetics inspired by the adaptive behaviors and embodied intelligence observed in nature. Traditional robots are designed for structured environments and navigate unstructured environments using sensors and intricate computation. To adapt to and flourish in unstructured environments, nature employs simple embodied intelligence, which does not necessarily require sensing or complex computation.
This presentation will explore the iterative and multidisciplinary approach to nature-inspired design, a process that involves identifying engineering challenges, investigating natural solutions, deriving novel principles from nature, fabricating robots, and evaluating their performance through experimentation. This feedback loop leads to the modification and refinement of hypotheses, stimulating further iterations of the process. We will delve into the obstacles and opportunities that arise when attempting to bridge the gap between nature and engineering, as well as emphasize the importance of addressing real-world issues during the design process.
By delving into the successes and lessons learned from our research, I intend to demonstrate the potential of nature-inspired design to provide effective and innovative solutions to real-world problems in the fields of soft robotics and prosthetics by analyzing the successes and lessons learned from our research.
Prof. Dr. Kyu-Jin Cho (Seoul National University)
Professor in the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Kyu-Jin Cho received B.S and M.S. degrees from Seoul National University, Korea and a Ph.D. degree in ME from M.I.T. He was a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard Microrobotics Laboratory. At present, he is a professor of Mechanical and Engineering and the director of Soft Robotics Research Center and Biorobotics Laboratory at Seoul National University. He has been exploring novel soft robot designs, including a water jumping robot, origami robots and a soft wearable robot for the hand, called Exo-Glove Poly. Kyu-Jin Cho is currently serving as the vice president of IEEE RAS Technical Activities Board.