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About

Qilong Zhao is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of soft robotics, bioinspired materials, and intelligent actuator systems. His work draws deeply from nature's own playbook, developing hydrogel-based platforms that mimic the adaptive behaviors of living organisms — from chameleons to marine creatures — to create next-generation functional materials and small-scale robots. Zhao's most celebrated contributions include his chameleon-inspired structural-color actuators (2019, 288 citations) and magnetically driven soft millirobots capable of reconfiguration, camouflage, and color-shifting (2020, 252 citations), work that fundamentally advanced the intelligence and multifunctionality of untethered soft robotic systems. His innovations in 3D reversible ion-triggered shape-morphing hydrogels further demonstrated how anisotropic material design can replicate complex biological morphing behaviors. Beyond materials science, Zhao has translated these principles into biomedical applications, designing millirobots capable of switching locomotion modes in vivo for targeted drug delivery in the oviduct (2024). His reviews on hydrogel-based robots and natural polymer actuators underscore his broader vision of sustainable, biosafe robotic platforms. With a growing citation record exceeding 760 citations, Zhao represents a distinctive and impactful voice in the rapidly evolving field of bioinspired soft robotics.