Papers
145
Total Citations
4,297
H-Index
34
About
Jonathan Rossiter is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of soft robotics, tactile sensing, and smart materials, whose work has fundamentally advanced how robots perceive and interact with the physical world. Based at the University of Bristol, Rossiter is perhaps best known for developing the TacTip family of biomimetic soft optical tactile sensors, which has garnered over 550 citations and become a landmark contribution to human-robot interaction and dexterous manipulation. His early foundational work on biologically inspired edge-encoding tactile sensors (2009) laid the groundwork for this lineage of innovation, drawing directly on the functional morphology of human fingertip mechanoreceptors. Beyond sensing, Rossiter has made transformative contributions to soft actuation and fabrication, including 3D-printed dielectric elastomer actuators, electro-ribbon actuators enabling active origami robots, and electro-pneumatic pumps that dramatically improve the portability of soft robotic systems. His vision extends even to computation itself, proposing soft matter computers embedded directly within robotic materials. With a body of work spanning electroadhesion, shape-memory artificial muscles, and proprioceptive actuators, Rossiter's research collectively charts a course toward truly autonomous, fully soft robotic systems — a vision that continues to inspire researchers worldwide.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Electro-ribbon actuators and electro-origami robots187 citations · 2018
- 3Electro-pneumatic pumps for soft robotics155 citations · 2021
- 4Development of a tactile sensor based on biologically inspired edge encoding153 citations · 2009
- 5Electroadhesion Technologies for Robotics: A Comprehensive Review150 citations · 2019
- 6Printing 3D dielectric elastomer actuators for soft robotics117 citations · 2009
- 7Soft Robotics: Trends, Applications and Challenges98 citations · 2016
- 8McKibben artificial muscle using shape-memory polymer94 citations · 2010
- 9A soft matter computer for soft robots93 citations · 2019
- 10Proprioceptive Flexible Fluidic Actuators Using Conductive Working Fluids85 citations · 2017