Yunqi Cao

Michigan State University, Zhejiang University of Technology, Zhejiang University

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About

Yunqi Cao is a pioneering researcher at the forefront of ferroelectret nanogenerators and bioinspired soft robotics, with a focus on advancing tactile sensing and self-powered systems. His most-cited work, "Understanding the dynamic response in ferroelectret nanogenerators to enable self-powered tactile systems and human-controlled micro-robots" (2019, 45 citations), elucidates the fundamental mechanics of ferroelectret materials, demonstrating how their dynamic response can be harnessed for energy harvesting and touch-based control of micro-robots—a breakthrough with significant implications for wearable electronics and human-machine interfaces. Building on this, Cao introduced a novel polypropylene-based ferroelectret device capable of measuring negative pressures underwater (2022, 8 citations), expanding the utility of quasi-piezoelectric sensors to marine and biomedical applications. Most recently, his star-nose-inspired bionic soft robot (2024, 4 citations) achieves nonvisual spatial detection and reconstruction, mimicking the tactile sensitivity of the star-nosed mole to enable autonomous navigation in dark or unstructured environments. With a growing citation footprint, Cao’s work bridges materials science, robotics, and energy harvesting, establishing him as a key innovator in self-powered tactile systems and soft robotics.