![](https://shuyang.seas.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/Shu-Yang-Illustration-nature-inspired-research-300x169.png)
Manipulating Materials, Shapes and Chemistry To Create Climate Change-Fighting Inventions
Shu Yang looks at her research through the lens of biomimicry: life forms and natural shapes have inspired her unique …
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Engineered Magic: Wooden Seed Carriers Mimic the Behavior of Self-Burying Seed
How seeds implant themselves in soil can seem magical. During rain or high humidity, the corkscrew-like stalk of Erodium unwinds …
![](https://shuyang.seas.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Li-202-Nat_Comm-fog_water_dripping_off_kirigami.gif)
Kirigami Structures Pull Water from the Air
Climate change is forcing us to reshape our relationship with water. Collecting atmospheric water could help us adapt to both …
![](https://shuyang.seas.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Kirigami-breast-reconstruction-300x200.jpeg)
Kirigami Breast Reconstruction
For many breast cancer patients, the road to recovery may present hidden complications related to breast reconstruction following a mastectomy …
![](https://shuyang.seas.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Jin-2023-High_speed_grasping_2-300x167.webp)
Snapping metacaps propel soft robot design
When a metacap “snaps”, it pops open and closed, pushing air back and forth. This snapping allows a soft robot …
![](https://shuyang.seas.upenn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Chen-2022-PNAS-adhesive-film-on-mouse-skin-300x169.jpg)
An adhesive bandage not only bonds tightly but also releases quickly.
Most adhesives for wound dressings have either been too weak to keep wounds sealed, or too strong to be painlessly …