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About

Lauren Hanson is a roboticist pushing the boundaries of autonomous exploration and soft robotics. Her research centers on two key areas: deploying heterogeneous robot teams in extreme environments and developing novel, bio-inspired actuation mechanisms. Hanson made a major impact as a core member of Team CSIRO Data61, which tied for the top score in the prestigious DARPA Subterranean Challenge. Her work on this project, detailed in a highly cited 2022 paper (97 citations), demonstrated how a unified perception and autonomy framework can enable a diverse team of ground and aerial robots to collaboratively explore dangerous, unstructured underground spaces. This achievement showcases her expertise in balancing autonomy with human oversight for real-world deployment. In parallel, Hanson is a pioneer in soft robotics, specifically through her work on fibre jamming. She has authored foundational papers on using 3D-printed, multi-material tendons for stiffness-tunable robotic ankles and legs, drawing inspiration from human muscle viscoelasticity to create compliant, responsive systems. Her innovative combination of advanced fabrication and bio-inspired design is carving a new path for resilient, adaptable robots.