Bo Cao

Dr. Bo Cao is currently an Associate Professor at the School of Civil Aviation, Northwestern Polytechnical University. Previously, he worked at the Cluster of Excellence liv MatS @ FIT – Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies from October 2020 to April 2023, focusing on programmable metamaterials inspired by biological systems. His research bridges plant-inspired mechanisms with engineering solutions, emphasizing self-healing and adaptive material functionalities.

His work involves translating biological models (e.g., D. copperi, A. macrophylla) into technical applications through flowchart-based methodologies. Key projects include analyzing self-sealing mechanisms in plants and developing programmable metamaterials for hydraulic and mechanical applications. He has collaborated with Prof. Chris Eberl and others, with funding from the DFG (German Research Foundation).

Publications highlight advancements in additive manufacturing of titanium alloys and bioinspired material design. His research aims to expand material design spaces for next-generation engineering solutions.