Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

James H. Neilan is a robotics researcher at NASA Langley Research Center whose work spans soft robotics, continuum manipulators, and autonomous systems for in-space assembly. His most influential contributions focus on enabling robotic construction and manipulation in extreme environments, particularly for orbital and planetary applications. Neilan co-developed a hybrid soft material robotic end-effector for reversible in-space assembly of strut components, directly supporting the NASA in-Space Assembled Telescope (iSAT) study—a concept for a 20-meter parabolic space telescope. He also introduced the Assemblers system, a modular, reconfigurable manipulator designed for autonomous in-space assembly, addressing critical challenges in human exploration and science missions. In soft robotics, his work on modeling and control of twisted and coiled artificial muscles for soft robotics (14 citations) and cable decoupling and stiffening of continuum robots (6 citations) has advanced the field’s understanding of flexible, cable-driven systems. Neilan’s earlier research on open, distributed software architectures for unmanned systems (UxS) and multimodal input for autonomous decision-making further demonstrates his breadth in autonomous systems. With a career focused on bridging soft and rigid robotics for space applications, Neilan’s work is foundational for future autonomous assembly and exploration missions.