Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Hyunjoon Kong is a leading figure at the intersection of tissue engineering, biomaterials, and biohybrid robotics. His research focuses on designing living machines by integrating engineered skeletal muscle tissues with synthetic scaffolds, creating soft robots that can walk, sense, and adapt. Kong’s major contributions include pioneering the fabrication of stronger, faster, and larger biohybrid machines using hydrogel scaffolds and optogenetic control, enabling precise, light-based actuation of muscle tissue. His work on damage, healing, and remodeling in optogenetic skeletal muscle bioactuators has provided critical insights into the durability and adaptive behavior of living robots, with papers accumulating over 110 and 107 citations, respectively. Kong has also investigated the life expectancy and proteolytic degradation of engineered muscle machines, advancing the reliability of these systems. More recently, he has developed optogenetic neuromuscular actuation for miniature electronic biohybrid robots, pushing the boundaries of bioinspired locomotion. His interdisciplinary approach—merging 3D printing, biomaterials, and cellular engineering—has established him as a key innovator in building with biology, with lasting impact on soft robotics and regenerative medicine.