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About

Di Tan is a researcher whose work sits at the dynamic intersection of bioinspired materials, soft robotics, and flexible electronics. Drawing inspiration from nature's most elegant solutions — gecko toe pads, tree frogs, and biological locomotion — Tan has built a distinguished body of research focused on developing next-generation adhesive systems and intelligent soft robotic platforms. Tan's most celebrated contribution is the development of a bioinspired footed soft robot capable of unidirectional all-terrain mobility, a landmark 2020 paper that has accumulated 122 citations and demonstrated the transformative potential of integrating biological principles into functional robotic systems. Complementing this, Tan has pioneered multiple approaches to reversible and switchable adhesion — including light-regulated polymer conformations, gecko-inspired spatular tip arrays, and tree frog-inspired nanopillar architectures — addressing longstanding challenges of robust adhesion on curved, wet, and dry surfaces alike. Beyond adhesion, Tan's research extends to multifunctional flexible sensing, exemplified by dual-mode carbon aerogel/iron rubber sensors capable of monitoring physiological signals. Most recently, Tan has ventured into sustainable soft electronics, developing bio-carbon gel inks for printed electronic textiles. Collectively, Tan's work reflects a sophisticated and coherent vision for biomimetic materials engineering with broad implications across robotics, biomedicine, and wearable technology.