Jack O'Connor

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, The University of Queensland

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Jack O’Connor is a rising figure in soft robotics, whose work centers on the design, fabrication, and optimization of adaptive gripping systems. His primary research areas include granular jamming, multimaterial 3D printing, and morphological computing—approaches that enable robots to interact delicately yet robustly with complex objects. O’Connor’s most cited paper, “One-Shot 3D-Printed Multimaterial Soft Robotic Jamming Grippers” (2021, 47 citations), introduces a streamlined fabrication method that integrates multiple materials in a single print, overcoming traditional labor-intensive assembly and opening new avenues for rapid prototyping in soft robotics. His follow-up work, “Getting a Grip: in Materio Evolution of Membrane Morphology for Soft Robotic Jamming Grippers” (2022, 18 citations), explores evolutionary algorithms to optimize membrane shapes for jamming performance, demonstrating how computational design can enhance physical hardware. Together, these contributions advance the practical deployment of soft grippers in manufacturing, agriculture, and healthcare. O’Connor’s research is notable for bridging materials science, mechanical design, and artificial evolution, offering students and researchers a compelling model of how interdisciplinary thinking can yield elegant, functional robotic solutions.