Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42616889›Full record

ArticleScience advances2026

BeetleBot: An integrated bioinspired soft robot for multimodal sensing and adaptive interaction.

Inho Kim, Dickson R Yao, Shukun Yin, Phuoc Thanh Tran-Ngoc, Jihong Min, Nathan Ng, Wenzheng Heng, Jiahong Li, Behnam Sadri, Hirotaka Sato and 2 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Science advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Inho KimAndrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5751-7241
Dickson R YaoAndrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.ORCID 0009-0004-8894-8951
Shukun YinAndrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8218-9219
Phuoc Thanh Tran-NgocSchool of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID 0000-0002-5298-1846
Jihong MinAndrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5788-1473
Nathan NgAndrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Wenzheng HengAndrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
Jiahong LiAndrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7938-9589
Behnam SadriAndrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1510-2646
Hirotaka SatoSchool of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore.ORCID 0000-0003-4634-1639
Sang Ouk KimKAIST Institute for Nanocentury, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon, Republic of Korea.ORCID 0000-0003-1513-6042
Wei GaoAndrew and Peggy Cherng Department of Medical Engineering, Division of Engineering and Applied Science, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8503-4562

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Biological organisms exhibit tightly integrated motor functions, sensory input, and control systems that enable adaptive behaviors across diverse environments. Emulating such coordination in robotics remains challenging, as most soft machines compartmentalize actuation, sensing, and control. Here, we present BeetleBot, an adaptive beetle-bioinspired soft robot platform that seamlessly integrates programmable locomotion, object manipulation, sensory feedback, and intuitive human-machine interaction. BeetleBot features electrothermally actuated liquid crystal elastomer muscles embedded in modular leg structures and a soft gripper, with a flexible circuit enabling independent control. A wearable strain-sensing patch supports wireless gesture-based operation, while embedded vision and tactile sensors provide real-time environmental feedback. All functional components are fabricated through scalable additive manufacturing techniques. We demonstrate terrain navigation, object recognition, and gesture-control synchronized bidirectional interaction between the user and the robot. This multifunctional platform emulates the adaptability of living systems and establishes a promising foundation for next-generation intelligent soft robotics.

Indexed as

BiomimeticsColeopteraRoboticsAnimalsAutonomous RobotsEquipment DesignHumans

Identifiers

PMID42616889
PMCPMC13488934

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.