# Publications [Publications prior to 2014 can be found here. chevron\_right](https://people.seas.harvard.edu/~jkwerfel/) Search Within Results Search Within Results search ## 41 results Show filters filter\_alt Sort by Year of PublicationAlphabetical A-Z sort ## 41 results Download 41 citations download- [BibTeX](/node/1840276/export?format=bibtex) - [EndNote X3 XML](/node/1840276/export?format=endnote8) - [EndNote 7 XML](/node/1840276/export?format=endnote7) - [Endnote tagged](/node/1840276/export?format=tagged) - [Marc](/node/1840276/export?format=marc) - [PubMedId](/node/1840276/export?format=pubmed_id) - [RIS](/node/1840276/export?format=ris) ### 2026 Liu, Lucy, Justin Werfel, Federico Toschi, and L. Mahadevan. 2026. “[Noise-Enabled Goal Attainment in Crowded Collectives](/publication/noise-enabled-goal-attainment-crowded-collectives-0)”. *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences* 123 (7). Liu, Lucy, Justin Werfel, Federico Toschi, and L. Mahadevan. 2026. “[Noise-Enabled Goal Attainment in Crowded Collectives](/publication/noise-enabled-goal-attainment-crowded-collectives-0)”. *Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences* 123 (7). - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract - [Publisher's Version](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2519032123) In crowded environments, individuals must navigate around other occupants to reach their destinations. Understanding and controlling traffic flows in these spaces is relevant for coordinating robot swarms and designing infrastructure for dense populations... - [Publisher's Version](https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2519032123) Abdel_Ahad, Gilles, Nancy Awad, Julien Bourgeois, Justin Werfel, and Benoit Piranda. 2026. “[Learning Fault-Tolerant Navigation With Self-Reconfiguring Modular Robots](/publication/learning-fault-tolerant-navigation-self-reconfiguring-modular-robots-0)”. *40th International Conference on Advanced Information Networking and Applications (AINA)*. Abdel_Ahad, Gilles, Nancy Awad, Julien Bourgeois, Justin Werfel, and Benoit Piranda. 2026. “[Learning Fault-Tolerant Navigation With Self-Reconfiguring Modular Robots](/publication/learning-fault-tolerant-navigation-self-reconfiguring-modular-robots-0)”. *40th International Conference on Advanced Information Networking and Applications (AINA)*. - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract Navigating dynamic environments is a fundamental challenge in distributed robotic systems, particularly when faults occur within the system itself, resulting in a changing connectivity graph. Classical graph search algorithms such as A\* provide optimal... Werfel, Justin. 2026. “[Fluid Thinking about Collective Intelligence](/publication/fluid-thinking-about-collective-intelligence)”. *Nature Machine Intelligence* 8. doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s42256-026-01211-1. Werfel, Justin. 2026. “[Fluid Thinking about Collective Intelligence](/publication/fluid-thinking-about-collective-intelligence)”. *Nature Machine Intelligence* 8. doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s42256-026-01211-1. - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract - [Publisher's Version](https://rdcu.be/fffak) Forms of collective intelligence range from natural and artificial neural networks to swarm robotics and social insect colonies. One key axis for comparing such systems is the mobility of their individual units: systems like neural networks and wireless... - [Publisher's Version](https://rdcu.be/fffak) ### 2025 Kaeser, Carina, Nathan Melenbrink, Allison Karp, and Justin Werfel. (May) 2025. “[Physical Simulation With Force Feedback Aids Robot Factors Design](/publication/physical-simulation-force-feedback-aids-robot-factors-design)”. In *IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation (ICRA 2025)*. Kaeser, Carina, Nathan Melenbrink, Allison Karp, and Justin Werfel. (May) 2025. “[Physical Simulation With Force Feedback Aids Robot Factors Design](/publication/physical-simulation-force-feedback-aids-robot-factors-design)”. In *IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation (ICRA 2025)*. - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract "Robot factors" design, analogous to ergonomics for humans, seeks to create devices and equipment that can be readily operated by robots, by considering typical capabilities of current robots throughout the design process. While a number of principles and... Geissenberger, Tobias, Elio Challita, Mirco Theile, Robert J. Wood, and Justin Werfel. 