Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Yiqi Mao is a leading researcher in the field of active materials and 3D-printed smart structures, with a focus on shape-memory polymers and liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs). His pioneering work on **sequential self-folding** using digital shape-memory polymers (2015, 497 citations) introduced a novel method for creating deployable structures that mimic natural folding processes, with applications in biomedical devices, robotics, and space structures. Building on this, his 2016 study on **reversible shape-changing components** (341 citations) established design principles for stimuli-responsive materials that can repeatedly alter their shape, advancing the field of adaptive robotics and deployable systems. More recently, Mao has explored **deformable superstructures** based on amine-acrylate LCEs (2023) and **body-temperature-actuated LCEs** (2025), achieving hyper-tensile preprogramming for precise, low-temperature actuation. His work bridges materials science and mechanical engineering, enabling multi-mode reconfigurable robots and space-efficient structures. With over 850 citations across his top papers, Mao's contributions are foundational to the development of intelligent, responsive materials that can autonomously change shape in response to environmental cues—a key enabler for next-generation soft robotics and adaptive infrastructure.