The field of soft robotics has gained acceptance in many applications, filling niches where traditional robots often cannot compete. This development is driven by new smart and functionalized materials that enable innovative soft robotics capabilities. This workshop brings together experts in materials science and soft robotics to bridge the gap between the two disciplines and develop the next generation of innovative soft robotics systems. The workshop will address the current challenges in developing new soft robotics systems using smart and functionalized materials in the future. Three sessions, each introduced by a leading materials science researcher, will focus on smart materials for actuators, sensors and soft robotics applications. A panel discussion moderated and streamed by Soft Robotics Debate will discuss obstacles, challenges, and future directions for collaboration.
Schedule, organization and guest contributions
The workshop is organized by Professor Annika Raatz (match), Jan Peters (match), Oliver Brock (TU Berlin), Helge Wurdemann (UCL), Renee Zhao (Stanford) and Koichi Suzumori (Tokyo Institute of Technology). It includes presentations by thirteen renowned international researchers. In addition, young and emerging researchers will have the opportunity to present their research at the workshop in a guest paper. For this purpose, they can still submit an extended abstract until 09.05.2022. Further information on the application process and the workshop schedule can be found here.