Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Nadia Cheng is a pioneering researcher in soft robotics, with a focus on developing affordable, robust, and practical robotic systems. Her key research areas include granular jamming, thermally tunable composites, and the commercialization of soft robotic technologies. Cheng's most impactful contribution is the design and analysis of a hyper-redundant manipulator enabled by jamming of granular media (317 citations), which introduced a low-cost, high-force alternative to traditional fragile actuators. She further advanced the field by co-developing jamming grippers that transitioned from research to product (209 citations), demonstrating a rare ability to bridge lab innovation with real-world application. Her work on thermally tunable, self-healing composites (166 citations) for soft robotics introduced materials that can change stiffness and repair themselves, enabling shape-shifting systems. Additionally, Cheng designed a soft mobile robot with multiple thermally activated joints driven by a single actuator (72 citations), reducing system size and weight. She also tackled the challenge of untethering soft robots through a prosthetic jamming terminal device (50 citations), highlighting her commitment to practical, untethered solutions. Cheng's achievements underscore her role in making soft robotics more accessible, durable, and commercially viable, inspiring future innovations in medical, industrial, and assistive technologies.