Moustapha Hafez

About

Moustapha Hafez is a multidisciplinary robotics researcher whose work spans compliant mechanisms, smart actuators, reconfigurable robotics, and human-robot interaction. His most influential contribution lies in the study of bistable buckled beams, where his 2009 paper modeling actuating forces in compliant bistable mechanisms has garnered 124 citations, establishing him as a key figure in the design of microswitches and miniaturized mechanical systems. Earlier in his career, Hafez pioneered lightweight hyper-redundant robotic manipulators driven by dielectric polymer actuators, advancing binary actuation strategies that enable precise discrete motion without complex sensing systems — work cited over 76 times. His research on optimized binary modular reconfigurable robotic devices further demonstrated practical pathways toward lightweight, functional digital mechanisms. Hafez has also explored unconventional actuator technologies, including shape memory alloys, conductive polymer actuators, and curved ultrasonic motors for spherical systems. More recently, he has turned toward social robotics, investigating affective touch in human-robot handshaking interactions, examining how mood and personality are communicated through tactile cues. Together, his body of work reflects a career dedicated to bridging smart materials, mechanical innovation, and intuitive human-robot interaction.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Bistable Buckled Beam: Modeling of Actuating Force and Experimental Validations

   124 citations · 2009
2. 2
   <title>Hyper-redundant robot manipulators actuated by optimized binary-dielectric polymers</title>

   76 citations · 2002
3. 3
   Optimized binary modular reconfigurable robotic devices

   72 citations · 2003
4. 4
   Let's handshake and I'll know who you are: Gender and personality discrimination in human-human and human-robot handshaking interaction

   27 citations · 2016
5. 5
   A curved ultrasonic actuator optimized for spherical motors: Design and experiments

   15 citations · 2014
6. 6
   Optimized binary modular reconfigurable robotic devices

   15 citations · 2003
7. 7
   Pressure Variation Study in Human-Human and Human-Robot Handshakes: Impact of the Mood

   14 citations · 2018
8. 8
   Actuation of bistable buckled beams with Macro-Fiber Composites

   13 citations · 2008
9. 9
   Characterization of a new interpenetrated network conductive polymer (IPN-CP) as a potential actuator that works in air conditions

   8 citations · 2005
10. 10
    <title>Local annealing of shape memory alloys using laser scanning and computer vision</title>

    4 citations · 2000

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links