This $454,020 Project Grant awarded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) will support collaborative research at the University of Michigan to develop soft materials with embedded sensors, circuits, and actuators enabling a new class of intelligent soft robots. The goal is to create a soft robotic manipulator that can autonomously recognize and sort objects by their physical characteristics using only these advanced material components, without requiring additional external sensing or computing. The research will integrate field-responsive polymers and principles of elastic stability to minimize the power required for actuation and reconfiguration. This project represents a significant advancement for the field of soft robotics, with potential applications in areas like manufacturing, transportation, and biomedical devices. The research will also be coupled with an education and outreach program to integrate the concepts into classroom and engagement activities for diverse student groups.
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