Overview:
Professor Shanshan Yao’s research leverages functional materials, smart structures, and advanced manufacturing to enable new functions and performance enhancements in bio-integrated systems and soft robotics. Her research group has established extensive expertise in the following areas:
- Soft Epidermal and Implantable Sensors for Health Monitoring, Activity Tracking, and Environmental Perception: A primary research focus of her group is developing epidermal and implantable sensors that conformally interface with soft, curvilinear surfaces while gathering high-fidelity health and environmental information. Her group has designed a suite of bio-integrated sensing systems for health monitoring, activity tracking, and environmental perception.
- Multimodal Skin-Attachable Haptic Interfaces for Mechano- and Thermo-Haptic Feedback: As another focus of her research, her group develops haptic interfaces that provide touch sensation and haptic feedback to users. Her group develops skin-attachable mechano- and thermo- haptic interfaces that match the functional and mechanical characteristics of human skin.
- Soft Actuators and Integrated Platforms for Bioelectronic Systems and Soft Robotics: Her research develops soft actuators and integrated platforms for bioelectronic applications and soft robotics, with a particular emphasis on untethered actuators and wireless power transfer devices.
Research Interests:
- Bio-Integrated and bio-inspired soft electronics for health monitoring, motion tracking, assistive and rehabilitation technologies, and human-machine interfaces
- Multimodal haptic interfaces for human-machine interactions
- Smart materials and structures for soft actuators and soft robotics
- Manufacturing and integration techniques for smart systems
