Papers
14
Total Citations
186
H-Index
7
About
Holly Golecki is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of soft robotics, biomedical engineering, and engineering education, whose work is reshaping how we think about medical devices, accessible fabrication, and inclusive STEM learning. Her most influential contribution, "The Role of Soft Robotic Micromachines in the Future of Medical Devices and Personalized Medicine" (2021, 52 citations), charts a compelling vision for how compliant robotic systems can transform wearable technologies and minimally invasive surgical tools. Her materials innovation extends to edible actuators (32 citations), gelatin-based implantable devices, and biostable hydrogel actuators designed to reduce the immune responses that plague traditional implants — addressing one of biomedical engineering's most persistent challenges. Golecki has also democratized soft robotics fabrication through her single-pour pneumatic network system (21 citations), making classroom implementation significantly more accessible. Perhaps equally distinctive is her commitment to equity in engineering: her research on K–12 soft robotics activities and their effects on female students' perceptions of engineering demonstrates that she views the pipeline into the field as inseparable from the field itself. With over 175 cumulative citations and work spanning extreme-environment robotics to interdisciplinary undergraduate curriculum design, Golecki represents a rare fusion of technical innovation and educational advocacy.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Design and Characterization of Edible Soft Robotic Candy Actuators32 citations · 2018
- 3Soft robots built for extreme environments21 citations · 2025
- 4
- 5Gelatin Soft Actuators: Benefits and Opportunities16 citations · 2023
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- 7
- 8Educational Soft Underwater Robot with an Electromagnetic Actuation6 citations · 2024
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- 10