Publications

Image-based approach to reconstruct curling in continuum structures.

Fan, J., Del Dottore, E., Visentin, F., & Mazzolai, B.

In 2020 3rd IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)

An Image-Based Method for the Morphological Analysis of Tendrils with 2D Piece-Wise Clothoid Approximation Model.

Fan, J., Visentin, F., Del Dottore, E., & Mazzolai, B.

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer International Publishing

Self-contained and integral microbial fuel cells as portable and sustainable energy sources for low-power field devices,

Naroa Uria-Molto, Ruben D. Costa, Cybeles Nunziata, Sara Santiago, Gonzalo Guirado, Xavier Muñoz-Berbel, Lukasz Kowalski,

Electronic Journal of Biotechnology

A plant-hybrid system for wind monitoring connected with social media

Serena Armiento, Alessio Mondini, Fabian Meder, Barbara Mazzolai

2022 IEEE 5th International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft)

Biohybrid generators based on living plants and artificial leaves: influence of leaf motion and real wind outdoor energy harvesting

Fabian Meder, Serena Armiento, Giovanna Adele Naselli, Marc Thielen, Thomas Speck, Barbara Mazzolai

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics

Multisource energy conversion in plants with soft epicuticular coatings

Fabian Meder, Alessio Mondini, Francesco Visentin, Giorgio Zini, Marco Crepaldi, Barbara Mazzolai

Energy & Environmental Science

Wind dynamics and leaf motion: Approaching the design of high-tech devices for energy harvesting for operation on plant leaves

Fabian Meder, Giovanna Naselli, Barbara Mazzolai

Frontiers in Plant Science

Device for Simultaneous Wind and Raindrop Energy Harvesting Operating on the Surface of Plant Leaves

Serena Armiento, Fabian Meder, Barbara Mazzolai

IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters

Liquid-solid contact electrification when water droplets hit living plant leaves

Serena Armiento, Carlo Filippeschi, Fabian Meder, Barbara Mazzolai

Communications Materials

Force generation in the coiling tendrils of Passiflora caerulea

Frederike Klimm, Thomas Speck, Marc Thielen

bioRxiv; under revision in Advanced Science

Roadmap on soft robotics: multifunctionality, adaptability and growth without borders

B.Mazzolai, A.Mondini, E.Del Dottore, L.Margheri, F.Carpi, K.Suzumori, M.Cianchetti, T.Speck, S.K.Smoukov, I.Burgert, T.Keplinger, G.De Freitas Siqueira, F.Vanneste, O.Goury, C.Duriez, T.Nanayakkara, B.Vanderborght, J.Brancart, S.Terryn, S.I Rich, R.Liu, K.Fukuda, T.Someya, M.Calisti, C.Laschi, W.Sun, G.Wang, Li Wen, R.Baines, S.K.Patiballa, R.Kramer-Bottiglio, D.Rus, P.Fischer, F.C Simmel and A.Lendlein

Multifunct. Mater

Plants as inspiration for material-based sensing and actuation in soft robots and machines

Speck, T., Cheng, T., Klimm, F., Menges, A., Poppinga, S., Speck, O., Tahouni, Y., Tauber, F., Thielen, M.

MRS Bulletin

Artificial Tendrils Mimicking Plant Movements by Mismatching Modulus and Strain in Core and Shell

Muhammad Farhan, Frederike Klimm, Marc Thielen, Andraž Rešetič, Anil Bastola, Marc Behl, Thomas Speck, Andreas Lendlein

Advanced Materials

Tendril coiling in passion flowers

Frederike Klimm, Thomas Speck, Marc Thielen

REPORT 2022 FREIBURG CENTER FOR INTERACTIVE MATERIALS AND BIOINSPIRED TECHNOLOGIES

An optimal control approach to the problem of the longest self-supporting structure

G. Vecchiato; M. Palladino; P. Marcati

Searcher-Shoot: a Reinforcement Learning approach to understand climbing plant behaviour

