Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Sui Zhou is a pioneer in the development of insect-scale robotics, specializing in the design, microfabrication, and actuation of sub-gram flapping-wing robots. His major contributions center on overcoming the extreme manufacturing and assembly challenges inherent in creating autonomous, self-lifting robots at the millimeter scale. Zhou introduced novel, monolithic fabrication methods using MEMS technologies to produce piezo- and electromagnetically-driven robots that can achieve self-lifting flight and even skate on water surfaces. His most cited work, "The design and microfabrication of a sub 100 mg insect‐scale flapping‐wing robot" (29 citations), presents a groundbreaking approach to precisely assembling micro-components, enabling a 100-milligram robot to lift its own weight. Another highly influential paper (23 citations) demonstrates a 165 mg coin-sized robot that uses surface tension to skate on water, driven by piezoelectric actuators. With over 69 combined citations across his key papers, Zhou’s work has set new benchmarks in bio-inspired micro-robotics, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in autonomous, insect-scale machines and inspiring future innovations in micro-aerial vehicles and environmental monitoring.