Papers
34
Total Citations
795
H-Index
12
About
Kiju Lee is a robotics engineer and researcher whose work bridges the fields of bio-inspired design, soft robotics, and mobile robot locomotion. Best known for pioneering the application of origami principles to robotic systems, Lee's research has produced a compelling lineage of innovations — from the early OrigamiBot-I (2014), which demonstrated how thread-actuated origami structures could enable both manipulation and locomotion, to the highly influential TWISTER Hand (2020, 139 citations), an underactuated robotic gripper capable of adaptively grasping objects of vastly different shapes, sizes, and textures. Her three-finger origami manipulator (2017, 109 citations) and 3D-printable twisted tower mechanism further cemented origami-inspired robotics as a viable engineering paradigm. Beyond manipulation, Lee has made significant contributions to multiterrain mobile robotics, developing transformable wheel-leg systems including WheeLeR and the α-WaLTR robot, which dynamically reconfigure to navigate diverse environments. Her work extends into medical robotics, swarm systems with mixed-reality interfaces, and even robotic self-replication theory. With over 600 cumulative citations across her most prominent works, Lee's research stands as a transformative force in adaptive, structurally intelligent robotics.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1TWISTER Hand: Underactuated Robotic Gripper Inspired by Origami Twisted Tower139 citations · 2020
- 2Design and analysis of an origami-based three-finger manipulator109 citations · 2017
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- 8IntuBot: Design and Prototyping of a Robotic Intubation Device22 citations · 2018
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