Christine Fuller
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
Papers
8
Total Citations
711
H-Index
6
About
Christine Fuller is a pioneering roboticist whose work is reshaping how we explore the most extreme environments in the solar system—from microgravity to cliff faces on Mars. Her key research areas include bio-inspired robotics, in-space assembly, and extreme-terrain mobility. Fuller’s most celebrated contribution is the development of a robotic gripper using gecko-inspired adhesives, enabling the grasping and manipulation of large, uncooperative objects in microgravity—a breakthrough cited over 320 times. She also led the design of LEMUR 3, a four-limbed climbing robot capable of scaling smooth glass and rock faces, and conceived the architecture for a robotically assembled modular space telescope (RAMST), which could enable future giant observatories. Her work on the pop-up Mars rover, which uses origami-inspired manufacturing with textile-enhanced PCBs, demonstrates her talent for merging innovation with practical spaceflight constraints. With over 700 total citations across her most-cited papers, Fuller’s research has directly influenced NASA’s approach to asteroid capture, astrobiology payload integration, and low-temperature battery systems for missions to Europa. She is a leading voice in making the inaccessible accessible—one robot at a time.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2LEMUR 3: A limbed climbing robot for extreme terrain mobility in space153 citations · 2017
- 3Architecture for in-space robotic assembly of a modular space telescope125 citations · 2016
- 4Pop-up mars rover with textile-enhanced rigid-flex PCB body55 citations · 2017
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