Questions to be answered

This workshop will focus on the challenges that are involved into bringing soft robotics to application. We will discuss how soft machines can support and interact with the human body and address translational questions such as: What are the potential barriers from the regulatory side? What are the potential barriers on the technology side?

Description

The demand for compliant machines capable of safely interacting with the human body is growing across various applications. To meet this need, significant research in robotics has focused on developing new classes of devices through the soft robotics approach. However, despite extensive efforts in recent years, the commercialization of these systems remains absent. Therefore, further research is required to develop soft robots that are both effective and durable enough for successful market translation. This workshop aims to explore the scientific advancements and the challenges of bringing soft robotics to various applications, including rehabilitation, haptics, and surgery.

Organisation of the WS

14:00 - 14:12 Kaspar Althoefer – Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom

14:12 - 14:24 Elena Giannaccini – University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom

14:24 - 14:36 Alona Shagan – Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany

14:36 - 14:48 Hedan Bai – ETHZ, Zürich, Switzerland

14:48 - 15:20 Panel discussion

Intended outcome

The workshop aims to bring together the leading experts in soft robotics. Attendees will benefit from an interdisciplinary research talks on that topic, focusing on the challenges involved to bring soft robots to the market. The WS will stimulate ideas for future research collaborations between researchers and enable SMEs to discuss market needs and potentials with the community.

Speakers, Panelists, etc

Speakers

• Kaspar Althoefer – Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
• Elena Giannaccini – University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom
• Alona Shagan – Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, Germany
• Hedan Bai – ETHZ, Zürich, Switzerland

Moderators

• Linda Paterno – The BioRobotics Institute of Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Italy
• Florian Hartmann – Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Germany
• Gernot Kronreif – ACMIT - The Austrian Center for Medical Innovation and Technology, Austria

Topic Groups and/or Innovation networks involved

Projects involved

MAPWORMS - Mimicking Adaptation and Plasticity in WORMS

Further information

Organisers

• Florian Hartmann (Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems), hartmann@is.mpg.de
• Linda Paternò (The BioRobotics Institute of Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies), linda.paterno@santannapisa.it
• Gernot Kronreif (ACMIT - The Austrian Center for Medical Innovation and Technology) gernot.kronreif@acmit.at