Derrick Yeo

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About

Derrick Yeo is a robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of bio-inspired design, soft robotics, and fluid dynamics. His primary research focus is on developing flexible fish robots that replicate the high maneuverability observed in real fish—particularly their ability to navigate turbulent flows and evade predators. Yeo’s major contribution lies in integrating **distributed pressure sensors** into soft, hyperelastic robot bodies, enabling real-time flow sensing and closed-loop speed control. His most-cited paper, “Distributed flow sensing for closed-loop speed control of a flexible fish robot” (2015, 43 citations), demonstrates how embedding multiple pressure sensors allows a flexible robot to estimate its hydrodynamic environment and adjust its swimming speed autonomously. A follow-up work (4 citations) extends this approach using Bayesian estimation for more robust flow perception. Yeo’s innovations are significant because they bridge the gap between biological flexibility and robotic control, offering a pathway toward more agile, adaptive underwater vehicles. His research is particularly influential in the fields of soft robotics and bio-inspired engineering, where his sensor-integrated designs provide a template for future autonomous systems operating in complex, unsteady flows.