L. Nasti; G. Vecchiato; T. Hattermann; P. Heuret; N. P. Rowe; M. Palladino; P. Marcati

A 2D Model to describe the mechano-sensory behaviour of self-supporting shoots of climbing plants against gravity

G. Vecchiato; T. Hattermann; M. Palladino; P. Heuret; N. P. Rowe; P. Marcati

under revision in PLOS Computational Biology

Trellis-forming stems of a tropical liana Condylocarpon guianense (Apocynaceae): a plant-made safety net constructed by simple “start-stop” development

Soffiatti, P., Fort, E., Heinz, C., and Rowe, N.P

Frontiers in Plant Science

Failure without tears: two-step attachment in a climbing cactus

Rowe, N.P., Cheng Clavel L., Soffiatti P.

Rowe, N.P., Cheng Clavel L., Soffiatti P.

Bio-inspired magnetically controlled reversibly actuating multimaterial fibers

M. Farhan, D.S. Hartstein, Y. Pieper, M. Behl, A. Lendlein, A.T. Neffe

Polymers

Responses to single and multiple temperature-, medium-, and pH-stimuli triggering reversible shape shifts in hydrogel actuators

X. Wang, M. Behl, A. Lendlein, M. Balk

Materials & Design

Artificial system inspired by climbing mechanism of galium aparine fabricated via 3D laser lithography

Fiorello, I., Tricinci, O., Mishra, A. K., Tramacere, F., Filippeschi, C., & Mazzolai, B.

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer International Publishing

Biomechanical Characterization of Hook-Climber Stems for Soft Robotic Applications

Fiorello, I., Mondini, A., & Mazzolai, B.

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer International Publishing

Rose-inspired micro-device with variable stiffness for remotely controlled release of objects in robotics

Fiorello, I., Meder, F., Tricinci, O., Filippeschi, C., & Mazzolai, B.

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer International Publishing

Climbing mini-machines using plant-inspired micropatterned adhesive wheels fabricated via two-photon lithography

Fiorello, I., Mondini, A., & Mazzolai, B.

IEEE

Plant-like hooked miniature machines for on-leaf sensing and delivery

Fiorello, I., Meder, F., Mondini, A., Sinibaldi, E., Filippeschi, C., Tricinci, O., & Mazzolai, B.

Communications Materials

Microspines in tropical climbing plants: a small-scale fix for life in an obstacle course

Lehnebach, R., Paul-Victor, C., Courric, E., and Rowe, N. P.

Journal of Experimental Biology

Mind the Gap: Reach and Mechanical Diversity of Searcher Shoots in Climbing Plants

Hattermann, T., Petit-Bagnard, L., Heinz, C., Heuret, P., and Rowe, N.P.

Frontiers in Forests and Global Change

Linking drone and Ground-based liana measurements in a Congolese Forest

Kaçamak, V., Barbier, N. Aubry-Kientz,, M. Forni, E. Gourlet-Fleury, S., Guibal, D. I., Loumeto, J. J., Pollet, S., Rossi, V , Rowe, N. P.van Hoef, Y. Réjou-Méchain, Y.

Frontiers in Forests and Global Change

Shape-Memory Polymers Designed in View of Thermomechanical Energy Storage and Conversion Systems

Andreas Lendlein; Matthias Heuchel

ACS Central Science

Biomechanics of climbing plant attachment: The tendrils and adhesive pads of the
passionflower Passiflora discophora

Frederike Klimm, Thomas Speck, Marc Thielen

REPORT 2021 FIT FREIBURG CENTER FOR INTERACTIVE MATERIALS AND BIOINSPIRED TECHNOLOGIES

Biomechanics of tendrils and adhesive pads of the climbing passion flower Passiflora discophora

Frederike Klimm, Stefanie Schmier, Holger F Bohn, Svenja Kleiser, Marc Thielen, Thomas Speck

Journal of Experimental Botany

High-Throughput and Combinatorial Approaches for the Development of Multifunctional Polymers

