Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Sunil Kumar Rajendran is pioneering the intersection of bio-inspired robotics and soft actuation, with a focus on two compelling domains: aquatic robotics and oculomotor systems. His work leverages super-coiled polymer (SCP) artificial muscles—a low-cost, flexible, high-power-density actuator—to create robots that mimic the biomechanics of fish and the human eye. Rajendran’s most cited paper (2022, 20 citations) presents a soft robotic fish driven by SCPs, integrating visual learning-based control for enhanced maneuverability in underwater exploration, environmental monitoring, and search-and-rescue missions. His earlier work (2017, 6 citations) established the foundational design of antagonistic SCP actuators for fish locomotion. In parallel, Rajendran has made significant contributions to robotic ophthalmology, designing a two degree-of-freedom robotic eye that physically replicates human eye movements. His 2021 paper (14 citations) introduced learning-based control for foveation and smooth pursuit, while his 2023 work (9 citations) delivered the first hardware implementation of an SCP-driven robotic eye with observer-based output control. By enabling precise modeling of ocular motor disorders like strabismus, Rajendran’s research provides biomedical researchers with an intuitive tool to study eye biomechanics. His work, totaling over 70 citations, exemplifies how soft robotics can bridge engineering and medicine, advancing both autonomous underwater vehicles and clinical understanding of human vision.