Anthony Wertz

About

Anthony Wertz is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of soft robotics, smart materials, and control systems. His work centers on developing and controlling electrothermally-actuated soft robots, with a particular focus on liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) and shape memory alloys (SMAs). Wertz’s major contributions include integrating soft thermoelectrics with LCEs for dual-function shape memory actuation and energy harvesting—a breakthrough that garnered 153 citations and opened new avenues for self-powered soft robotics. He also advanced the field by introducing the first trajectory optimization framework for thermally-actuated soft manipulators and developing in-situ sensing methods to predict the dynamics of soft robot limbs. His research on safe supervisory control addresses critical challenges in preventing damage during unmodeled contact, enhancing the practical deployment of soft robots. With a citation count exceeding 188 across his most-cited works, Wertz’s innovative approaches to actuation, sensing, and control are shaping the future of resilient, energy-efficient soft robotic systems.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Liquid Crystal Elastomer with Integrated Soft Thermoelectrics for Shape Memory Actuation and Energy Harvesting

   153 citations · 2022
2. 2
   In-Situ Sensing and Dynamics Predictions for Electrothermally-Actuated Soft Robot Limbs

   16 citations · 2022
3. 3
   Safe Supervisory Control of Soft Robot Actuators

   11 citations · 2024
4. 4
   Trajectory Optimization for Thermally-Actuated Soft Planar Robot Limbs

   8 citations · 2022

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links