Meet Dr Xu Liu

Dr Liu explains: "My research sits at the intersection of soft robotics, materials science and chemistry. Living systems are remarkable because they seamlessly combine energy, information and movement within soft tissues. Traditional robots, by contrast, depend on rigid components such as metal batteries, electronic circuits and wiring. My research focuses on creating ‘soft materials’ that integrate these functions into the material itself, allowing machines to sense, respond and move more like living organisms.

“Our group develops these soft materials that can carry such signals, allowing them to sense changes in their surroundings and respond without relying on rigid electronics.

Rather than relying on a computer to control every action, we want the material itself to sense changes in its surroundings such as light, heat, and touch, make simple decisions and respond automatically. This could allow future soft robots and devices to adapt to changing environments in much the same way living organisms do.

Because these soft materials more closely match the properties of human tissue than traditional electronics, they could enable more comfortable wearable health monitors, improved interfaces for prosthetic limbs, and medical devices that interact more safely with the body. Today's electronic devices also rely on rigid components, batteries and materials that can be difficult to recycle. By developing soft materials that can power themselves and perform multiple functions at once, we hope to create technologies that are more energy efficient and produce less electronic waste. Self-powered soft robots could also harvest energy from their surroundings, allowing them to monitor challenging environments or assist in search-and-rescue operations where conventional machines cannot operate effectively.

“Interdisciplinary collaboration is fundamental to everything we do. Our group brings together scientists from the departments of Engineering and Chemistry, combining expertise in designing new materials, understanding how they behave and turning them into working technologies. By working across disciplines, we can transform discoveries at the molecular level into new types of intelligent machines.

“Joining King’s to establish my independent research group has been an incredibly exciting experience. I’ve been inspired by the collaborative spirit across Engineering and Chemistry, and the support from colleagues has created the ideal environment for this research to grow. Being based in the heart of London also provides exciting opportunities to collaborate with leading researchers and industry partners. I’m excited to build my group, mentor the next generation of scientists and engineers, and see where this interdisciplinary journey takes us."