IRIM Spring 2026 Seminar Series | Material-Like Robotic Collectives with Spatiotemporal Control of Strength and Shape

Abstract: The vision of robotic materials—cohesive collectives of robotic units that can arrange into virtually any form with any physical properties—has long intrigued both science and fiction. Yet this vision requires a fundamental physical challenge to be overcome: The collective must be strong, to support loads, yet flow, to take new forms.

In this talk, I will describe how we achieve this in a material-like robotic collective by modulating the interunit tangential forces to control topological rearrangements of units within a tightly packed structure. This allows local control of rigidity transitions between solid and fluid-like states in the collective and enables spatiotemporal control of shape and strength. I will show examples of structure-forming and healing and how the collective can support 700 newtons (500 times the weight of a robot) before“melting” under its own weight.

Bio:  Elliot W. Hawkes is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UCSB. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University, where he also earned his MS and PhD in Mechanical Engineering. Previously, he worked at the Harvard Microrobotics Lab and the ETH Multi-scale Robotics Lab. The Hawkes Lab's research is at the intersection of design, mechanics, and materials, and develops novel mechanisms and applies non-traditional materials to solve challenging problems in robotics, medicine, and biomechanics. He has spun two companies out of the Hawkes Lab, to bring new medical and rehabilitation devices into the world.