Dr. Shepherd is interested in developing disruptive manufacturing technologies (e.g., 3D printing, replica molding, microfluidics, etc.) and functional materials to enable new devices and user experiences. He is particularly interested in simultaneously increasing the speed, dimensionality, resolution, and materials capability of free-form fabrication techniques, and developing soft actuators that mimic biological functions, but not necessarily their mechanisms: These interests are synergistic and will, perhaps, enable more efficient and life-like machines.
