Jianguo Zhao

About

Jianguo Zhao is a pioneering roboticist whose research spans soft robotics, bioinspired locomotion, and novel actuation technologies. Based at Michigan State University and later Colorado State University, Zhao has made transformative contributions to the field through two distinct but complementary research threads: miniature jumping robots and high-performance soft robotic systems. His early work produced the acclaimed MSU Jumper and MSU Tailbot — small, agile robots inspired by frogs, grasshoppers, and lizards that demonstrated sophisticated jumping and mid-air maneuvering capabilities (167 and 99 citations, respectively). These designs set benchmarks for obstacle-overcoming locomotion in miniature platforms. Zhao's more recent contributions have reshaped soft robotics. His 2020 study on spine-inspired elastic instabilities — now cited nearly 480 times — introduced a landmark design paradigm enabling soft robots to achieve remarkable load capacities of 11.4 kg. Complementing this, his extensive work on twisted-and-coiled actuators (TCAs) has provided both rigorous physics-based models and practical implementations for affordable, high-performance artificial muscles. His 2023 work on embedded shape morphing further demonstrates his commitment to autonomous, adaptable robotic bodies. Across more than a decade of research, Zhao has consistently bridged biological inspiration with engineering rigor, accumulating over 1,100 citations and establishing himself as a leading voice in next-generation robotics.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Leveraging elastic instabilities for amplified performance: Spine-inspired high-speed and high-force soft robots

   479 citations · 2020
2. 2
   MSU Jumper: A Single-Motor-Actuated Miniature Steerable Jumping Robot

   167 citations · 2013
3. 3
   MSU Tailbot: Controlling Aerial Maneuver of a Miniature-Tailed Jumping Robot

   99 citations · 2015
4. 4
   Twisted-and-Coiled Actuators with Free Strokes Enable Soft Robots with Programmable Motions

   95 citations · 2020
5. 5
   Embedded shape morphing for morphologically adaptive robots

   82 citations · 2023
6. 6
   A soft crawling robot driven by single twisted and coiled actuator

   80 citations · 2019
7. 7
   Modeling of Soft Robots Actuated by Twisted-and-Coiled Actuators

   77 citations · 2019
8. 8
   A Mechanically Intelligent and Passive Gripper for Aerial Perching and Grasping

   62 citations · 2022
9. 9
   A physics based model for twisted and coiled actuator

   61 citations · 2017
10. 10
    Geometrical method to determine the reciprocal screws and applications to parallel manipulators

    61 citations · 2009

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links