Faculty Spotlight

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Professor Wanliang Shan has recently received a series of competitive awards for his deep-tech startup, TunaBotics LLC. Shan is currently on a one-year leave from the University to serve as CEO of TunaBotics, leading the company’s efforts to commercialize innovative robotic gripping technologies developed through his academic research.

TunaBotics, which aims to revolutionize robotic gripping and handling, was established in 2024 by Shan and his co-founders: Kevin T. Turner, Professor and John Henry Towne Department Chair of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania, and recent Penn graduate, Chris Stabile. Turner serves as TunaBotics Scientific Advisor, and Stabile is Chief Technology Officer.

TunaBotics has been awarded a $305,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant to support the prototype development and performance validation of a new class of soft-shell robotic grippers. These grippers are designed to handle small, delicate, and curved objects that are difficult to manipulate with conventional robotic systems.

This NSF SBIR award builds on a decade-long research collaboration between Shan and Turner, spanning fundamental studies to applied innovation in interfaces with switchable adhesion. Their partnership began in 2016 with pioneering research on dynamically tunable adhesion, which was later supported by multiple NSF programs, including the National Robotics Initiative 2.0, I-Corps, and Partnerships for Innovation (PFI). The I-Corps and PFI programs, which emphasize customer discovery and prototype development, helped lay the foundation for TunaBotics’ launch.

TunaBotics’ proprietary soft-shell gripper technology addresses a longstanding challenge in robotic manipulation, in which existing grippers, including suction-based devices and gecko-inspired adhesives, often struggle to reliably pick up small, delicate, or irregularly shaped objects without causing damage or leaving residue. TunaBotics’ grippers overcome these limitations through low-pressure actuation and highly tunable dry adhesion, allowing them to operate effectively even on curved or contaminated surfaces.

The technology has potential applications in electronics assembly, agriculture, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing, where precision, speed, and safety are essential.

“Our soft-shell grippers offer highly tunable adhesion through low-pressure actuation to achieve gentle and reliable handling of delicate objects,” says Stabile. “This technology brings us closer to universal manipulation of objects with various shapes, stiffnesses, and weights.”

“This NSF SBIR grant enables us to translate our university research into real-world robotic solutions,” Shan adds. “We hope this work will enhance U.S. leadership in robotics and open new opportunities for soft-robotic technologies in industry.”

The NSF award aligns with New York State’s broader efforts to support innovation and advanced manufacturing. TunaBotics also receives R&D support from the NY SMART I-Corridor Tech Hub, which provides access to research and prototyping facilities at Syracuse University and Cornell University.

On October 30, 2025, TunaBotics was named one of the winners of the New York State Innovation Summit Commercialization Competition, organized by the FuzeHub Foundation. The competition recognizes promising early-stage companies developing transformative technologies across the state. TunaBotics earned a $60,000 award for its soft-shell gripper technology and commercialization plan, underscoring the company’s potential to advance next-generation manufacturing and automation within New York’s innovation ecosystem. FuzeHub will continue to work with TunaBotics in the coming year to offer guidance and assistance in commercialization.

TunaBotics was also accepted into and is currently participating in a year-long global accelerator program with the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) – Seattle Manufacturing Stream. Through CDL, CEO Shan and CTO Stabile are engaging with mentors, industry experts, and investors to refine TunaBotics’ commercialization and growth strategy. In addition, TunaBotics is sponsoring a capstone project within the MAE department of Syracuse University, where a team of four seniors are working with CTO Stabile on R&D for the shell gripping technology.

“It is exciting and gratifying to see a faculty member’s success in developing an innovation from fundamental research and making great strides in transferring it to the marketplace! TunaBotics’ gripping technology enables ‘human touch’ in robots and handles delicate objects, significantly advancing the soft-robotics manufacturing industry,” says Jianshun “Jensen” Zhang, MAE Interim Department Chair and Executive Director of SyracuseCoE. “I am also grateful for TunaBotics’ support of our senior capstone project, a signature program in the department that enhances experiential learning for our students. SyracuseCoE also strongly supports innovation and collaborations between start-ups, faculty, and students.”

Shan notes that Syracuse University has been very supportive of his efforts to commercialize technologies from his lab. “From the MAE Department to the ECS Dean’s office, from the office of academic affairs to the office of sponsored programs, the launch of TunaBotics would not have been possible without the University’s support,” says Shan.

Shan’s prior accolades include the NSF CAREER Award (2023) for his fundamental research on tunable dry adhesion, discovering the underlying mechanics behind the tunable adhesion technologies that now underpin TunaBotics’ breakthrough soft grippers.