Nick Gravish

Associate Professor
UC San Diego

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Franklin Antonio Hall, Room 3101
ngravish@eng.ucsd.edu
gravishlab.ucsd.edu
Google Scholar
Publications

Nick Gravish

Associate Professor
UC San Diego

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering
Franklin Antonio Hall, Room 3101
ngravish@eng.ucsd.edu
gravishlab.ucsd.edu · Google Scholar

About

My research focuses on applying the principles of biological systems towards the design and control of mobile robots. I am passionate about mechanical design and system dynamics, and I enjoy working at the intersection of these areas with biological locomotion research. Current research in my lab spans bio-inspired robot design and fabrication, legged and granular locomotion, soft robotics, and resonant flapping-wing flight in insects and robots.

For more information about my current research please visit gravishlab.ucsd.edu

Experience

  • Associate Professor, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, UC San Diego (2022 – present)
  • Assistant Professor, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, UC San Diego (2016 – 2022)
  • Postdoctoral scholar at Harvard University (2013 – 2016)
    • School of Engineering & Applied Sciences
    • Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
    • Advisers: Robert J. Wood and Stacey A. Combes
  • Ph.D. in Physics at Georgia Tech School of Physics (2008 – 2013)
    • Thesis: Collective dynamics of active and passive granular media
    • Minor: Mechanics of materials
    • Adviser: Daniel I. Goldman
  • B.S. in Physics at University of California, Santa Barbara (2001 – 2005)
    • Undergraduate Research Honors, 2004 & 2005

Teaching

MAE 207: Bio-inspired mobile robotics. Spring 2018, 2019

MAE 150: Computer aided analysis and design. Winter 2018, 2019

MAE 156A: Fundamental Principles of Mechanical Design I. Winter 2017, 2019. Fall 2018

MAE 3: Introduction to Engineering Graphics and Design. Spring 2017

Publications

Full list with PDFs at gravishlab.ucsd.edu/publications

2026

  1. E Liu, E Wold, R Yang, S Ivanov, N Gravish, S Sponberg. Aerodynamic Robustness of Asynchronous Powered Wingbeats with Increasing Advance Ratios. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics. 2026. (Accepted)
  2. R Yang, ES Wold, E Liu, J Lynch, W Zhou, M Jankauski, S Sponberg, N Gravish. Self-excited actuation enables adaptive and resilient flapping-wing flight. 2026. (In Review)
  3. D Li, M Tolley, N Gravish. Pneumatic neurons for soft robots enable inflate-and-fire networks for rhythmic motion. 2026. (In Review)
  4. R Yang, G Pascual, N Gravish, S Martinez. Communication-free Synchronization of Colliding Robots. Swarm Intelligence. 2026. (In Review)
  5. D Liu, D Li, N Gravish, M Tolley. Soft Feeding Mechanism for Mobile Everting Robots. Soft Robotics. 2026. (In Review)
  6. V Webster-Wood, N Gravish, et al. Interdisciplinary Workshop on Mechanical Intelligence: Summary Report. 2026.
  7. E Wold, R Yang, J Lynch, E Liu, N Gravish, S Sponberg. Supra-resonant wingbeats in insects. 2026. (In Review)
  8. F Bo, S Liu, Z He, W Joyce, G Leech, K Tran, K Ramirez, N Boechler, N Gravish, H Zhao, T Tan. Three phases of odd robotic active matter. 2026. (In Review)
  9. Y Cao, A Chacon, A Valluri, L O'Connor Mueller, N Gravish. Quasi-static force requirements are not sufficient to explain arolium engagement in climbing Argentine ants. Journal of Experimental Biology. 2026.
  10. H Seo, E Acome, N Kellaris, S Mitchell, N Rohrbaugh, Y Roh, N Gravish, M Tolley. Opportunities for Soft Electrohydraulic Actuation for Burrowing in Dry and Submerged Granular Media. IEEE RoboSoft 2026. 2026.
  11. S Chae, M Tolley, N Gravish. Limb Compliance for Underactuated Propulsion in Resistive Media. IEEE RoboSoft 2026. 2026.

