Oct. 22, 2026
Close-up of a modular, snake-like robotic device with exposed wiring, sensors, and claw-like grippers at both ends being held by two people in a laboratory setting. The flexible robotic structure features black and orange components connected by segmented joints.

Yilin Cai (front) and Zhefeng Huang (rear) pose with the modular robotic system

Fourth-year Coulter BME Ph.D. student Yilin Cai received two awards recognizing research on modular soft robotic systems that can adapt to different tasks and environments. The project, Modular Self-Reconfigurable Continuum Robot for Adaptive Loco-Manipulation, explores how identical robotic modules can be rearranged into different configurations, contributing to research in adaptable robotics and physical intelligence. The honors recognize work conducted with faculty advisor Yue Chen and collaborator Zhefeng Huang on robotic systems designed to reconfigure in response to changing needs.

Read the full story: Yilin Cai Awarded for Adaptive Soft Robotics Research