Embodied Intelligence with Morphing Materials and Mechanisms
Date: March 7, 2025 @ 3:00-4:00PM | Location: Gates B03 | Speaker: Lining Yao | Affiliation: University of California, Berkeley
Abstract:
Robotists face many open design challenges, such as complete degradability and biocompatibility, arbitrary shape morphing, and freely reconfigurable degrees of freedom. In this talk, I will present that addressing these challenges sometimes requires looking beyond conventional mechatronic systems. I will present several examples, ranging from purely passive, material-driven field “robots” to material-mechanism hybrid systems with tunable degrees of freedom. Additionally, I will discuss the critical role of computational design and optimization in assisting robotic and machine design and control. Through these examples, I hope to share the perspective that, when designed and engineered strategically, morphing materials and mechanisms can empower machines with embodied intelligence.
Bio:
Dr. Lining Yao is a member of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Lining Yao’s research explores the positive impact of active and morphing materials on sustainable design across different scales and contexts. Her work focuses on discovering and studying morphing material mechanisms, as well as algorithms for computational design and fabrication pipelines. Dr. Yao has published in both computer science and physical science venues and has received nine Best Paper or Best Talk Awards and nominations from premier conferences in Human-Computer Interaction. Her journal papers have been featured as cover stories in Nature, Science Advances, and Advanced Materials Technologies.