Microscale Soft Robotics ― Motivations, Progress, and Outlook

This book presents the technological basics and applications of small-scale (mm to sub-mm in length-scales) soft robots and devices, written for researchers in both academia and industry. Author Jaeyoun Kim presents technological motivations, enabling factors, and examples in an inter-linked fashion, making it easy for readers to understand and explore how microscale soft robots are a solution to researchers in search of technological platforms for safe, human-friendly biomedical devices. A compact and timely introduction, this book summarizes not only the enabling factors for soft robots and MEMS devices, but also provides a survey of progress in the field and looks to the future in terms of the material, design, and application aspects this technology demonstrates.

Jaeyoun (Jay) Kim is the recipient of the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Award (2010). He also received the Warren B. Boast Undergraduate Teaching Award (2008), Harpole-Pentair Developing Faculty Award (2009-2010), and Air Force Summer Faculty Fellowship (2009). His current research interests include unconventional MEMS, bio-inspired optics, and plasmonics. He is affiliated with Iowa State University.