Xiaoning Li

About

Xiaoning Li is a robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of soft robotics, biomimetic design, and novel actuation systems. With a sustained focus on bio-inspired soft robots, Li has made significant contributions to the field by translating natural locomotion and biological mechanics into functional robotic systems. His most celebrated work includes a frog-inspired swimming robot driven by dielectric elastomer actuators (59 citations), which demonstrated how soft actuation technologies could replicate the complex, multi-modal movement of living organisms. Equally notable is his development of a soft robotic tongue (47 citations), a mechatronic system crafted from silicone materials to replicate human tongue motion — with potential applications in medical science, food engineering, and humanoid robotics. Li has also pioneered pneumatically actuated earthworm-like robots for peristaltic crawling locomotion and a superhydrophobic water-walking robot inspired by water striders. Across more than a decade of research, his publications span actuator design, computational modeling, and control systems, reflecting a holistic approach to soft robotics. With nearly 200 cumulative citations, Li's work has meaningfully advanced the development of compliant, biologically inspired robotic platforms.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   A frog-inspired swimming robot based on dielectric elastomer actuators

   59 citations · 2017
2. 2
   A Soft Robotic Tongue—Mechatronic Design and Surface Reconstruction

   47 citations · 2017
3. 3
   Development of a new pneumatic-driven earthworm-like soft robot

   22 citations · 2016
4. 4
   Water strider-inspired design of a water walking robot using superhydrophobic Al surface

   20 citations · 2018
5. 5
   Design and characteristic study of a pneumatically actuated earthworm-like soft robot

   13 citations · 2015
6. 6
   Concepts and simulations of a soft robot mimicking human tongue

   12 citations · 2015
7. 7
   Design and Fabrication of a Soft Actuator for a Swallowing Robot

   7 citations · 2014
8. 8
   Modeling of a Soft Robotic Tongue Driven by Compressed Air

   4 citations · 2023
9. 9
   A soft biomimetic tongue: model reconstruction and motion tracking

   4 citations · 2016
10. 10
    PneuNet based control system for soft robotic tongue

    4 citations · 2016

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links