Research interests

• 3D Printed Soft Grippers with Integrated Sensing Capabilities
• Soft Human-Machine Interfaces
• Soft Actuators and Sensors

Selected publications

*Corresponding Author, **Co-First Author

Journal Articles

1. Zhou, Hao**, Charbel Tawk**, and Gursel Alici. “A Multipurpose Human–Machine Interface via 3D-Printed Pressure-Based Force Myography.” IEEE Transactions on Industrial Informatics (2024).
2. Amal, P., Arjun R. Nair, H. Arunav, Rithu Raj, V. M. Akhil, Charbel Tawk*, and Karthik V. Shankar*. “Bioinspiration and biomimetics in marine robotics: a review on current applications and future trends.” Bioinspiration & Biomimetics (2024).
3. Faris, Omar, Charbel Tawk*, and Irfan Hussain*. “SoPCAS Finger: A Three-Dimensional Printed Soft Finger with Pneumatic Chambers for Simultaneous Actuation, Sensing, and Controlled Grasping.” Robotics Reports 2, no. 1 (2024): 32-42.
4. Akhil, V. M., Rahul Satheesh*, M. Ashmi, and Charbel Tawk*. “Lower Limb EMG Signal Analysis Using Scattering Transform and Support Vector Machine for Various Walking Conditions.” IEEE Access 11 (2023): 129566-129575.
5. Mutlu, Rahim, Dilpreet Singh, Charbel Tawk, and Emre Sariyildiz. “A 3D-printed soft haptic device with built-in force sensing delivering bio-mimicked feedback.” Biomimetics 8, no. 1 (2023): 127.
6. Xavier, Matheus S.*, Charbel Tawk*, Ali Zolfagharian, Joshua Pinskier, David Howard, Taylor Young, Jiewen Lai et al. “Soft Pneumatic Actuators: A Review of Design, Fabrication, Modeling, Sensing, Control and Applications.” IEEE Access (2022).
7. Zhou, Hao, Charbel Tawk, and Gursel Alici. “A 3D Printed Soft Robotic Hand With Embedded Soft Sensors for Direct Transition Between Hand Gestures and Improved Grasping Quality and Diversity.” IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering 30 (2022): 550-558.
8. Tawk, Charbel., Rahim Mutlu, and Gursel Alici. “A 3D printed modular soft gripper integrated with metamaterials for conformal grasping. Frontiers in Robotics and AI (2022): 429.
9. Tawk, Charbel, and Gursel Alici. “A Review of 3D‐Printable Soft Pneumatic Actuators and Sensors: Research Challenges and Opportunities.” Advanced Intelligent Systems 3, no. 6 (2021): 2000223.
10. Xavier, Matheus S., Charbel D. Tawk, Yuen K. Yong, and Andrew J. Fleming. “3D-printed omnidirectional soft pneumatic actuators: Design, modeling and characterization.” Sensors and Actuators A: Physical 332 (2021): 113199.
11. Tawk, Charbel, Emre Sariyildiz, and Gursel Alici. “Force control of a 3D printed soft gripper with built-in pneumatic touch sensing chambers.” Soft Robotics 9, no. 5 (2022): 970-980.
12. Sencadas, Vitor, Charbel Tawk, Thomas Searle, and Gursel Alici. “Low-hysteresis and ultrasensitive microcellular structures for wearable electronic applications.” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 13, no. 1 (2020): 1632-1643.
13. Sencadas, Vitor, Charbel Tawk, and Gursel Alici. “Environmentally friendly and biodegradable ultrasensitive piezoresistive sensors for wearable electronics applications.” ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces 12, no. 7 (2020): 8761-8772.
14. Tawk, Charbel, and Gursel Alici. “Finite element modeling in the design process of 3D printed pneumatic soft actuators and sensors.” Robotics 9, no. 3 (2020): 52.
15. Tawk, Charbel, Hao Zhou, Emre Sariyildiz, Marc In Het Panhuis, Geoffrey M. Spinks, and Gursel Alici. “Design, modeling, and control of a 3D printed monolithic soft robotic finger with embedded pneumatic sensing chambers.” IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics 26, no. 2 (2020): 876-887.
16. Tawk, Charbel, Marc in het Panhuis, Geoffrey M. Spinks, and Gursel Alici. “Soft pneumatic sensing chambers for generic and interactive human–machine interfaces.” Advanced Intelligent Systems 1, no. 1 (2019): 1900002.
17. Sencadas, Vitor, Charbel Tawk, and Gursel Alici. “Highly sensitive soft foam sensors to empower robotic systems.” Advanced Materials Technologies 4, no. 10 (2019): 1900423.
18. Tawk, Charbel, Andrew Gillett, Marc in het Panhuis, Geoffrey M. Spinks, and Gursel Alici. “A 3D-printed omni-purpose soft gripper.” IEEE Transactions on Robotics 35, no. 5 (2019): 1268-1275.
19. Tawk, Charbel, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Marc in het Panhuis, and Gursel Alici. “3D printable linear soft vacuum actuators: their modeling, performance quantification and application in soft robotic systems.” IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics 24, no. 5 (2019): 2118-2129.
20. Mai, Huy, Rahim Mutlu, Charbel Tawk, Gursel Alici, and Vitor Sencadas. “Ultra-stretchable MWCNT–Ecoflex piezoresistive sensors for human motion detection applications.” Composites Science and Technology 173 (2019): 118-124.
21. Tawk, Charbel, Marc in het Panhuis, Geoffrey M. Spinks, and Gursel Alici. “Bioinspired 3d printable soft vacuum actuators for locomotion robots, grippers and artificial muscles.” Soft Robotics 5, no. 6 (2018): 685-694

