Laurens T. de Haan

Papers

Total Citations

163

H-Index

About

Laurens T. de Haan is a leading researcher in bioinspired soft robotics and adaptive photonic materials. His work focuses on creating smart actuators that mimic the remarkable camouflage and shape-changing abilities of cephalopods like cuttlefish and squid. De Haan’s major contributions lie in integrating liquid crystal-based structural color with actuation, enabling materials that can simultaneously change shape and color in response to external stimuli. His 2022 paper on “Liquid crystal-based structural color actuators” (109 citations) established a foundational framework for embedding tunable photonic properties into soft robots. He further advanced the field with his work on “Pigmented Structural Color Actuators Fueled by Near-Infrared Light” (54 citations), which introduced near-infrared light as a fuel source, overcoming the limitation of flat, static geometries. This innovation allows for complex, three-dimensional shape transformations alongside dynamic color shifts. With over 160 citations across his most influential works, de Haan is recognized for pushing the boundaries of multifunctional soft materials, offering new pathways for adaptive camouflage, wearable displays, and autonomous soft robots that can interact more naturally with their environment.