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About

Benjamin C. Mac Murray is a pioneering researcher in soft robotics, with a focus on developing novel materials and fabrication techniques for compliant machines. His major contributions center on creating self-healing, poroelastic, and foam-based soft actuators that enable complex, safe interactions in applications ranging from medical devices to virtual reality. His most-cited work, "Click chemistry stereolithography for soft robots that self-heal" (2017, 168 citations), introduced a chemo-mechanical system using mercaptosiloxane and vinylsiloxane to directly fabricate self-repairing fluidic elastomer actuators, demonstrating an antagonistic pair for compliant machines. Another key paper, "Poroelastic Foams for Simple Fabrication of Complex Soft Robots" (2015, 131 citations), pioneered the use of open-celled elastomeric foams to create fully 3D pneumatic soft machines, including a functional soft heart-shaped pump that achieves physiological flow rates. Mac Murray's work on "Sculpting Soft Machines" (2016, 32 citations) advanced accessible manufacturing using table salt and rubber compounds, while "Compliant Buckled Foam Actuators" (2017, 28 citations) improved force and stroke in patient-specific cardiac compression devices. His research also extends to stretchable transducers for kinesthetic feedback in virtual reality, highlighting the versatility of soft robotics. With over 380 cumulative citations, Mac Murray's innovations in self-healing materials and foam-based actuators have significantly impacted the design of resilient, patient-specific, and interactive soft robots.