Papers
43
Total Citations
4,578
H-Index
22
About
Adam A. Stokes is a pioneer in soft robotics, a field that replaces rigid components with compliant, elastomeric materials to create machines that move like living organisms. His landmark 2011 paper, “Multigait Soft Robot,” has garnered over 2,000 citations and introduced a pneumatically actuated, entirely soft robot inspired by squid and starfish—a foundational work that reshaped how researchers think about locomotion. Stokes has pushed the boundaries of actuation, demonstrating that controlled explosions (2013, over 400 combined citations) can make a soft robot jump, and that voice coils can drive modular designs like the “Wormbot.” He also pioneered hybrid systems that merge hard and soft robots for versatile terrain navigation, and developed magnetic assembly techniques for reconfigurable soft-hard robots. His highly cited 2020 review on wearable strain sensors (645 citations) connects soft robotics to healthcare, while his perspective on soft robots for ocean exploration (2021) addresses climate and industrial challenges. Stokes’s work on “arthrobots” (2017) further extends bio-inspiration to arthropod-like exoskeletons, and his contributions to robotic hand rehabilitation post-stroke (2017) show a commitment to real-world impact. With over 3,800 total citations across these papers, Stokes is a defining voice in soft robotics, blending creativity, engineering, and application.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Multigait soft robot2,059 citations · 2011
- 2
- 3Using Explosions to Power a Soft Robot328 citations · 2013
- 4A Hybrid Combining Hard and Soft Robots252 citations · 2013
- 5Soft Robots for Ocean Exploration and Offshore Operations: A Perspective174 citations · 2021
- 6Magnetic Assembly of Soft Robots with Hard Components167 citations · 2013
- 7Using Voice Coils to Actuate Modular Soft Robots: Wormbot, an Example94 citations · 2016
- 8Arthrobots88 citations · 2017
- 9
- 10Using Explosions to Power a Soft Robot77 citations · 2013