Seppe Terryn

Seppe Terryn is a Researcher at the Department of Applied Mechanics, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, specializing in self-healing soft robotics. He leads EU FET project SHERO, Marie Curie ITN SMART, and FWO SBO AMSER, focusing on self-healing polymers/composites, additive manufacturing, and self-healing sensors/actuators. With a team of 9 PhD students, he bridges fundamental research and industrial applications.

• Education:
  • MSc Mechanical Engineering (2014), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (with highest distinction)
  • PhD in Robotics (2019), Vrije Universiteit Brussel (with highest distinction)

His research spans Robotics, Polymers, and Self-healing materials, advancing self-healing soft robots through reversible chemistry. Key contributions include origami vacuum actuators, electrical impedance tomography sensors, and reprocessable polymer networks.

His 15 most recent works highlight trends in self-healing sensors, multimaterial additive manufacturing, and robotic durability. Collaborations include Brubotics and FYSC (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), with industrial translation of self-healing technologies.

• Scientific Awards:
  • Best Paper Award Robosoft 2023
  • Best Poster Award (3rd place) 2024
  • BiR&D Cross-Disciplinary PhD Award 2020
  • Laureate of EOS-magazine 2018
  • NCTAM Award (2nd place) 2019

He has supervised 9 PhD students in projects like SHERO, SMART, and AMSER, aiming to enhance TRL-levels of self-healing soft robots. His work integrates smart materials with robotic systems, emphasizing sustainability and human-centered design.