Lab News & Updates

Stay updated with our latest research developments, publications, awards, and team achievements.

Recent News

Oct 31, 2025 Defence by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Successful Defence of Dan Wang

Ms. Dan Wang received the highest grade (1.0) for her thesis "Mechanical Metamaterials with Explicitly and Implicitly Defined Geometry". It was a rewarding year-long journey exploring nonconventional ways to define unit-cell geometry and link it to mechanical properties. Dan did a superb job employing the level-set method, FEniCS for homogenization, and generative machine learning to design metamaterials with desired properties. We wish her great success in her future career!

defence master thesis
Successful Defence of Dan Wang
Sep 28, 2025 Team by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Farewell, Michael

After two productive years here in Freiburg, Michael is returning to CTU Prague to continue his journey as a Dozent. Michael brought many new ideas to our group, and we’re sad to see him go. But we’ll definitely continue to collaborate — and hopefully have a chance to play some disc golf together in the future :) All the best!

farewell laboratory bristlebots
Sep 1, 2025 Manuscript by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Soft Robotic Engines with Non-Reciprocal Motion by Physical Intelligence

The third collaborative paper in the series devoted to the unusual behavior of hydrogel-based metamaterials has been published in Advanced Materials. In "Soft Robotic Engines with Non-Reciprocal Motion by Physical Intelligence", my contribution was relatively small, but the paper itself is absolutely fascinating. It demonstrates how non-reciprocal motion can be achieved through the smart design of hydrogels. The research group of Prof. Andreas Walther are absolute magicians when it comes to chemistry!

Check out the paper
collaboration metamaterials hydrogels
Aug 15, 2025 Conference by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Amazing conference in Shaoxing, China

I was invited to give a talk at the 2025 International Conference on High-end Equipment and Intelligent Manufacturing in Shaoxing, China. It was an absolutely wonderful experience, and I learned a lot, even though most of the talks were in Chinese. I would especially like to thank Prof. Jing Ni for the invitation, and I’m already looking forward to attending next year!

conference China engineering
Amazing conference in Shaoxing, China
Nov 24, 2024 Team by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

MasterLab 8.0

The Cluster of Excellence started a new iteration of the MasterLab program for talented Master’s Students. We are lucky to have Ms. Priyanshi Malvinya and Mr. Pawel Ostrowski on our team! Priyanshi will work on web-based visualization of mechanical materials. Pawel has already started to work with Michael on the self-organization and self-assembly using bristle-bots moving on a vibrating table

team master people
MasterLab 8.0
Oct 17, 2024 General by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Generative models struggle with kirigami

We are seeing an enormous progress in generative models. Take a look at Midjourney, Dall-E, Stable Diffusion and very recently Sora from OpenAI. It is not surprising that similar approaches become popular for designing structures metamaterials. But why don't we see models capable of creating kirigami metamaterials?

Check out our preprint
news update metamaterials
Generative models struggle with kirigami
Jun 23, 2024 Publication by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Another paper in Materials & Design!

I am happy to share with you David's first paper devoted metamaterials switchable auxeticity. The trick is simple—just exploit self-contact between elements trigger topological changes! What can we do this effect? Check out the video!

publication research metamaterials
May 29, 2024 Publication by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

We love curves! And publish papers about them 🙂

I'm excited to share that my paper titled "Bandgap Structure in Elastic Metamaterials with Curvy Bezier Beams" has been successfully published in the special issue "Fundamentals and Applications of Metamaterials: Breaking the Limits" of Applied Physics Letters. Here, I examined how altering the geometry of beams in lattice-based metamaterials can affect the tunability of bandgaps.

publication research metamaterials
We love curves! And publish papers about them 🙂
May 8, 2024 Publication by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Our paper is published in Acta Mechanica

Our short and quite neat paper has been published in Acta Mechanica. Led by Indre Jödicke, this research project takes a somewhat different perspective on truss-based metamaterials. With advancements in additive manufacturing, the components of these metamaterials are becoming increasingly smaller, occasionally too small for reliable fabrication. Our study explores whether slight alterations in lattice geometry can circumvent these fabrication challenges. Using a minimal viable case, we demonstrate that sometimes being anisotropic is actually good.

publication research metamaterials
Apr 7, 2024 Conference by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Conferences, conferences, …

Our work with Gerrit has been presented in two conferences. First, I visited the beautiful city of Alghero, and then together, we attended first AI MSE conference Saarbrücken. You can see my talk below (although not best quality). ---

conference presentation research
Mar 16, 2024 Publication by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

New paper on 4D printing

Please check a very interesting recent paper from Bastian Rapp's group devoted to the development of shape memory polymers for morphing structures and soft robotics. I contributed bit with simulations, but main credits go amazing Qingchuan Song, who is a real magician.

publication research materials
Jan 21, 2024 Teaching by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

My new class of “Machine Learning in Structural Mechanics” totally rocks!

