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About

J. Hernando is a pioneering researcher in miniature robotics and piezoelectric actuation systems, whose work sits at the intersection of mechanical engineering, robotics, and advanced materials science. Hernando's research has focused primarily on developing millimeter- and centimeter-scale robots driven by piezoelectric mechanisms, exploring both traveling wave (TW) and standing wave (SW) locomotion strategies to achieve precise, bidirectional movement in sub-gram platforms. Among Hernando's most significant contributions is the development of legged miniature robots built on glass plate substrates with piezoelectric patches, demonstrating that 3D-printed legs combined with wave-based actuation can generate effective locomotion at remarkably small scales. A landmark 2020 study on traveling wave-driven legged robots has accumulated 31 citations, while a 2021 comparative analysis of TW versus SW locomotion further solidified Hernando's authority in the field with 19 citations. Notably, a 2022 paper introduced a fully autonomous centimeter-scale robot integrating onboard power and control electronics — a significant step toward practical deployment. With a growing citation record exceeding 80 across five key publications, Hernando's work is shaping the future of microrobotics, with implications for minimally invasive medicine, microfabrication, and exploration of hazardous environments.