Samuel (Sam) Dutra Gollob

Sam Dutra Gollob is a PhD candidate in mechanical engineering whose research centers on soft robotics and actuation system design. He has made important contributions to the model-informed design of novel, vacuum-powered soft actuators for medical applications, as well as the design of fuel-based power systems for pneumatics. With the support of a second MathWorks Fellowship, he aims to develop a generalized model of the multi-physics relationships between pneumatic actuators, pneumatic control, fuel chemical reactions, and heat transfer. This framework could help in the design of compact and powerful pneumatically actuated systems powered by fuels. The technology has broad applications, from an artificial ventricle for patients with single ventricle physiology and other medical devices to untethered soft robots and exoskeletons. Sam’s work addresses a critical gap where traditional machine design frameworks cannot be applied due to the nonlinearities in soft materials and highly coupled design parameters in soft machine design. The innovative MATLAB-based models and tools that Sam is creating have the potential to shape and accelerate soft machine design and the fields of soft robotics and medical robotics.