Research & Vision
"Exploit nature to develop sustainable hybrid living materials "
Fiorello's lab is interested in developing new biologically inspired hybrid materials for applications in soft robotics, precision agriculture, and space exploration and research. Specifically, we are interested in:
(1) Investigating the morphology and biomechanics of selected living organisms (mainly plants) to design new materials
(2) Developing new protocols and tools for the development of bioinspired and/or biohybrid materials at small scales (from centimeter to micrometer scales)
(3) Applying the results of our research to targeted markets
Applications of our research have included miniaturized bioinspired devices for targeted cargo delivery and monitoring to complex natural surfaces and reversible dry adhesives for grasping and climbing robots. We are particularly interested in patenting, licensing, and technological transfer of our research.
We have 2 major Focus Areas:
PLANT-INSPIRED MICROPATTERNED MATERIALS
SUSTAINABLE HYBRID MATERIALS AND ROBOTS
