First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere and warmst gratitude to my supervisor, Prof. Lu Guoxing, who supervised the experimental, numerical and theogetical work presented in the thesis, for his guidance, enouragement, and support during my PhD period. Without his patience and help, I would never make to this point. I would also like to thank my co-supervisor Prof. Chen Yan, who oversaw the kinematics studies, for the chance she gave me four years ago, which opened the door to the world of science. Appreciation also goes to Dr. Leong Yew Wei from Institute of Materials Research and Engineering, who helped me select materials and fabricate the patterned sheet specimens, for his patience and understanding during our pleasant cooperation. Deep appreciation and gratitude go to my senior research students and dear friends Song Chaoyang and Shen Changjian, who shared the research experiences and gave me valuable suggestions. I also want to thank the technical staffs at the Robotics Research Center and the workshops of MAE.