2025

  1. D Li, M Tolley, N Gravish. Multi-functional Granular Propulsion: Bio-inspired Orientation Control and Local Fluidization for Crawl-to-Dig Transitions. IEEE IROS. 2025.
  2. A Nayak, H Seo, N Gravish, M Tolley. Burrowing and unburrowing in submerged granular media through fluidization and shape-change. Frontiers in Robotics and AI. 2025.
  3. R Shah, N Gravish. Active contacts control sliding friction. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2025.
  4. D Li, M Tolley, N Gravish. Autonomous Burrowing and Retrieval of Soft Robotic Anchors in Granular Media. IEEE RoboSoft. 2025.
  5. G He, C Sparks, N Gravish. Grasping and Rolling In-plane Manipulation Using Deployable Tape spring Appendages. Science Advances. 2025.

2024

  1. E Wold, E Liu, J Lynch, N Gravish, S Sponberg. The Weis-Fogh number describes resonant performance tradeoffs in flapping insects. Integrative and Comparative Biology. 2024.
  2. E Wold, B Aiello, M Harris, U Bin Sikander, J Lynch, N Gravish, S Sponberg. Moth resonant mechanics are tuned to wingbeat frequency and energetic demands. Proceedings. Biological Sciences. 2024.
  3. J Lynch, E Wold, J Gau, N Gravish. Stability and agility trade-offs in spring-wing systems. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics. 2024.
  4. Q Yu, N Gravish. Multi-modal Locomotion in a Soft Robot through Hierarchical Actuation. Soft Robotics. 2024.
  5. M Jiang, J Wang, N Gravish. A reconfigurable soft linkage robot via internal virtual joints. Soft Robotics. 2024.
  6. I Widjaja, N Gravish. JAMJams: Jagged Anisotropic Mechanically Jamming Appendages for Robot Locomotion. IEEE RoboSoft. 2024.
  7. C Sparks, N Gravish. Pressure Control of Rolling-Seal Tape Spring Actuators. IEEE RoboSoft 2024. 2024.
  8. S Zhang, J Bahn, N Gravish. Paint-A-Pouch: Mask-Based Fabrication of Pouch Actuators for Pneumatically Actuated Soft Robots. IEEE RoboSoft 2024. 2024.

2023

  1. J Gau, J Lynch, B Aiello, E Wold, N Gravish, S Sponberg. Bridging two insect flight modes in evolution, physiology and robophysics. Nature. 2023.
  2. E Wold, J Lynch, N Gravish, S Sponberg. Structural damping renders the insect exoskeleton mechanically insensitive to non-sinusoidal deformations. J. Roy. Soc. Interface. 2023.
  3. S Jadhav, P Glick, M Ishida, C Chan, I Abidnazari, J Shulze, N Gravish, M Tolley. Scalable fluidic matrix circuits for controlling large arrays of individually addressable actuators. Advanced Intelligent Systems. 2023.
  4. S Chopra, D Vasile, S Jadhav, M Tolley, N Gravish. Toward Robotic Sensing and Swimming in Granular Environments using Underactuated Appendages. Advanced Intelligent Systems. 2023.
  5. S Combes, N Gravish, S Gagliardi. Going against the flow: Bumblebees prefer to fly in headwinds, and display more variable body angles and ground speeds in tailwinds. Journal of Experimental Biology. 2023.
  6. G Clifton, A Stark, C Li, N Gravish. The bumpy road ahead: The role of terrain roughness on animal walking, and where to go from here. Journal of Experimental Biology. 2023.
  7. K Eken, N Gravish, M Tolley. Continuous Skin Eversion Enables an Untethered Soft Robot to Burrow in Granular Media. IEEE RoboSoft. 2023.
  8. E Lathrop, M Tolley, N Gravish. Directionally Compliant Legs Enable Crevasse Traversal in Small Ground-based Robots. Advanced Intelligent Systems. 2023.

