Turning Thin Soft Sheets into Moving, Skin-Like Surfaces

During his PhD studies, John Noee developed thin, flexible actuators inspired by the distributed movement of skin and soft biological tissue. The actuators contain networks of interconnected microchannels embedded within silicone sheets. When the channels are pressurised, the network distributes deformation across the surface, allowing an initially flat sheet to form a smooth, three-dimensional profile, while maintaining an overall thickness of only 2 mm. John developed an accessible fabrication method based on high-resolution 3D-printed moulds and investigated how network design and geometry affect actuator performance. The work combined numerical modelling with experimental characterisation. A jellyfish-inspired prototype was also developed to demonstrate how the distributed deformation could be translated into coordinated motion in water. The findings provide a basis for developing compliant, skin-like actuating surfaces for future soft robotic and bio-inspired systems.

The PhD study was completed at the Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering (MPE), Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Monday, 23 November 2026 at 13:00
Place: Building 5510, room 103 (the large auditorium), INCUBA building, Aarhus University, Åbogade 15, 8200 Aarhus N
Title of PhD thesis: Thin Skin-like Actuators with Interconnected Microchannel Networks: Design, Fabrication, and Characterization
Contact information: John Noee, e-mail: j.noee@mpe.au.dk, tel.: +45 71 69 11 62
Members of the assessment committee:
Professor Ahmad Rafsanjani, The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller Institute, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
Associate Professor Hao Zeng, Materials Science and Environmental Engineering, Tampere University, Finland
Associate Professor Subburaj Karupppasamy (chair), Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor: Professor Xuping Zhang, Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisor: Assistant Professor Rassoul Tabassian, Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Aarhus University, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English.

The defence is public.

The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Technical Sciences (GSTS), Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C.