Robert Full

Robert J. Full is a Chancellor's and Goldman Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley. Full's research focuses on comparative biomechanics and physiology, with an emphasis on quantifying whole animal performance, particularly locomotion, as it relates to an animal's structure, physiology, and behavior. His work centers on the study of arthropod, amphibian, and reptilian locomotion, examining animals such as crabs, cockroaches, ants, beetles, scorpions, centipedes, geckos, and salamanders to explore variations in body shape, leg number, musculoskeletal arrangement, and movement strategies.

Full directs the Poly-P.E.D.A.L. Laboratory, which investigates the performance, energetics, and dynamics of animal locomotion in many-footed creatures. His laboratory applies techniques from human gait analysis, including 3D kinematic, force platform, and EMG analysis, to miniature animal models. Through comparative physiology and biomechanics, Full's research has identified general principles of locomotion by studying a wide diversity of animals.

A proponent of bioinspiration, Full analyzes animal locomotion to inform the development of biomimetic materials and devices, such as fibrillar adhesives inspired by geckos and legged robots designed for search-and-rescue operations. He has led international efforts to advance integrative biology and biological inspiration, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations among biologists, engineers, and mathematicians from academia and industry.

Full is the founder and director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Bio-inspiration in Education and Research (CiBER) and serves as editor-in-chief of the journal "Bioinspiration and Biomimetics." He is also a science advisory board member for Science Robotics. His research has provided biological inspiration for the design of multi-legged robots and computer animations, including contributions to the film "A Bug's Life."

Full's discoveries in motion science have led to the development of animal-inspired neural control circuits, artificial muscles, search-and-rescue robots, and gecko-inspired self-cleaning dry adhesives. He has received the NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award and Berkeley's Distinguished Teaching Award, has been named a Mentor in the Life Sciences, and has been elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences under the category of Emerging Fields. Full has authored more than 150 scientific contributions and has delivered over 300 national and international presentations.

Full has delivered multiple TED Talks, including "The Sticky Wonder of Gecko Feet," "Robots Inspired by Cockroach Ingenuity," and "The Secrets of Nature's Grossest Creatures, Channeled into Robots," sharing his research with a global audience. As founder of CiBER, he has discussed how animals such as cockroaches, crabs, centipedes, and geckos inspire innovative design in robotics, prosthetics, and medical equipment. His educational initiatives include discovery-based courses, undergraduate research programs, efforts toward equity and inclusion, and outreach through web presentations, museum exhibits, radio, and television.