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About

Wai Keat Wong is a pioneering researcher in soft robotics and tactile sensing, whose work has fundamentally advanced how robots perceive and interact with their environment through touch. His primary research areas include distributed tactile sensing, soft robotic skin, and 3-axis force sensor development for robot hands. Wong's most significant contribution is the development of uSkin, a soft electronic skin with distributed 3-axis force sensitive elements for robot fingertips, which has garnered 167 citations for its breakthrough approach to enabling stable, subtle, and precise robotic manipulation. His 2016 work on a modular, distributed, soft 3-axis sensor system, cited 57 times, addressed the critical challenge of integrating dense tactile sensors into the limited space of robot hands. Wong also demonstrated remarkable innovation in accessibility, developing a low-cost, easy-to-fabricate 3D force sensor using Hall-effect sensors and magnets for soft robotics applications. His research has been instrumental in overcoming common barriers in tactile sensing—such as complex and expensive production—making sophisticated touch capabilities more practical for widespread robotic applications. Through his work, Wong has helped bridge the gap between theoretical tactile sensing and real-world robotic manipulation.