Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Hee‐Sup Shin is a leading researcher in soft robotics and haptic interfaces, whose work is redefining how robots sense and interact with the world. His core contributions lie in developing large-area, soft tactile skins and programmable haptic systems that mimic biological sensing. Notably, Shin pioneered a soft tactile skin using ionic liquid and tomographic imaging (105 citations), enabling whole-body contact sensing for safer human-robot interaction. He further advanced the field with a wireless haptic interface that delivers programmable touch patterns across large skin areas (248 citations), a breakthrough with profound implications for virtual reality and prosthetics. His work on soft pneumatic actuator fingers, integrating soft sensors and rigid fingernails for improved grasping (119 citations), addresses key limitations in robotic manipulation. Demonstrating the versatility of his designs, Shin has also created bio-inspired soft sensing skins to measure wing deformation in UAVs in flight (32 citations), drawing inspiration from insects and birds. Most recently, his wirelessly programmable, skin-integrated thermo-haptic stimulator (35 citations) brings realistic temperature and touch sensations to virtual reality, showcasing his sustained impact on creating more immersive and responsive human-machine interfaces.