Ziqi Ma

About

Ziqi Ma is a rising figure in soft robotics and multibody dynamics, known for pioneering work in bio-inspired actuation and compliant mechanisms. His research centers on developing soft mobile robots and adaptive grippers, with a key contribution being the invention of foldable dielectric elastomer actuators—a design that uses antagonistic DE membranes to create compact, voltage-controlled motion, as detailed in his 2016 paper (58 citations). Ma has also advanced the modeling of cable-driven snake robots, using an Arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method to account for clearance and friction, addressing critical nonlinearities in slender manipulators (29 citations). His topology-optimized compliant actuators have been demonstrated in both soft robotic grippers and walking robots (17 citations), showcasing versatility. More recently, he has integrated feedback control into bionic grippers for adaptive grasping and capturing (7 citations). With a growing portfolio that includes multibody modeling of flexible robots with contact dynamics, Ma’s work bridges theoretical mechanics and practical soft robotics, earning him recognition for enabling more reliable, dexterous robots for complex environments.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Soft mobile robots driven by foldable dielectric elastomer actuators

   58 citations · 2016
2. 2
   Multibody dynamic modeling and analysis of cable-driven snake robot considering clearance and friction based on ALE method

   29 citations · 2023
3. 3
   A Versatile Topology-Optimized Compliant Actuator for Soft Robotic Gripper and Walking Robot

   17 citations · 2023
4. 4
   Multibody dynamic modeling and motion analysis of flexible robot considering contact

   8 citations · 2024
5. 5
   Bionic soft robotic gripper with feedback control for adaptive grasping and capturing applications

   7 citations · 2024

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links