2022

  1. C Sparks, N Justus, R Hatton, N Gravish. Amoeba-inspired swimming through isoperimetric modulation of body shape. IROS. 2022.
  2. D Zhao, G Clifton, B Bittner, N Gravish, S Revzen. Walking is like slithering: a unifying, data-driven view of locomotion. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2022.
  3. H Gao, J Lynch, N Gravish. Soft Molds with Micro-Machined Internal Skeletons Improve Robustness of Flapping-Wing Robots. Micromachines. 2022.
  4. H Gao, J Lynch, N Gravish. Compliant thorax design for robustness and elastic energy exchange in flapping-wing robots. IEEE Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). 2022.
  5. J Gau, J Lynch, N Gravish, S Sponberg. The hawkmoth wingbeat is not at resonance. Biology Letters. 2022.
  6. W Zhou, J Dezha-Peralta, Z Hao, N Gravish. Lateral contact yields longitudinal cohesion in active undulatory systems. Physical Review E. 2022.
  7. J Lynch, J Gau, S Sponberg, N Gravish. Autonomous actuation of flapping wing robots inspired by asynchronous insect muscle. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA). 2022.
  8. D Drotman, S Chopra, N Gravish, M Tolley. Anisotropic Forces for a Worm-Inspired Digging Robot. IEEE RoboSoft. 2022.
  9. Z Hao, W Zhou, N Gravish. Proprioceptive feedback design for gait synchronization in collective undulatory robots. Advanced Robotics. 2022.

2021

  1. W Zhou, Z Hao, N Gravish. Collective synchronization of undulatory movement through contact. Physical Review X. 2021.
  2. Z Hao, W Zhou, N Gravish. Synchronized swimming: adaptive gait synchronization through mechanical interactions instead of communication. Adaptive Motion in Animals and Machines. 2021. (Honorable mention for outstanding poster)
  3. S Chopra, S Jadhav, MT Tolley, N Gravish. Mechanical and actuation asymmetry in soft appendages leads to robotic propulsion in granular media. Adaptive Motion in Animals and Machines. 2021.
  4. J Lynch, J Gau, S Sponberg, N Gravish. Emergent wingstroke in asynchronous insects and robots is governedby time-delayed strain rate feedback. Adaptive Motion in Animals and Machines. 2021.
  5. H Chang, J Chang, G Clifton, N Gravish. Anisotropic compliance of robot legs improves recovery from swing-phase collisions. Bioinspiration & Biomimetics. 2021.
  6. J Gau, R Gemilere, LDS-VIP team, J Lynch, N Gravish, S Sponberg. Rapid frequency modulation in a resonant system: aerial perturbation recovery in hawkmoths. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 2021.
  7. WP Weston-Dawkes, M Everman, A Sanchez, N Gravish, M Tolley. Gas-Lubricated Vibration-Based Adhesion For Robotics. Advanced Intelligent Systems. 2021.
  8. Martinez, A., DeJong, J., ..., Gravish, N., ..., Zheng, Junxing. Bio-inspired geotechnical engineering: principles, current work, opportunities and challenges. Géotechnique. 2021.
  9. Q Yu, M Jiang, N Gravish. Flexoskeleton Fingers: 3D Printed Reconfigurable Ridges Enabling Multi-functional and Low-cost Underactuated Grasping. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters. 2021. (Best paper nominee IEEE RoboSoft 2021)
  10. M Jiang, Q Yu, N Gravish. Vacuum induced tube pinching enables reconfigurable flexure joints with controllable bend axis and stiffness. IEEE RoboSoft. 2021.
  11. M Jiang, N Gravish. Reconfigurable laminates enable multi-functional robotic building blocks. Smart Materials and Structures. 2021.
  12. J Lynch, J Gau, S Sponberg, N Gravish. Dimensional analysis of spring-wing systems reveals performance metrics for resonant flapping-wing flight. Journal of The Royal Society Interface. 2021.

