• Please call me Matt (he/him)! I’m obsessed with tinkering and finding creative solutions to complex problems. I have a wide background of technical training/research (biochem/microfluidics/prototyping/soft sensor design/formulation chemistry/robotics) that allows for me to pull solutions to problems from otherwise unrelated fields.

  • Shape changing robots! Currently tackling this problem on two fronts, large inflatable exoskeletons for wheeled robots, and bio-inspired robotic collectives.

    Two very different projects with very different needs.

    The former is focusing on making a single, robust inflatable robot that can traverse varied terrain. Skills used: CAD, 3D printing, laser cutting, wireless electronics (RC/Bluetooth), controls, pneumatic actuation, pumps, etc.

    The latter is a 25 unit collective based on the physics of biological patterning mechanisms (coming soon). From a practical standpoint, it is entirely different to make 25 of something rather than 1. Skills used: PCB fab, electronics, 3D printing, quality control, design for manufacture, passive mechanisms, C++, Python, Matlab, etc.

  • Patents

    -T. Susko, E. Hawkes, E. Sloan, M. Devlin. “Variable friction shoe” 2020 US Patent App US201962829254P

    -M. Devlin, C. Pang, A. Tembe. “Automated Imaging System for Evaluating the Curl of a Keratinous Substrate” 2019 US Patent 16/029,624

    -M. Devlin, I. Mathew, A. McVey, G. Whitfield. “Bioerodible Drug Delivery Implants” 2019 US Patent App 0008792 A1

    Journal papers

    - M. Fanton, H. V. Alizadeh, A. Domel, M. Devlin, M. Kurt, G. Mungal, D. Camarillo, E. Hawkes. “Variable Area, Constant Force Shock Absorption Motivated by Traumatic Brain Injury Prevention” Smart Materials and Structures. 2020

    Conference papers

    -M. Devlin, T. Liu, M. Zhu, N. Usevitch, N. Colonnese, A. Memar, “Soft, modular, shape-changing displays with hyperelastic bubble arrays” IROS. Detroit, MI 2023

    -A. Alvarez, M. Devlin* N. Naclerio, E. Hawkes, “Jumping on Air: Design and Modeling of Latch-mediated, Spring-actuated Air-jumpers” IROS. Kyoto, Japan 2022

    -M. Devlin, M. Dickens, C. Xiao, E. Hawkes, “SPHR: A Soft Pneumatic Hybrid Robot with extreme shape changing and lifting abilities” International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. Prague, Czech Republic 2021

    D.S. Drew, M. Devlin, E. Hawkes, S. Follmer. “Acoustic Communication and Sensing for Inflatable Modular Soft Robots” International Conference on Robotics and Automation. Xi’an, China 2021

    -M. Devlin, B. Young, D. Haggerty, N. Naclerio, E. Hawkes. “An untethered soft cellular robot with variable volume, friction, and unit-to-unit cohesion” International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. Las Vegas, NV, 2020

    -M. Devlin, R. Fragoza, H. Yu. “Exploration of Protein Capture Methods for Applications in Microfluidic Devices” NNIN REU Research Accomplishments. Ithaca, NY, 2015

    Presentations

    -E. de Leon Sanchez, M. Devlin, G. Hofmann. “DIY MHW for the Budget Scientist: An Affordable System Designed to Simulate Marine Heatwaves in the Laboratory,” Western Society of Naturalists. Monterey, CA, 2021.

    -M. Devlin, K. Park, C. Pang, H. Bui. “In-vitro Evaluation of Volumizing Mascara Deposited on Fake Eyelash” ACS Colloids and Surface Science Symposium. Atlanta, GA, 2019. Oral presentation

    -M. Devlin, B. Gizaw, A. Khaja, A. Mylarapu, C. Patonja, P. Pacheco, T. Sulchek. “Fc-Functionalized Beads in modulating the Complement-mediated Cytotoxicity of Escherichia coli” Annual Undergrad. Research Symposium. Atlanta, GA, 2015.

    -M. Devlin, B. Gizaw, A. Khaja, A. Mylarapu, C. Patonja, P. Pacheco, T. Sulchek. “Complement-mediated Cytotoxicity of Escherichia coli with Fc-Functionalized Beads” BMES Annual Meeting. San Antonio, TX, 2014.

Highlighted work

For four months in 2022, I worked at Meta Reality Labs in Redmond, WA on a shape-changing HCI display to create a soft, wearable display. At the time there were some logistical challenges, yet I was able to pivot and adjust my work to better fit the reorganization. After designing a new soft actuator array with modular components for robust assembly, I was able to run a pilot assessment with a set of demonstrations from my custom control software. The work was published in the IROS 2023 conference in Detroit, MI.

Thoughts for the future, there was not quite enough time to properly explore the rich design space of multi-bubble interactions. If you think of a neighboring bubble being able to inflate and apply a shear force to another bubble, then you can imagine a soft skin that is capable of modulating both normal and shear forces. Nonetheless, a soft, robust, spherical bubble manufacturing technique is interesting, and can be a platform for further probing. Heterogenous actuator array could yield really interesting results, or even treating surface as multiple separate volumetric actuators and apply multi-robot techniques.

 

IROS 2020 first author publication titled “An untethered soft cellular robot with variable volume, friction, and unit-to-unit cohesion.”

The main premise was that we could create a single skin that would change the material properties with an increasing pressure. In our case, as pressure increased: volume increased, then friction increased, then the units could disconnect. Even with a single DOF, we were able to control these three properties by embedding our control logic into the actual skin design of the robot.

This allowed for the robot to crawl peristaltically, and also act as fully untethered volumetric actuators. We did some cool plate manipulation. Each of these robots (roughly party balloon sized, I wonder what they’re made of…) is able to hold about 80lbs. Super fun project.

 

IROS 2021 first author publication titled “SPHR - Soft pneumatic hybrid robot with extreme shape changing and lifting abilities.”

We loved the core concept of an untethered volumetric actuator, but what if it could be bigger and do more? Move faster? Get over unstructured terrain? Roll up stairs?

In this work we created a robot that could inflate itself to drive over obstacles, and deflate itself to crawl under them. We took advantage of our size and used low pressure blowers for fast inflation without sacrificing the lifting ability.