Florian Hartmann

About

Florian Hartmann is a pioneering researcher at the forefront of soft robotics, sustainable materials, and stretchable electronics. His work spans the design and fabrication of biodegradable robotic systems, soft actuators, and bio-inspired machines, placing him among the most innovative voices in the rapidly evolving field of soft robotics. Hartmann's most celebrated contribution is his development of resilient, entirely degradable gelatin-based biogels, a landmark 2020 paper that has garnered over 529 citations and fundamentally challenged assumptions about what materials can power soft robots and electronics. Building on this foundation, he has championed sustainability as a core design principle, authoring influential perspectives on eco-conscious robotics (260 citations) and pioneering biodegradable electrohydraulic actuators. His work on ultrafast small-scale electromagnetic robots (172 citations) and 3D-printed omnidirectional soft actuators (161 citations) demonstrates his remarkable versatility across scales and mechanisms. Beyond materials, Hartmann has advanced soft optics, stretchable batteries, and agile swimming robots, reflecting a holistic approach to fully integrated soft systems. With thousands of citations accumulated across just a decade of research, his contributions are shaping a future where robots are not only capable and adaptive, but genuinely sustainable.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Resilient yet entirely degradable gelatin-based biogels for soft robots and electronics

   529 citations · 2020
2. 2
   Becoming Sustainable, The New Frontier in Soft Robotics

   260 citations · 2020
3. 3
   Ultrafast small-scale soft electromagnetic robots

   172 citations · 2022
4. 4
   3D printing of resilient biogels for omnidirectional and exteroceptive soft actuators

   161 citations · 2022
5. 5
   Biodegradable electrohydraulic actuators for sustainable soft robots

   118 citations · 2023
6. 6
   Highly agile flat swimming robot

   41 citations · 2025
7. 7
   Soft Tunable Lenses Based on Zipping Electroactive Polymer Actuators

   39 citations · 2020
8. 8
   Stretchable Polymerized High Internal Phase Emulsion Separators for High Performance Soft Batteries

   34 citations · 2020
9. 9
   Feasibility of touch-less control of operating room lights

   32 citations · 2012
10. 10
    Meant to merge: Fabrication of stretchy electronics for robotics

    25 citations · 2018

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links