Jiayao Ma
Papers
11
Total Citations
304
H-Index
8
About
Jiayao Ma is a leading researcher at the intersection of origami engineering, soft robotics, and mechanical metamaterials. Her work fundamentally reimagines how structures can bend, stiffen, and move. A central contribution is the development of origami materials with programmable stiffness and shape modulation, a breakthrough that enables a "distant actuation" feature—allowing a single fold to control behavior elsewhere in the structure. This work has garnered 112 citations, underscoring its influence. Ma is also renowned for designing soft robots that harness environmental energy. Her humidity-powered soft robot, achieving fast rolling locomotion without onboard batteries or electronics, has earned 61 citations and represents a paradigm shift in autonomous, untethered systems. She has further advanced the field by modeling the iconic Waterbomb origami pattern for deployable cylinders and robot wheels, and by creating helical structures with switchable chirality for novel metamaterials. Her recent comprehensive review of curved-crease origami solidifies her role as a thought leader. With applications spanning surgical manipulators, robotic grippers, and electroactive artificial muscles, Ma’s work is defining the future of adaptive, intelligent structures.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2A Humidity-Powered Soft Robot with Fast Rolling Locomotion61 citations · 2022
- 3Folding of Tubular Waterbomb56 citations · 2020
- 4Helical structures with switchable and hierarchical chirality19 citations · 2020
- 5Modelling of the Waterbomb Origami Pattern and its Applications13 citations · 2014
- 6A review of curved crease origami: design, analysis, and applications12 citations · 2024
- 7A foldable manipulator with tunable stiffness based on braided structure10 citations · 2019
- 8
- 9Self-Forcing Mechanism of the Braided Tube as a Robotic Gripper7 citations · 2019
- 10An Ultra‐Fast Rolling Double‐Helical Robot Driven by Constant Humidity3 citations · 2025