2025. “[Sensorizing High-Aspect-Ratio Soft Robots: Towards Closed-Loop Applications for Grasping and Locomotion](/publication/sensorizing-high-aspect-ratio-soft-robots-towards-closed-loop-applications-grasping-and)”. In *8th IEEE-RAS International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft 2025)*. Geissenberger, Tobias, Elio Challita, Mirco Theile, Robert J. Wood, and Justin Werfel. 2025. “[Sensorizing High-Aspect-Ratio Soft Robots: Towards Closed-Loop Applications for Grasping and Locomotion](/publication/sensorizing-high-aspect-ratio-soft-robots-towards-closed-loop-applications-grasping-and)”. In *8th IEEE-RAS International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft 2025)*. - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract High aspect ratios are a common feature in biological systems like muscle fibers, tentacles, or annelids that inspire novel applications in artificial muscles, grasping, manipulation, and locomotion. This paper explores interoceptive and exteroceptive... Kaeser, Carina, Junghan Kwon, Elio Challita, Harry Tuazon, Robert J. Wood, Saad Bhamla, and Justin Werfel. 2025. “[Individual and Collective Behaviors in Soft Robot Worms Inspired by Living Worm Blobs](/publication/individual-and-collective-behaviors-soft-robot-worms-inspired-living-worm-blobs)”. In *IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation (ICRA 2025)*. Kaeser, Carina, Junghan Kwon, Elio Challita, Harry Tuazon, Robert J. Wood, Saad Bhamla, and Justin Werfel. 2025. “[Individual and Collective Behaviors in Soft Robot Worms Inspired by Living Worm Blobs](/publication/individual-and-collective-behaviors-soft-robot-worms-inspired-living-worm-blobs)”. In *IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation (ICRA 2025)*. - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract California blackworms constitute a recently identified animal system exhibiting unusual collective behaviors, in which dozens to thousands of worms entangle to form a "blob" capable of actions like locomotion as an aggregate. In this paper we describe a... ### 2024 Abdel_Ahad, Gilles, Nancy Awad, Benoit Piranda, Jad Bassil, Justin Werfel, and Julien Bourgeois. 2024. “[Quantitative Comparison of Self-Reconfiguration Algorithms for 3D Catoms](/publications/quantitative-comparison-self-reconfiguration-algorithms-3d-catoms)”. In *17th International Symposium on Distributed Autonomous Robotic Systems (DARS’24)*. Abdel_Ahad, Gilles, Nancy Awad, Benoit Piranda, Jad Bassil, Justin Werfel, and Julien Bourgeois. 2024. “[Quantitative Comparison of Self-Reconfiguration Algorithms for 3D Catoms](/publications/quantitative-comparison-self-reconfiguration-algorithms-3d-catoms)”. In *17th International Symposium on Distributed Autonomous Robotic Systems (DARS’24)*. - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract Modular self-reconfigurable robots can be used to build objects either by filling the space entirely with robots (densely packed) or by constructing a hollow internal structure (scaffolding) and coating the outside. Scaffolding offers many advantages for... ### 2023 Kwon, Junghan, David Bombara, Clark Teeple, Joonhaeng Lee, Chuck Hoberman, Robert Wood, and Justin Werfel. 2023. “[Transformable Linkage-Based Gripper for Multi-Mode Grasping and Manipulation](/publications/transformable-linkage-based-gripper-multi-mode-grasping-and-manipulation)”. *IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters* 8 (12): 8446-53. Kwon, Junghan, David Bombara, Clark Teeple, Joonhaeng Lee, Chuck Hoberman, Robert Wood, and Justin Werfel. 