Book Chapters

1. Tawk, Charbel, and Gursel Alici. “4D-printed pneumatic soft actuators modeling, fabrication, and control.” In Smart Materials in Additive Manufacturing, Volume 2: 4D Printing Mechanics, Modeling, and Advanced Engineering Applications, pp. 103-140. Elsevier, 2022.

Conference Papers

1. Aydin, Mert, Emre Sariyildiz, Charbel Dalely Tawk, Rahim Mutlu, and Gursel Alici. “Variable stiffness improves safety and performance in soft robotics.” In 2023 IEEE International Conference on Mechatronics (ICM), pp. 1-6. IEEE, 2023. 
2. Zhou, Hao**, Charbel Tawk**, and Gursel Alici. “A 3D printed soft prosthetic hand with embedded actuation and soft sensing capabilities for directly and seamlessly switching between various hand gestures.” In 2021 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM), pp. 75-80. IEEE, 2021.
3. Tawk, Charbel, Marc in het Panhuis, Geoffrey M. Spinks, and Gursel Alici. “3D printed soft pneumatic bending sensing chambers for bilateral and remote control of soft robotic systems.” In 2020 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM), pp. 922-927. IEEE, 2020.
4. Tawk, Charbel, Rahim Mutlu, and Gursel Alici. “A3D Printed Modular Soft Gripper for Conformal Grasping.” In 2020 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM), pp. 583-588. IEEE, 2020. 
5. Singh, Dilpreet, Charbel Tawk, Rahim Mutlu, Emre Sariyildiz, Vitor Sencadas, and Gursel Alici. “A 3d printed soft force sensor for soft haptics.” In 2020 3rd IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), pp. 458-463. IEEE, 2020.
6. Tawk, Charbel, Emre Sariyildiz, Hao Zhou, Marc in het Panhuis, Geoffrey M. Spinks, and Gursel Alici. “Position control of a 3D printed soft finger with integrated soft pneumatic sensing chambers.” In 2020 3rd IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), pp. 446-451. IEEE, 2020.
7. Singh, Dilpreet, Charbel Tawk, Rahim Mutlu, Emre Sariyildiz, and Gursel Alici. “A 3D printed soft robotic monolithic unit for haptic feedback devices.” In 2019 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM), pp. 388-393. IEEE, 2019.
8. Tawk, Charbel, Yuan Gao, Rahim Mutlu, and Gursel Alici. “Fully 3D printed monolithic soft gripper with high conformal grasping capability.” In 2019 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM), pp. 1139-1144. IEEE, 2019.
9. Tawk, Charbel, Geoffrey M. Spinks, Marc in het Panhuis, and Gursel Alici. “3D printable vacuum-powered soft linear actuators.” In 2019 IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM), pp. 50-55. IEEE, 2019.
10. Mutlu, Rahim, Charbel Tawk, Gursel Alici, and Emre Sariyildiz. “A 3D printed monolithic soft gripper with adjustable stiffness.” In IECON 2017-43rd Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society, pp. 6235-6240. IEEE, 2017.
11. Akle, Barbar J., Charbel Tawk, and Elio Challita. “Design and manufacturing of an array of micro IPMC hair-like sensors.” In Electroactive Polymer Actuators and Devices (EAPAD) 2016, vol. 9798, pp. 210-215. SPIE, 2016.

Academic Degrees

Ph.D., Soft Robotics, University of Wollongong, Australia, 2019
B.E., Mechanical Engineering, Lebanese American University, Lebanon, 2015