Yaokun Pang

About

Yaokun Pang is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of flexible electronics, smart sensing, and robotics, with a particular focus on triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), tactile sensing systems, and soft robotics. His work has fundamentally advanced the development of skin-inspired and self-powered sensing technologies, demonstrating how mechanical energy can be harvested and converted into actionable signals for intelligent systems. Among his most celebrated contributions is the development of stretchable triboelectric–photonic smart skin (256 citations), which enables multidimensional tactile and gesture recognition in robotic hands, and textile-based tactile sensors (277 citations) that bring multifunctional sensing to wearables and soft robots. His tribotronic transistor array (136 citations) established a new paradigm for active, large-scale tactile sensing in flexible electronics. Beyond sensing, Pang has extended TENG principles into energy harvesting metamaterials (85 citations), triboelectric micromotors (176 citations), and liquid metal actuators, showcasing remarkable interdisciplinary breadth. With over 1,100 cumulative citations across his top works, Pang's research is shaping the future of human–machine interaction, intelligent soft robotics, and self-powered wearable systems — making him an influential voice in next-generation smart materials and devices.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Skin-inspired textile-based tactile sensors enable multifunctional sensing of wearables and soft robots

   277 citations · 2022
2. 2
   Stretchable Triboelectric–Photonic Smart Skin for Tactile and Gesture Sensing

   256 citations · 2018
3. 3
   Hybrid Energy-Harvesting Systems Based on Triboelectric Nanogenerators

   202 citations · 2021
4. 4
   Triboelectric micromotors actuated by ultralow frequency mechanical stimuli

   176 citations · 2019
5. 5
   Tribotronic Transistor Array as an Active Tactile Sensing System

   136 citations · 2016
6. 6
   Multifunctional Metamaterials for Energy Harvesting and Vibration Control

   85 citations · 2021
7. 7
   Smart Soft Actuators and Grippers Enabled by Self‐Powered Tribo‐Skins

   83 citations · 2020
8. 8
   Soft Robotic Manipulation System Capable of Stiffness Variation and Dexterous Operation for Safe Human–Machine Interactions

   63 citations · 2021
9. 9
   Intrinsically Stretchable Organic-Tribotronic-Transistor for Tactile Sensing

   48 citations · 2020
10. 10
    Triboelectric Effect-Driven Liquid Metal Actuators

    20 citations · 2019

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links