2023. “[Transformable Linkage-Based Gripper for Multi-Mode Grasping and Manipulation](/publications/transformable-linkage-based-gripper-multi-mode-grasping-and-manipulation)”. *IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters* 8 (12): 8446-53. - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10305242) Gripper hardware design often involves a trade-off between distinct and sometimes opposing goals (e.g., high grasping force vs. gentleness). To address this trade-off within a single device, we present a multi-mode gripper with fingers that are scissor... - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10305242) ### 2022 Graule, Moritz A., Thomas P. McCarthy, Clark B. Teeple, Justin Werfel, and Robert J. Wood. 2022. “[SoMoGym: A Toolkit for Developing and Evaluating Controllers and Reinforcement Learning Algorithms for Soft Robots](https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9707663)”. *IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters* 7 (2): 4071-78. Graule, Moritz A., Thomas P. McCarthy, Clark B. Teeple, Justin Werfel, and Robert J. Wood. 2022. “[SoMoGym: A Toolkit for Developing and Evaluating Controllers and Reinforcement Learning Algorithms for Soft Robots](https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9707663)”. *IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters* 7 (2): 4071-78. - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract Soft robots offer a host of benefits over traditional rigid robots, including inherent compliance that lets them passively adapt to variable environments and operate safely around humans and fragile objects. However, that same compliance makes it hard to... Melenbrink, Nathan, Clark B. Teeple, and Justin Werfel. 2022. “[A Robot Factors Approach to Designing Modular Hardware](http://people.seas.harvard.edu/~jkwerfel/iros22melenbrink.pdf)”. In *IEEE/RSJ/International/Conference/on/Intelligent/Robots/and/Systems*. Melenbrink, Nathan, Clark B. Teeple, and Justin Werfel. 2022. “[A Robot Factors Approach to Designing Modular Hardware](http://people.seas.harvard.edu/~jkwerfel/iros22melenbrink.pdf)”. In *IEEE/RSJ/International/Conference/on/Intelligent/Robots/and/Systems*. - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract Robots are increasingly being called on to operate in settings and on tasks originally designed for humans, or where humans are also expected to work. Accordingly, the hardware and tools to be packaged, operated, or maintained are typically designed for... Teeple, Clark B., Justin Werfel, and Robert Wood. 2022. “[Multi-Dimensional Compliance of Soft Grippers Enables Gentle Interaction With Thin, Flexible Objects](http://people.seas.harvard.edu/~jkwerfel/icra22teeple.pdf)”. *IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation*. Teeple, Clark B., Justin Werfel, and Robert Wood. 2022. “[Multi-Dimensional Compliance of Soft Grippers Enables Gentle Interaction With Thin, Flexible Objects](http://people.seas.harvard.edu/~jkwerfel/icra22teeple.pdf)”. *IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation*. - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract In this paper, we discuss the role of gripper compliance in successful grasping and manipulation of thin, flexible materials. We show, both conceptually and empirically, that each axis of compliance in a planar gripper provides unique benefits in this... Joshi, Varun, Stefan Popp, Justin Werfel, and Helen McCreery. 2022. “[Alignment With Neighbors Enables Escape from Dead Ends in Flocking Models](/publications/alignment-neighbors-enables-escape-dead-ends-flocking-models)”. *Journal of the Royal Society Interface* 19: 20220356. Joshi, Varun, Stefan Popp, Justin Werfel, and Helen McCreery. 2022. “[Alignment With Neighbors Enables Escape from Dead Ends in Flocking Models](/publications/alignment-neighbors-enables-escape-dead-ends-flocking-models)”. *Journal of the Royal Society Interface* 19: 20220356. - add\_circle\_outline do\_not\_disturb\_on Abstract - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2022.0356) Coordinated movement in animal groups (flocks, schools, herds, etc.) is a classic and well-studied form of collective behaviour. Most theoretical studies consider agents in unobstructed spaces; however, many animals move in often complicated environments... - [ descriptionPublisher's Version](https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2022.0356) - Previous page chevron\_left - [1](?page=0 "Current page") - [2](?page=1 "Go to page 2") - [3](?page=2 "Go to page 3") - [ Last page 4 ](?page=3 "Go to last page") - [ Next page chevron\_right ](?page=1 "Go to next page")