Caitlin Freeman, PhD

Caitlin Freeman, PhD

Robotics Researcher and Mechanical Engineer

Publications

You can also find my articles on my Google Scholar profile.

Journal Articles

Environment-Centric Learning Approach for Gait Synthesis in Terrestrial Soft Robots

Published in IEEE Transactions on Robotics, 2025

Abstract: Locomotion gaits are fundamental for control of soft terrestrial robots. However, synthesis of these gaits is challenging due to modeling of robot-environment…

Recommended citation: C. Freeman, A. N. Mahendran, and V. Vikas, “Environment-Centric Learning Approach for Gait Synthesis in Terrestrial Soft Robots,” in IEEE Transactions on Robotics, vol. 41, pp. 2144-2163, 2025, doi: 10.1109/TRO.2025.3548543.
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Topology Design and Optimization of Modular Soft Robots Capable of Homogenous and Heterogenous Reconfiguration

Published in ASME Journal of Computational and Nonlinear Dynamics, 2023

Abstract: The deformability of soft material robots provides them with the ability to transform between complex shapes and forms. This unique ability facilitates…

Recommended citation: C. Freeman, J. Conzola, and V. Vikas, “Topology Design and Optimization of Modular Soft Robots Capable of Homogenous and Heterogenous Reconfiguration,” Journal of Computational and Nonlinear Dynamics, vol. 18, no. 6, Apr. 2023, doi: 10.1115/1.4062265.

Topology and morphology design of spherically reconfigurable homogeneous Modular Soft Robots (MSoRos)

Published in Soft Robotics, 2023

Abstract: Imagine a swarm of terrestrial robots that can explore an environment, and, on completion of this task, reconfigure into a spherical ball and roll out. This dimensional…

Recommended citation: Freeman, Caitlin, Michael Maynard, and Vishesh Vikas. “Topology and Morphology Design of Spherically Reconfigurable Homogeneous Modular Soft Robots.” Soft Robotics, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 52–65, 2023, doi: 10.1089/soro.2021.0125.
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Conference Papers

Multi-Gait Locomotion Planning and Tracking for Tendon-Actuated Terrestrial Soft Robot (TerreSoRo)

Published in 2023 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 2023

Abstract: The adaptability of soft robots makes them ideal candidates to maneuver through unstructured environments. However, locomotion challenges arise…

Recommended citation: A. N. Mahendran, C. Freeman, A. H. Chang, M. McDougall, P. A. Vela, and V. Vikas, “Multi-Gait Locomotion Planning and Tracking for Tendon-Actuated Terrestrial Soft Robot (TerreSoRo),” 2023 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Detroit, MI, USA, 2023, pp. 2542-2549, doi: 10.1109/IROS55552.2023.10341926.
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Shape-centric Modeling for Soft Robot Inchworm Locomotion,

Published in 2021 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 2021

Abstract: Abstract: Soft robot modeling tends to prioritize soft robot dynamics in order to recover how they might behave. Soft robot design tends to focus on how to…

Recommended citation: A. N. Mahendran, C. Freeman, A. H. Chang, M. McDougall, P. A. Vela, and V. Vikas, “Multi-Gait Locomotion Planning and Tracking for Tendon-Actuated Terrestrial Soft Robot (TerreSoRo),” 2023 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Detroit, MI, USA, 2023, pp. 2542-2549, doi: 10.1109/IROS55552.2023.10341926.