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About

Chiara Daraio is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of soft robotics, programmable materials, and smart structures, whose work has fundamentally advanced how engineered systems move, sense, and adapt. Best known for her groundbreaking contributions to untethered soft robotics, Daraio demonstrated how bistability and liquid crystal elastomers can be harnessed to achieve directional propulsion and shape morphing without tethers or complex electronics — work that has accumulated over 400 citations per paper and reshaped the field's design philosophy. Her research on robotic surfaces capable of reversible spatiotemporal reconfiguration has opened new pathways for soft machines that safely interact with humans and delicate environments. Daraio has also made significant strides in electronic skin technology, developing biomimetic temperature-sensing layers and pectin-based films with unprecedented sensitivity for prosthetics and wearable devices. Her more recent explorations span photosynthesis-inspired structural self-repair, multi-responsive hydrogels with embodied logic, and origami engineering as a design framework — reflecting a remarkably broad yet cohesive research vision. With thousands of cumulative citations, Daraio's work stands as a cornerstone reference for researchers developing the next generation of intelligent, adaptive materials and autonomous soft machines.