Joel Ming Rui Tan

Papers

Total Citations

360

H-Index

About

Joel Ming Rui Tan is a rising leader in soft robotics, with a research focus on bio-inspired sensing, additive manufacturing, and agricultural automation. His most influential work, “Sensing in Soft Robotics” (2023), has already garnered 311 citations, establishing him as a key voice in integrating tactile feedback into compliant robotic systems. Tan’s major contributions include the development of soft grippers with cutaneous slip perception, enabling real-time detection of object movement—a critical advance for dexterous, autonomous manipulation. He has also pioneered the use of additive manufacturing to fabricate soft robots, bridging materials science and application design. In a notable applied achievement, Tan created the “Smart Grow-and-Twine Gripper” for vegetable harvesting in vertical farms, addressing labor-intensive manual harvesting with a gentle, adaptive robotic solution. His work demonstrates a clear trajectory from fundamental sensing principles to practical, sustainable robotics. With over 360 total citations and multiple high-impact publications, Tan is shaping the future of soft robotics in both industrial and agricultural contexts, making him a compelling figure for students and researchers interested in the intersection of materials, mechanics, and intelligent control.