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About

Ningzhe Hou is a leading researcher in bio-inspired soft robotics, with a focus on creating adaptive, amphibious, and autonomous robotic systems. Their major contributions lie in the design and fabrication of soft grippers and robots that mimic the morphology and functionality of marine and terrestrial organisms. Hou’s most cited work, a *Stauroteuthis syrtensis*-inspired soft robotic gripper (130 citations), introduces a self-adaptive, underwater grasping system that integrates sensing and actuation through a 3D-printed linkage and modular silicone casting. They also pioneered a fully 3D-printed tortoise-inspired soft amphibious robot (58 citations), capable of terrain-adaptive locomotion and amphibious landing, addressing key challenges in soft robotics. More recently, Hou has advanced origami-inspired designs, including a reticular origami soft gripper for shape-adaptive, bistable rapid grasping (21 citations) and a modular electro-ribbon actuator for multi-degree-of-freedom motion (14 citations). These works demonstrate Hou’s impact in pushing the boundaries of soft robotics through elegant, compliant, and functional designs. Their research is highly cited and recognized for its innovation in bio-inspired engineering, making significant strides toward practical, deployable soft robotic systems.