This semester, Mr. Gerrit Felsch and I collaborated to develop an entirely new course centered around the application of Machine Learning in Structural Mechanics. The comprises 13 lectures 12 practical sessions, all aimed at providing students with a comprehensive understanding modern ML methods enabling them implement these techniques for various challenges within materials science and mechanical engineering.

teaching education machine-learning
Jan 1, 2024 General by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

What a nice start of the year!

It’s very nice to start the New Year with a paper in Science! Check out our perspective paper by Lars Pastewka and me, in which we comment on the amazing manuscript by Antoine Aymard, Emilie Delplanque, Davy Dalmas, and Julien Scheibert. They’ve developed a very inspiring and robust way of designing friction metainterfaces using asperities with different heights. We hint at the future of frictional metainterfaces, drawing insights from the evolution of mechanical metamaterials.

news update metamaterials
What a nice start of the year!
Dec 14, 2023 Conference by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Presentation in CTU Prague

I had the immense pleasure of delivering a talk at seminar hosted by Prof. Jan Zeman in Prague! The Open Mechanics Group CTU Prague is forefront tackling highly advanced challenges mechanics, making it well worth exploring their remarkable array publications!

conference presentation research
Nov 6, 2023 General by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Great work, David and Sarah!

Two amazing students from Penn State have been working in our group for two months on very exciting topics of structural health monitoring metamaterials and enigmatic unrolling scotch tape! We are looking forward to continuing collaboration publishing new manuscripts!

news update metamaterials
Sep 28, 2023 Team by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Welcome, Michael!

Dr. Michael Somr from Czech Technical University in Prague joined our team for six months to collaborate on very thrilling topic of bristle bots. If you don't know what is bristlebot, stay tuned for our oncoming publications! 🙂

team researcher people
Aug 21, 2023 Team by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Welcome back, guys

Gerrit and David just returned back from a very productive two-week research visit to our colleagues at Czech Technical University in Prague. We are looking forward their exciting stories!

team researcher people
Jul 13, 2023 Team by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

From Rising Stars to Brightest Stars!

Wow! Our teammate Dr. Edoardo Milana just got promoted to W1 Junior Professor position at IMTEK, University of Freiburg! sincere congratulations!

team researcher people
Jun 5, 2023 Team by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Welcome Lukas!

Mr. Lukas Kürner joined our team to work on very interesting (and still secret :)) project together with Kayiang and Qingchuan!

team researcher people
Apr 27, 2023 Publication by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Another paper published!

Our paper "Controlling auxeticity in curved-beam metamaterials via a deep generative model" has been published in esteem journal of "Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering". Here we propose a deep generative model enabling us to efficiently design various metamaterials. Congratulations to Gerrit with his first first-author publication!

publication research metamaterials
Another paper published!
Mar 20, 2023 Publication by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

New manuscript

Our brief perspective paper, in collaboration with Dr. Falk Tauber, has been published \\\\\\"Frontiers in Robotics and AI\\". Here we discuss the challenges of soft robotics from the perspective of researchers who are relatively new in this field, presenting both positive and negative aspects of current trends in soft robots.\\"

publication research materials
Feb 9, 2023 Publication by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Preprint released

We published preprint titled "Controlling auxeticity in curved-beam metamaterials via a deep generative model" here. Thanks Gerrit, Naeim and David for great work!

publication preprint metamaterials
Jan 2, 2023 Team by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Welcome Edoardo!

Dr. Edoardo Milana joined our group! He won prestigious Walther Benjamin DFG fellowship and will work with us on soft robotics. Check out his amazing research.

team researcher people
Nov 25, 2022 Team by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Welcome Adam!

