Abstract

Merging Human-Machine Intelligence with Soft Materials Technology

Xuanhe Zhao, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

While human tissues and organs are mostly soft, wet and bioactive; machines are commonly hard, dry and biologically inert. Merging humans and machines and their intelligence is of imminent importance in addressing grand societal challenges in health, sustainability, security, education and joy of living. However, interfacing humans and machines is extremely challenging due to their fundamentally contradictory properties. At MIT Zhao Lab, we exploit soft materials technology to form long-term, high-efficacy, compatible and seamless interfaces and convergence between humans and machines.  In this talk, I will first discuss the mechanics to design extreme properties including tough, resilient, adhesive, strong, fatigue-resistant and conductive for hydrogels, which are new yet ideal materials for human-machine interfaces. Then I will discuss a set of soft materials technology platforms including i). bioadhesives for instant strong adhesion of diverse wet dynamic tissues and machines; ii). hydrogel bioelectronics and biophotonics for long-term multimodal interfaces; iii). ferromagnetic soft robots for teleoperated or autonomous navigations and operations in previously inaccessible lesions. I will conclude the talk with a perspective on future human-machine convergence enabled by soft materials technology.