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About

Lijun Teng is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of soft robotics, wireless sensing, and scalable manufacturing. Their work focuses on developing soft, battery-free sensor systems that can seamlessly integrate with both biological tissues and robotic platforms. Teng’s most influential contribution is the invention of soft radio-frequency identification (RFID) strain sensors, which enable wireless, long-range sensing without the need for onboard power—a breakthrough detailed in their 2018 paper (29 citations). They further advanced this field by creating stretchable microfluidic UHF RFID sensors (16 citations), solving critical challenges in system integration and wired connectivity for soft systems. Beyond sensing, Teng has contributed to swarm robotics with the “HoverBots” platform (13 citations), demonstrating precise locomotion in low-cost, manufacturable robot collectives. Their work on integrating soft sensors using conductive thread (11 citations) has opened new pathways for embedding sensing directly into soft machines, bridging the mechanical mismatch between rigid electronics and compliant biological systems. With a growing citation record and a portfolio that spans from fundamental materials to system-level integration, Teng is a key figure in the push toward truly soft, autonomous, and wirelessly connected robotic systems.