From student to innovator: Xu's journey in soft robotics

MechSE Assistant Professor Siyi Xu is driving innovation in soft robotics and flexible electronics. With a passion for creating technologies that merge adaptability and comfort, her research is revolutionizing wearable and implantable health-care devices.

Xu’s journey in soft robotics began during her PhD, when she encountered wearable rehabilitation robots designed for stroke patients. “I was deeply impressed by how naturally these robots interacted with the human body,” she recalled. This inspiration led her to focus on healthcare applications, where she could merge technology with human-centered design.

Her doctoral work centered on developing miniature soft actuators and sensors to overcome the limitations of bulky, tethered robotic systems. By creating lightweight, compact fluidic components, she addressed significant barriers in wearable robotics. She also successfully optimized actuator fabrication, reducing production time from half a day to just two hours while enhancing power density. These advancements set the stage for groundbreaking applications in future projects.

Following her postdoc from Harvard, Xu joined Northwestern University’s Querrey Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics for a second postdoc position, working on implantable sensors for cardiac monitoring and chemotherapy drug delivery. She joined the MechSE community earlier this year.

Now leading the Wearable and Implantable Soft Electronics and Robotics (WISER) Lab at Illinois, Xu is integrating her expertise in soft robotics and flexible electronics to push the boundaries of healthcare technologies. She and her team are developing multifunctional human-robot interfaces featuring adaptive haptic actuators and biomechanical sensors. These systems aim to improve sports training, rehabilitation, and human-robot collaboration by enhancing tactile interaction and monitoring capabilities. Her lab is focused on designing low-voltage, portable systems compatible with modern circuit boards to enable practical, daily use of these technologies.

“We hope to untether soft sensors and actuators from immobile electronics,” she explained.

Teaching has been a rewarding aspect of Xu’s role at Illinois, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in materials engineering in 2016. Currently teaching ME 330 (Engineering Materials), she is thrilled to share her knowledge with students.

“I love talking to students after lectures,” she said. “The discussions help me learn and improve, and I deeply value their feedback.”

Transitioning from a postdoctoral researcher to a faculty role has been both exciting and challenging for Xu. “One of the biggest challenges is balancing my time between recruiting students, designing lab spaces, setting up equipment with students, teaching, and conducting research, all simultaneously,” she explained. She also expressed her gratitude to the department and her colleagues for their unwavering support, which has been instrumental in helping her succeed during this pivotal stage of her career.

Xu envisions a future where wearable and implantable devices significantly impact healthcare and human-robot interaction. “In the next five to ten years, I’d love to see wearable interfaces helping people learn new skills or train humanoid robots for complex tasks,” she shared. She also aims to advance implantable sensors and actuators for patient monitoring and treatment.

Her advice for aspiring academics is clear: engage in research early, explore beyond your field, and embrace multidisciplinary collaboration. “Broadening your perspective can lead to groundbreaking innovations,” she noted.

From her early fascination with rehabilitation robots to leading cutting-edge research, Xu exemplifies the powers of curiosity, collaboration, and perseverance in shaping the future of technology and healthcare.