Mr. Adam Racz joined our team to work on collaborative project with colleagues from Penn State.

team researcher people
Sep 9, 2022 Team by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Welcome David!

Mr. David Schwarz joined our group as PhD student. He will work on the mechanical metamaterials with advanced functionalities demand.

team phd people
Aug 1, 2022 Defense by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Joshua’s Defense

Mr. Sabbathi Joshua Nikhil successfully defended his Master's thesis titled "Harnessing plasticity in energy-harvesting mechanical metamaterials". Congratulations, Joshua!

defense master students
Joshua’s Defense
Jun 24, 2022 Publication by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Our manuscript is published in Advanced Science!

Great news on the first day of summer! Our work with Prof. Dr. Andreas Walter and Mr. Oliver Skarsetz from University Mainz has been published!

publication research materials
Our manuscript is published in Advanced Science!
May 16, 2022 General by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Adaptive architecture

Our collaborative project with Prof. Mariantonieta Gutierrez Soto from Penn State "Hiding form Earthquakes with an Adaptive Metabarrier" has been selected for participation in Adaptive Architecture Idea Incubator. I am looking forward to exploring this new exciting topic!

news update research
Apr 8, 2022 Publication by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

New manuscript!

A new manuscript titled "Emergence of instability-driven domains in soft stratified materials" has been published in prestigious journal npj Computational Materials. Together with my colleagues, we studied formation of involved patterns in composite deformable composite materials.

publication research materials
Feb 28, 2022 General by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Freiburg Rising Stars

I am very happy to participate as host in DFG and BMBF program "Freiburg Rising Stars". Together with Dr. Edoardo Milana, we are going to work on soft robots, driven by metamaterials.

news update metamaterials
Jan 21, 2022 General by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

How does this robot crawl up?

Together with Mr. Aryan Rana, we 3D-printed this interesting robot. Can you guess what drives its motion?

news update research
Dec 14, 2021 General by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Success of MasterLab Program

Ms. Kajal Jain and Mr. Baris Erol for last six months have been working on small but very exiting projects in our lab. Baris studied propagation of the elastic waves in tillable metamaterials. Kajal developed an automated setup enabling us to study interaction between multiple permanent magnets and self-assembly on mesoscale level. Thanks both of you for your dedication and awesome results!

news update metamaterials
Success of MasterLab Program
Nov 5, 2021 Conference by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Congratulations, Gerrit!

The abstract "Generative design of perforated mechanical metamaterials" was accepted for oral talk on prestigious 11th European Solid Mechanics Conference in Galway, Ireland. Good job, Gerrit!

conference presentation research
Sep 28, 2021 Team by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Welcome Joshua!

Mr. Sabbathi Joshua Nikhil joined our team as Master's student to work on his thesis devoted plasticity and failure in mechanical metamaterials. Stay tuned for new results!

team master people
Jul 13, 2021 Outreach by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Laboratory on the News

Our research and recently initiated Spaghetti Project were highlighted on the news! Check out this episode

outreach public-engagement science-communication
Jun 4, 2021 Outreach by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Spaghetti Project

As the part of Freiburger Wissenschaftsmarkt we presented a public science "Spaghetti-Project"! Everyone can contribute to this project by performing simple experiment at home and submitting the results. If we gather enough data, you will be a co-author of the scientific manuscript!

Check our this project here
outreach public-engagement spaghetti-project
Apr 27, 2021 Team by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Welcome Gerrit!

Mr. Gerrit Felsch joined our group as PhD student. He will work on the adaptive mechanical metamaterials that can be reprogrammed after manufacturing.

team phd people
Mar 19, 2021 Team by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

Welcome Indre!

Ms. Indre Jödicke joined our team to work on booster project "Heterogeneity as an ally against defects". She will study the lattice materials that are tolerant to the manufacturing defects.

team researcher people
Feb 9, 2021 Equipment by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

New equipment

We received new equipment, including 3D printers, CCD camera, modal shaker, ICP accelerometers, and many other smaller things.

equipment lab infrastructure
Jan 1, 2021 Laboratory by Dr. Viacheslav Slesarenko

New equipment for new lab!

We received new equipment, including 3D printers, CCD camera, modal shaker, ICP accelerometers, and many other smaller things.

lab equipment