2020

  1. G Clifton, D Holway, N Gravish. Vision does not impact walking performance in Argentine ants. Journal of Experimental Biology. 2020.
  2. M Jiang, S Rongzichen, N Gravish. Knuckles that buckle: compliant underactuated limbs with joint hysteresis enable minimalist terrestrial robots. Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). 2020.
  3. W Zhou, N Gravish. Soft Microrobotic Transmissions Enable Rapid Ground-Based Locomotion. Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). 2020.
  4. W Zhou, N Gravish. Rapid two-anchor crawling from a milliscale prismatic-push-pull (3P) robot. Bioinspiration and Biomimetics. 2020.
  5. E Lathrop, I Adibnazari, N Gravish, M Tolley. Shear Strengthened Granular Jamming Feet for Improved Performance over Natural Terrain. IEEE RoboSoft Conference. 2020.
  6. S Chopra, M Tolley, N Gravish. Granular Jamming Feet Enable Improved Foot-Ground Interactions for Robot Mobility on Deformable Ground. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters. 2020.
  7. M Jiang, Z Zhou, N Gravish. Flexoskeleton printing enables versatile fabrication of hybrid soft and rigid robots. Soft Robotics. 2020.
  8. G Clifton, D Holway, N Gravish. Uneven substrates constrain walking speed in ants through modulation of stride frequency more than stride length. Royal Society Open Science. 2020.

2019

  1. J Gau, N Gravish, S Sponberg. Indirect actuation reduces flight power requirements in Manduca sexta via elastic energy exchange. Journal of The Royal Society Interface. 2019.
  2. J M Brown, D Peterson, J Schmitt, N Gravish, JE Clark. Impact of Slope on Dynamics of Running and Climbing. Bioinspiration and Biomimetics. 2019.
  3. M Jiang, N Gravish. Rapid prototyping of insect-exoskeleton inspired robots. Adaptive Motion in Animals and Machines. 2019.
  4. S Chopra, N Gravish. Piezoelectric actuators with on-board sensing for micro-robotic applications. Smart Materials and Structures. 2019.
  5. D Ortiz, N Gravish, M Tolley. Soft Robot Actuation Strategies for Locomotion in Granular Substrates. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters. 2019.

2018

  1. M Jiang, N Gravish. Sliding-layer laminates: a robotic material enabling robust and adaptable undulatory locomotion. Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS). 2018.
  2. JD Crall, N Gravish, AM Mountcastle, SD Kocher, RL Oppenheimer, NE Pierce, SA Combes. Spatial fidelity of workers predicts collective response to disturbance in a social insect. Nature Communications. 2018.
  3. N Gravish, G Lauder. Robotics-inspired biology. Journal of Experimental Biology. 2018.

2017

  1. S Mange, EF Helbling, N Gravish, RJ Wood. An Actuated Gaze Stabilization Platform for a Flapping-Wing Microrobot. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA). 2017.
  2. JM Peters, N Gravish, SA Combes. Wings as impellers: honey bees co-opt flight system to induce nest ventilation and disperse pheromones. Journal of Experimental Biology. 2017.
  3. Y Chen, H Wang, EF Helbling, N Jafferis, R Zufferey, A Ong, K Ma, N Gravish, P Chirarattananon, M Kovac, RJ Wood. A biologically inspired, flapping wing, hybrid aerial-aquatic microrobot. Science Robotics. 2017.

2016

  1. Y Chen, N Gravish, AL Desbiens, R Malka, RJ Wood. Experimental and computational studies of the aerodynamic performance of a flapping and passively rotating insect wing. Journal of Fluid Mechanics. 2016.
  2. N Gravish, DI Goldman. Entangled Granular Media. Fluids, Colloids, and Soft Materials: An Introduction to Soft Matter Physics. 2016.
  3. N Gravish, RJ Wood. Anomalous yaw torque generation from passively pitching wings. IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA). 2016.

2015

  1. Y Chen, EF Helbling, N Gravish, K Ma, RJ Wood. Hybrid aerial and aquatic locomotion in an at-scale robotic insect. Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 2015 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on. 2015.
  2. N Gravish, G Gold, A Zangwill, MAD Goodisman, DI Goldman. Glass-like dynamics in confined and congested ant traffic. Soft matter. 2015.
  3. N Gravish, JM Peters, SA Combes, RJ Wood. Collective Flow Enhancement by Tandem Flapping Wings. Physical review letters. 2015.
  4. D Monaenkova, N Gravish, G Rodriguez, R Kutner, MAD Goodisman, DI Goldman. Behavioral and mechanical determinants of collective subsurface nest excavation. Journal of Experimental Biology. 2015.
  5. JD Crall, N Gravish, AM Mountcastle, SA Combes. BEEtag: a low-cost, image-based tracking system for the study of animal behavior and locomotion. PloS one. 2015.

