Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Dongoh Seo is a rising leader in the field of soft robotics, with a focused expertise in the design and control of bio-inspired, soft growing robots—often referred to as "vine robots." His major contributions center on overcoming the fundamental limitations of these devices, particularly the challenge of reliable retraction. In his highly cited 2023 work on self-retractable soft growing robots, Seo introduced a mechanism that preserves the inherent advantages of soft growth—such as navigation in confined spaces—while enabling fast, repeatable, and buckle-free retraction, a critical step toward practical deployment. He further advanced the field with the RootBot, a root-inspired robot capable of high-curvature directional excavation, and developed an inflatable-structure-based securing mechanism to create stable working channels for tool manipulation. Seo’s work has also pushed into medical applications, proposing a soft growing robotic endoscope for painless colonoscopy insertion. With over 37 citations across his most-cited papers, his research is rapidly gaining recognition for addressing key translational hurdles, from hazardous gas suction in inaccessible environments to strain-free medical procedures, establishing him as a key innovator in next-generation soft robotic systems.