Our research group is part of the Mechanical Engineering department at Tel-Aviv University. Our research focus is on biomimetics and the use of smart materials and interfaces by insects and reptiles. We seek to understand the fundamentals of liquid collection and transport, mechanics of soft materials, and to train the next generation of mechanical engineers and materials scientists. We take a multidisciplinary approach- students and postdocs in our lab come from a variety of backgrounds: mechanical engineering, physics, biology, chemistry and materials science. Therefore, students and postdocs in our lab will gain experience in multiple techniques and enjoy the freedom to construct custom-built mechanical characterization and materials fabrication methods.

Insects and reptiles, with an evolutionary history of millions of years, exhibit fantastic adaptations to their environment. They can walk on land and underwater, jump, dive, swim and fly. They also have surprisingly intricate capabilities, like the ability to overcome lack of water by collecting water from humid air and transporting it efficiently to different parts of their body. Such capabilities have evolved through the development of unique materials and mechanisms. Biomimicry follows nature’s guidelines in order to synthetically recreate such systems for future designs and products. Its ultimate ambition, however, is to go beyond what can be found in nature and to design faster and more efficient mechanisms. Inspired by beetles, spiders, lizards and other animals, our lab develops innovative routes for the propulsion of small objects, and the actuation and dynamic transport of liquids on the nano-to-micro scales.

Special focus:

• Biphilic responsive surfaces
• 2D networks for liquid collection and transport
• Insect bioinspired robotics
• 3D printing of bioinspired structures
• Underwater adhesion
• Mechanics of soft matter

For more information:
Email: pinchasik@tauex.tau.ac.il
Phone: 03-6405261
Web site: https://web2.eng.tau.ac.il/wte…
Office: Wolfson – Engineering, 226