Liquid fused soft intelligence
液体融合的智能柔软体
Zhigang Wu（吴志刚）
ABSRACT
Being an essential part of natural soft intelligence, liquid plays an important role in various processes e.g. structural formation, physiology information detection, signal transfer, energy distribution and action control and so on. However, liquids are relative less studied in soft intelligence. Hence, it is of great importance to develop relevant new technologies and explore new applications on such liquid fused soft intelligence, e.g. soft electronics and robots, where liquids play important roles in the system. In this talk, we discussed our recent work on the manipulation and integration of functional liquids e.g. liquid metal, solutions, for implementing soft smart devices. Of particular, we focus on two category work: 1) liquid alloy manipulation and its patterning techniques on complex micro-nanopatterned/curved/dynamic surfaces and its application development for new scenarios, e.g. plant hybrid machine; and 2) seamless multifunction/heterogenous integration techniques for small soft robots with physical intelligence enhancement for better environments adaptabilities, e.g. self-gait sensed soft robot, multi-gait/gait configurable robot, cooperation for better performance, e.g. synergic surface tension driven robot with low frication, and even for active local environment influence, e.g. color warning robot, and so on.
液体作为自然界软智能系统中的基本组成部分，在结构构造、生理信息检测、信号传递、能量分布和生物能动性控制等各个过程中发挥着重要的作用。然而，当前科研界对液体在软智能中的研究相对较少。因此，发展功能性液体材料融合的软智能系统新技术，并探究其新兴的应用十分重要，例如液态材料大放异彩的柔性电子与软体机器人。在本次报告中，将讨论本组最近关于液体（例如液态金属和其它溶液）操控和集成的工作，为实现软智能设备提供可行的解决方案。特别是，我们专注于以下两类工作：1）液体金属操控及其在具有复杂微纳米结构/曲率、动态化表面的图案化技术，及开发和畅想新的应用场景，例如植物电子混合机器人；2）多功能/异质模块的无缝集成技术，为增强小型软机器人的物理智能提供有效的手段，使其具有更好的环境适应性，如步态自感知的软机器人、多步态/步态可重构机器人，通过协同作用实现更好的性能，如利用界面张力驱动的低表面摩擦力机器人，甚至主动对局部环境产生影响，如颜色警示机器人等。
BIOGRAPHY
Zhigang Wu is a professor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), China. Before joining HUST, Dr. Wu was an associate professor in Microsystems Technology, Uppsala University, Sweden. The mission of Wu’s research is to develop new fabrication and manufacturing technologies for liquid fused soft intelligent systems that can potentially bring new solutions for societal challenges. Currently, his research focus on technology and application development of 1) microfluidics for in vivo diagnosis, 2) liquid alloy based soft electronics, 3) intelligent soft robot.
Dr. Wu was selected as in junior researcher program by Swedish research council in 2010 and Chutian Scholar by Hubei government in 2012. Dr. Wu is the founding executive chair of International Symposium of Flexible and Stretchable Electronics and the chair of conference of Soft Robot Theory and Technology, 2019, Wuhan. He is also sitting the editorial board of J. Micromech. Microeng., Micromachines and guest editor of Material Today Physics.
吴志刚目前是华中科技大学（HUST）机械学院数字制造装备与技术国家重点实验室的教授。在加入HUST之前，任职瑞典乌普萨拉大学微系统技术系副教授。其研究目标是针对融合液体材料的柔性软智能系统，开发新的工艺和制造技术，为当前的社会挑战带来新的解决方案。目前，他的研究重点是1）用于体内诊断的微流控技术、2）液体金属基柔性电子和3）智能软机器人等技术的开发与应用。
吴博士于2010年被选为瑞典研究委员会初级研究员，2012年被湖北省政府选为楚天学者。他是国际柔性电子论坛研讨会的创始主席，也是2019年武汉软机器人理论与技术研讨会的主席。他还担任《J. Micromech. Microeng.》与《Micromachines》的编委，和《Materials Today Physics》的客座编辑。