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About

Minki Lee’s research bridges soft robotics, smart materials, and underwater construction automation, with a focus on developing novel actuators and robotic systems for challenging environments. Lee’s most impactful work centers on humidity-responsive actuators, where they pioneered the use of metal–organic framework (MOF) nanoparticles embedded in aligned electrospun fibers to create highly sensitive hygromorphic devices (33 citations, 2021). This work, alongside an earlier study on a hygromorphic metal oxide actuator driven by a nano-capillary forest of titanium oxide (11 citations, 2017), demonstrates Lee’s ability to engineer responsive materials at the nanoscale for applications in sensing and soft robotics. In parallel, Lee has made significant contributions to underwater construction robotics, designing and controlling robots for port and harbor construction tasks such as stone leveling and rubble mound work (6 citations, 2015). Lee also addressed practical challenges in underwater sensing by developing a pressure-sensor-based method for estimating cylinder displacement in hydraulic robots (4 citations, 2012), and explored parallel-serial hybrid mechanisms for machining robots (2005). With a combined citation count exceeding 50 across these key papers, Lee’s work exemplifies a rare combination of fundamental materials science and applied robotics, offering inspiration for researchers interested in smart actuators and field-deployable robotic systems.