Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Yitao Pan is a robotics researcher whose work sits at the exciting intersection of bioinspiration and soft robotics, focusing on creating agile, high-performance robots modeled after frogs. His major contributions lie in developing novel actuation and locomotion systems for both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Pan pioneered the use of soft-body cavity-type detonation drivers, which harness the explosive chemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen to generate the instantaneous, high-power bursts needed for dynamic jumping—a direct mimic of a frog’s powerful hindlimbs. For underwater locomotion, he has designed a rope-driven linkage frog-like swimming robot capable of multidirectional controllable motion, and an adaptive flipper using an origami structure that significantly improves environmental adaptability and propulsion efficiency. His most-cited works, including the swimming robot (10 citations) and the detonation-driven jumping robot (9 citations), demonstrate the growing interest in his innovative, nature-inspired designs. By combining silicone flexibility with explosive chemical energy, Pan is pushing the boundaries of what soft robots can achieve in speed and power.