Research

Insects and reptiles, with an evolutionary history of millions of years, exhibit fantastic adaptations to their environment. They can walk on land and underwater, jump, dive, swim and fly. They also have surprisingly intricate capabilities, like the ability to overcome lack of water by collecting water from humid air and transporting it efficiently to different parts of their body. Such capabilities have evolved through the development of unique materials and mechanisms. Biomimicry follows nature’s guidelines in order to synthetically recreate such systems for future designs and products. Its ultimate ambition, however, is to go beyond what can be found in nature and to design faster and more efficient mechanisms. Inspired by beetles, spiders, lizards and other animals, our lab develops innovative routes for the propulsion of small objects, and the actuation and dynamic transport of liquids on the nano-to-micro scales.

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Special focus:

◊ Biphilic responsive surfaces
◊ 2D networks for liquid collection and transport
◊ Insect bioinspired robotics
◊ 3D printing of bioinspired structures
◊ Underwater adhesion
◊ Mechanics of soft matter