We investigate flow though porous materials such as biological tissue and artificial materials including filter membranes, paper and engineered structures. A particular interest is in poroelastic materials that consist of an elastic porous solid with fluid-filled pores; in general, this solid can show viscoelastic properties. Fluid flow in the porous matrix and deformation of this matrix are inherently coupled. We have recently developed a technique for measuring the strain field inside a poroeleastic material such as biological tissue with high spatial and temporal resolution. Our aim is the characterization, modelling and the design of poroelastic materials for applications in diverse areas such as biotechnology, robotics and the environment for applications in tissue engineering, filtration technology and human-robot interaction.