Welcome to our research group website!
Our lab is located at Haifa, at the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology.
Our research interests are focused on the interface between solid mechanics and fluid mechanics, and we are primarily concerned with analysis, which is complemented by numerical computations based on commercial codes and small-scale experimental demonstrations.Below is an outline of the research conducted in the group, including links to more information.
Metafluids
We aim to integrate principles from metamaterials science into fluid dynamics to engineer fluids with novel multistable thermodynamic properties. Such novel fluids can store and release energy, or remove heat, and thus have the potential to innovate thermodynamic cycles for cooling, energy harvesting and energy storage.
Soft Robotics
Soft robots, devoid of rigid links, are crucial in facilitating locomotion in complex narrow environments. Our research involves modeling, fabricating, and controlling soft-bodied robotic systems for search and rescue operations and minimally invasive surgery. The central focus of our research is on fluid-driven actuation mechanisms in conjunction with multistable structures. Based on results in this research direction, we founded a startup company called Spinodal, which develops soft robotic catheters.
Physical Neuromorphic Computing
We aim to use fluid dynamics and electrodynamics to self-assemble autonomous physical neural networks. These physical structures could then be leveraged as computational matter, in which physical principles are applied to train the network and perform computations. This could enable large-scale energy-efficient computation schemes, as well as be used to control robots that can learn and respond naturally to their environment.