Stefan Baudis; Marc Behl

Macromolecular Rapid Communications

Multifunctionality in Polymer Networks by Dynamic of Coordination Bonds

Pengfei Zhang, Andraž Rešetič, Marc Behl, Andreas Lendlein

Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics

Bio-inspired and computer-supported design of modulated shape changes in polymer materials

Johan Bäckemo, Yue Liu, Andreas Lendlein

MRS Communications

Origami hand for soft robotics driven by thermally controlled polymeric fiber actuators

Muhammad Farhan, Marc Behl, Karl Kratz, Andreas Lendlein

MRS Communications

Electrical Actuation of Coated and Composite Fibers Based on Poly[ethylene-co-(vinyl acetate)]

Muhammad Farhan, Deeptangshu Chaudhary, Ulrich Nöchel, Marc Behl, Karl Kratz, Andreas Lendlein

Macromolecular Materials and Engineering

Bioperspectives for Shape-Memory Polymers as Shape Programmable, Active Materials

Andreas Lendlein, Maria Balk, Natalia A. Tarazona, Oliver E. C. Gould

Biomacromolecules

Ultraconformable, Self‐Adhering Surface Electrodes for Measuring Electrical Signals in Plants

Fabian Meder, Sirgi Saar, Silvia Taccola, Carlo Filippeschi, Virgilio Mattoli, Barbara Mazzolai

Advanced Materials Technologies

By hook or by crook: how and why do compound leaves stay curved during development?

Yasmine Meroz, Wendy K Silk

Journal of Experimental Botany

Plant tropisms as a window on plant computational processes

Yasmine Meroz

New Phytologist

Towards a framework for collective behavior in growth-driven systems, based on plant-inspired allotropic pairwise interactions

Renaud Bastien, Amir Porat, Yasmine Meroz

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics

Artificial Venus Flytraps: A Research Review and Outlook on Their Importance for Novel Bioinspired Materials Systems

Falk J. Esser, Philipp Auth, Thomas Speck

Frontiers in Robotics and AI

Robust Fractional-Order Control Using a Decoupled Pitch and Roll Actuation Strategy for the I-Support Soft Robot 

Jorge Muñoz, Francesco Piqué, Concepción A. Monje, Egidio Falotico

Mathematics

Structural performance of a climbing cactus: making the most of softness

Anil K. Bastola, Patricia Soffiatti, Marc Behl, Andreas Lendlein, Nick P. Rowe

Journal of The Royal Society Interface

Cactus-inspired design principles for soft robotics based on 3D printed hydrogel-elastomer systems

Anil K. Bastola, Nadia Rodriguez, Marc Behl, Patricia Soffiatti, Nick P. Rowe, Andreas Lendlein

Materials & Design

Mechanical Innovations of a Climbing Cactus: Functional Insights for a New Generation of Growing Robots

Patricia Soffiatti, Nick P. Rowe

Frontiers in Robotics and AI

Approaches of combining a 3D-printed elastic structure and a hydrogel to create models for plant-inspired actuators

Nadia Rodriguez, Anil K. Bastola, Marc Behl, Patricia Soffiatti, Nick P. Rowe, Andreas Lendlein

MRS Advances

GROWBOT—TOWARDS A NEW GENERATION OF PLANT-INSPIRED GROWING ARTEFACTS

T. Speck, M. Thielen, Frederike Klimm, B. Mazzolai et al.

REPORT 2020 FIT FREIBURG CENTER FOR INTERACTIVE MATERIALS AND BIOINSPIRED TECHNOLOGIES

The plant role models: A springdamped adhesive system and self-stiffening braided support structures

Frederike Klimm, Michelle Modert, Daniela Neugebauer, Thomas Speck, Marc Thielen

REPORT 2020 FIT FREIBURG CENTER FOR INTERACTIVE MATERIALS AND BIOINSPIRED TECHNOLOGIES

Towards a new generation of plant-inspired growing artefacts: The plant role models

