Steve Schlaefer

University of Pennsylvania, Brigham Young University

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Steve Schlaefer’s research sits at the intersection of soft robotics and modular systems, with a focus on overcoming the miniaturization challenges that limit conventional electromagnetic motors at the mesoscale. His most influential work, a 2011 paper on dielectric elastomer bender actuators, demonstrates how these compliant, muscle-like materials can replace traditional motors in modular robots, enabling more compact and adaptable self-reconfiguration. This foundational contribution has garnered 11 citations, establishing Schlaefer as a key figure in soft actuation for robotics. In a second highly cited paper, he extends his expertise to aerial robotics, proposing a novel control method for multi-rotor vehicles that exploits differential flatness. By deriving a system model that allows arbitrary yaw changes without small-angle approximations, his work provides a more flexible and accurate feedforward control strategy. Schlaefer’s contributions are notable for bridging materials science and control theory, offering practical pathways for scaling down robotic modules while maintaining high performance—a critical step toward next-generation, reconfigurable robot swarms.