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About

Cem Suulker is a rising researcher in soft robotics, with a focus on assistive wearable devices and growing robot systems. His work centers on two key areas: developing high-force soft robotic actuators for hand exoskeletons and assistive gloves, and advancing the design and manufacturing of steerable eversion (vine) robots. Suulker’s major contribution lies in addressing a critical limitation of soft robotic bending actuators—their inability to generate sufficient force for practical applications. In his most cited paper, “Soft Robotic Fabric Actuator With Elastic Bands for High Force and Bending Performance in Hand Exoskeletons” (2022, 37 citations), he introduced an inflatable actuator that exploits textile manufacturing and elastic bands to significantly improve both bending and force output. He further evaluated the grasping capabilities of a novel soft robotic glove in “Let Me Give You a Hand” (2024, 7 citations), demonstrating enhanced human grasp force. Suulker has also innovated in vine robot design, developing a soft cap for improved navigation and an efficient manufacturing method integrating pneumatic artificial muscles for steerable eversion robots. His work bridges the gap between soft robot compliance and the force requirements of real-world assistive and exploratory tasks.