Frederike Klimm, Thomas Speck, Marc Thielen

REPORT 2019 FIT FREIBURG CENTER FOR INTERACTIVE MATERIALS AND BIOINSPIRED TECHNOLOGIES

Searching and Intertwining: Climbing Plants and GrowBots

James Gallentine; Michael B. Wooten; Marc Thielen; Ian D. Walker; Thomas Speck; Karl J. Niklas

Frontiers in Robotics and AI

Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman Equation for Control Systems with Friction

Fabio Tedone, Michele Palladino

IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control

A General 3D Model for Growth Dynamics of Sensory-Growth Systems: From Plants to Robotics

Amir Porat, Fabio Tedone, Michele Palladino, Pierangelo Marcati, Yasmine Meroz

Frontiers in Robotics and AI

Optimal control of plant root tip dynamics in soil

Fabio Tedone, Emanuela Del Dottore, Michele Palladino, Barbara Mazzolai, Pierangelo Marcati

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics

The Bio-Engineering Approach for Plant Investigations and Growing Robots. A Mini-Review

Barbara Mazzolai, Francesca Tramacere, Isabella Fiorello, Laura Margheri

Frontiers in Robotics and AI

Climbing Plant‐Inspired Micropatterned Devices for Reversible Attachment

Isabella Fiorello, Omar Tricinci, Giovanna Adele Naselli, Alessio Mondini, Carlo Filippeschi, Francesca Tramacere, Anand Kumar Mishra, Barbara Mazzolai

Advanced Functional Materials

3D printed composites from heat extruded polycaprolactone/sodium alginate filaments and their heavy metal adsorption properties

Ioannis L. Liakos.; Alessio Mondini, Emanuela Del Dottore, Carlo Filippeschi, Francesca Pignatelli, Barbara Mazzolai

Materials Chemistry Frontiers

Living Plant‐Hybrid Generators for Multidirectional Wind Energy Conversion

Fabian Meder, Marc Thielen, Alessio Mondini, Thomas Speck, Barbara Mazzolai

Energy Technology

Taking inspiration from climbing plants: methodologies and benchmarks—a review

Isabella Fiorello, Emanuela Del Dottore,  Francesca Tramacere, Barbara Mazzolai

Bioinspiration & Biomimetics

Plant‐Inspired Soft Bistable Structures Based on Hygroscopic Electrospun Nanofibers

Dario Lunni, Matteo Cianchetti, Carlo Filippeschi, Edoardo Sinibaldi, Barbara Mazzolai

Advanced Materials Interfaces

The softness distribution index: towards the creation of guidelines for the modeling of soft-bodied robots

Giovanna A Naselli, Barbara Mazzolai

Characterization of the Growing From the Tip as Robot Locomotion Strategy

Emanuela Del Dottore, Alessio Mondini, Ali Sadeghi, Barbara Mazzolai

Frontiers in Robotics and AI

Passive Morphological Adaptation for Obstacle Avoidance in a Self-Growing Robot Produced by Additive Manufacturing

Ali Sadeghi, Emanuela Del Dottore, Alessio Mondini, Barbara Mazzolai

Soft Robotics

Remotely Light‐Powered Soft Fluidic Actuators Based on Plasmonic‐Driven Phase Transitions in Elastic Constraint

Fabian Meder, Giovanna Adele Naselli, Ali Sadeghi, Barbara Mazzolai

Advanced Materials

Fast estimation of plant growth dynamics using deep neural networks

Gabriella E. C. Gall; Talmo D. Pereira; Alex Jordan; Yasmine Meroz

Plant Methods

GROWBOT - Towards a new generation of plantinspired growing artefacts

T. Speck, M. Thielen, B. Mazzolai et al.

REPORT 2018 FIT FREIBURG CENTER FOR INTERACTIVE MATERIALS AND BIOINSPIRED TECHNOLOGIES

Quo vadis plant biomechanics: Old wine in new bottles or an up‐and‐coming field of modern plant science?

Thomas Speck, Olga Speck

American Journal of Botany