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About

Yiyuan Zhang is an emerging robotics researcher whose work sits at the dynamic intersection of biomimetics, soft robotics, and multi-environment locomotion. Drawing inspiration from nature's most ingenious creatures—remora suckerfish, net-winged midge larvae, and octopuses—Zhang has made significant contributions to the design of robots capable of operating across challenging physical boundaries. Zhang's most celebrated work, "Aerial-aquatic robots capable of crossing the air-water boundary and hitchhiking on surfaces" (2022, 197 citations), demonstrated a landmark advance in cross-medium robotics, enabling autonomous robots to transition seamlessly between aerial and aquatic environments—a capability with profound implications for environmental monitoring, marine surveys, and search-and-rescue operations. Complementing this, Zhang has pioneered tunable adhesion systems, developing biomimetic suction mechanisms and versatile adhesive skins (51 citations) that grant robots the ability to grip, slide, and release across diverse surfaces with remarkable dexterity. Beyond adhesion, Zhang's research extends to soft actuators and bio-inspired underwater propulsion, including octopus-inspired swimming robots. Collectively, with nearly 300 citations across seven publications, Zhang is establishing a distinctive research identity—translating biological strategies into transformative robotic technologies with real-world applications.