Kwang J. Kim

Active Materials and Smart Living Laboratory

room with a heat map

Advanced measurement-framework for State of Charge and/or State of Health monitoring in PCM-based Thermal Energy Storage System

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Robot arms in the workplace

Artificial Muscle-Driven Wearables for Safer, Stronger Workers

Soft-robotic systems offer a compelling alternative to conventional hard-robotic designs — augmenting human capability while preserving the natural, adaptive qualities of human motion. This project advances a specialized class of Liquid-based Electro-active Artificial Muscle (LEAM) technology toward functional wearable applications for worker safety and performance.

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blue polymer

Bioinspired Multi-Functional Soft Materials for Naval Applications

PVC gels have emerged as one of the most promising Multi-Functional Soft Materials available today — capable of silent, electrically controlled actuation and sensing in a single system. This project builds the foundational framework needed to bring these bioinspired materials into naval and real-world engineering applications.

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Scalable 3D-Printed Phantoms for Marine Mammal Veterinary Training

Dr. Kim’s lab developed a 3D-printed synthetic sea lion pelvic model to improve veterinary training amid an ongoing beaching crisis — demonstrating the real-world medical potential of soft robotics beyond the laboratory.

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Research Support & Collaborating Organizations

Dr. Kim’s research has been supported by a broad network of federal agencies, industry partners, local organizations, international institutions, and university collaborators.