Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Xiaofeng Zong is an emerging researcher specializing in soft robotics, with a particular focus on soft actuator design, variable stiffness mechanisms, and robotic grasping systems. His work addresses one of the fundamental challenges in soft robotics: the inherent trade-off between the compliance of soft materials and the load-bearing capacity required for practical manipulation tasks. Zong's most significant contributions center on innovative stiffness-tuning technologies. His 2023 paper on cross-fiber jamming for soft bellows actuators — his most cited work with 35 citations — introduced a stretchable stiffness-modulation approach that overcomes the limitations of conventional rigid jamming mechanisms. This theme continues throughout his research portfolio, with subsequent work on cross-sliding jamming mechanisms and autologous cross-layer jamming strategies that integrate variable stiffness directly into actuator structures, eliminating cumbersome add-on components. Beyond stiffness modulation, Zong has advanced the design of biologically inspired grasping devices, including multi-modal and segmental-bending soft grippers capable of autonomously adapting to diverse object geometries. Accumulating over 80 citations across his published works, his research is steadily shaping the next generation of dexterous, adaptable soft robotic systems for real-world applications.