2014

  1. H Marvi, C Gong, N Gravish, H Astley, M Travers, RL Hatton, JR Mendelson, H Choset, DL Hu, DI Goldman. Sidewinding with minimal slip: Snake and robot ascent of sandy slopes. Science. 2014.
  2. N Gravish, Y Chen, SA Combes, RJ Wood. High-throughput study of flapping wing aerodynamics for biological and robotic applications. 2014 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. 2014.
  3. N Gravish, PB Umbanhowar, DI Goldman. Force and flow at the onset of drag in plowed granular media. Physical Review E. 2014.
  4. N Gravish, DI Goldman. Effect of volume fraction on granular avalanche dynamics. Physical Review E. 2014.
  5. N Gravish, S Combes, RJ Wood. A bio-inspired wing driver for the study of insect-scale flight aerodynamics. Conference on Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems. 2014.

2013

  1. N Gravish, D Monaenkova, MAD Goodisman, DI Goldman. Climbing, falling, and jamming during ant locomotion in confined environments. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2013.

2012

  1. C Li, Y Ding, N Gravish, RD Maladen, A Masse, PB Umbanhowar, H Komsuoglu, DE Koditschek, DI Goldman. Towards a terramechanics for bio-inspired locomotion in granular environments. Earth and Space 2012: Engineering, Science, Construction, and Operations in Challenging Environments. 2012.
  2. N Gravish, SV Franklin, DL Hu, DI Goldman. Entangled granular media. Physical review letters. 2012.
  3. N Gravish, M Garcia, N Mazouchova, L Levy, PB Umbanhowar, MAD Goodisman, DI Goldman. Effects of worker size on the dynamics of fire ant tunnel construction. Journal of The Royal Society Interface. 2012.
  4. Y Ding, N Gravish, C Li, RD Maladen, N Mazouchova, SS Sharpe, PB Umbanhowar, DI Goldman. Comparative studies reveal principles of movement on and within granular media. Natural Locomotion in Fluids and on Surfaces. 2012.

2011

  1. Y Ding, N Gravish, DI Goldman. Drag induced lift in granular media. Physical Review Letters. 2011.

2010

  1. N Mazouchova, N Gravish, A Savu, DI Goldman. Utilization of granular solidification during terrestrial locomotion of hatchling sea turtles. Biology letters. 2010.
  2. N Gravish, M Wilkinson, S Sponberg, A Parness, N Esparza, D Soto, T Yamaguchi, M Broide, M Cutkosky, C Creton. Rate-dependent frictional adhesion in natural and synthetic gecko setae. Journal of the royal society interface. 2010.
  3. N Gravish, PB Umbanhowar, DI Goldman. Force and flow transition in plowed granular media. Physical review letters. 2010.

2009

  1. NS Pesika, N Gravish, M Wilkinson, B Zhao, H Zeng, Y Tian, J Israelachvili, K Autumn. The crowding model as a tool to understand and fabricate gecko-inspired dry adhesives. The Journal of Adhesion. 2009.
  2. A Parness, D Soto, N Esparza, N Gravish, M Wilkinson, K Autumn, M Cutkosky. A microfabricated wedge-shaped adhesive array displaying gecko-like dynamic adhesion, directionality and long lifetime. Journal of the Royal Society Interface. 2009.

2008

  1. T Yamaguchi, N Gravish, K Autumn, C Creton. Microscopic Modeling of the Dynamics of Frictional Adhesion in the Gecko Attachment System. The Journal of Physical Chemistry B. 2008.
  2. N Gravish, M Wilkinson, K Autumn. Frictional and elastic energy in gecko adhesive detachment. Journal of The Royal Society Interface. 2008.

2006

  1. C Majidi, RE Groff, Y Maeno, B Schubert, S Baek, B Bush, R Maboudian, N Gravish, M Wilkinson, K Autumn. High friction from a stiff polymer using microfiber arrays. Physical review letters. 2006.