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Maeda Lab
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The lab makes artificial muscles and soft robots from soft materials.
AboutAbout the lab
Building robots from soft materials
The Maeda Lab studies robots based on soft materials (soft matter).
Its work covers a wide range, from soft actuators, soft pumps, and soft sensors that generate motion to soft robots.
Focusing on the unique properties of soft materials, the lab explores life-like functions and develops a variety of devices.
The lab participates in the Research Center for Autonomous Systems Materialogy (ASMat) and conducts research that spans fields such as mechanics, materials, physics, and AI.
Key terms
- Soft actuator
- A soft component that converts energy such as electricity or pressure into motion. Also called an artificial muscle
- Dielectric elastomer
- A material made of a rubber-like film sandwiched between electrodes. When voltage is applied, the film deforms by becoming thinner and spreading out
- Electrohydrodynamics
- A phenomenon in which a strong electric field applied to a liquid makes the liquid itself flow, and the field of study that deals with it. Also called EHD
NewsLab news
Held lab information sessions and lab tours for prospective graduate school applicants
Held a joint lab information session for incoming fourth-year students
Doctoral students and others won the Best Paper Award at MHS 2024
Master's students and others were named Best Paper Finalists at IEEE ICMA 2024
Held a lab information session for graduate school applicants
ResearchResearch themes
Focusing on the unique properties of soft materials, the lab's research rests on three pillars: soft robotics, chemical robotics, and soft matter. It covers a wide range, from mathematical modeling and analysis, to the design of devices and robots, to the synthesis and analysis of materials, and recently also makes use of AI.
*Illustrative imageDielectric Elastomers Driven by Electricity
Using dielectric elastomers, the lab studies actuators that move by electric force and sensors that measure deformation. The emphasis is on fabrication and device development.
*Illustrative imageCompact, Quiet Soft Pumps
As an alternative to bulky, noisy mechanical pumps, the lab studies soft pumps that use electrohydrodynamics (EHD) to operate compactly and quietly. It also works on basic research into the mechanisms and on the design of wearable devices.
*Illustrative imageGels That Move on Their Own Through Chemical Reactions
The lab explores robots and soft machines that move autonomously through chains of chemical reactions, like living things. It has developed gels that walk through chemical reactions and gels that work as a biological clock, and it also focuses on elucidating the mechanisms behind them.
*Illustrative imageFundamental Research on Soft Materials
Toward realizing soft robots and chemical robots, the lab studies the fundamentals of elastomers, gels, and porous materials. Topics include mathematical models of porous materials, the reaction speed of gels, and gel adhesion.
MembersFaculty
The Maeda Lab consists of faculty members, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, and administrative staff.As of 2026
- ProfessorShingo MaedaPublications ↗
- Assistant ProfessorYuhei YamadaPublications ↗
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Inflatable Robotic Arm” Z22 / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Dielectric Elastomers Driven by Electricity: “P” European Commission / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Compact, Quiet Soft Pumps: “P” European Commission / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Gels That Move on Their Own Through Chemical Reactions: “Belousov Zhabotinsky reaction ( )” Stephen Morris from Toronto, Canada / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Fundamental Research on Soft Materials: “More windows” Jin from Melbourne, Australia / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (武田・菅原研究室): “Hexapod positioner aka Stewart platform x2” User Mike1024 on en.wikipedia / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (中西・中条研究室): “Canadarm2 during Expedition 62 (ISS062-E-055099)” NASA / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (三浦研究室): “WBAMC first in DoD to use robot for surgery 160426-A-EK666-526” Marcy Sanchez / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (只野研究室): “Instruments for laparoscopic Hernia Operation” Anpol42 / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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