Meet RoboSoft 2027’s Plenary Speakers
RoboSoft 2027 will feature three internationally recognised researchers whose work spans the foundations and frontiers of soft robotics. Drawing inspiration from biological systems, advanced materials, and embodied intelligence, their plenary talks will explore how soft structures, artificial muscles, and animal-inspired control can shape the next generation of robotic systems.
Mimi A. R. Koehl
Features affecting performance of biological hydrostatic and hydraulic systems
Many organisms change shape and generate forces using hydrostatic or hydraulic structures inflated and deformed by muscles or osmotic swelling. Understanding which features of those structures affect their performance as they interact with their habitats can provide insights for the design of soft robots to accomplish various functions in different environments. I will discuss examples from our research on the biomechanics of hydrostatic skeletons. Physical models of hydraulic cylinders revealed that the flexural stiffness, shape changes, and force production of hydraulic skeletons depend on the arrangement of reinforcing fibers in the cylinder walls. These principles explain how swelling notochords in frog embryos can straighten and elongate the embryos. We also studied the mechanics and scaling of worm burrowing. Microarchitecture and time-dependent mechanical properties of biomaterials in hydrostatically-supported sea anemones and soft corals determine how they deform and capture prey in ocean waves and currents, and whether they wash away.
Geoff Spinks
Soft Actuators and the Quest for Muscle-Like Materials
Movement in living organisms is predominantly powered by muscles, so it is natural to consider muscle-like materials as the ultimate soft actuator. However, creating fully synthetic materials that mimic all the useful qualities of muscle continues as an enduring challenge. The ideal artificial muscle would simultaneously deliver large and fast movements with considerable force generation while operating silently for billions of cycles at high efficiency and all with benign inputs. A tall order! This talk covers nearly 3 decades of progress towards this goal with examples of bending, twisting and tensioning artificial muscles made from conducting polymers, carbon nanotubes, graphene, hydrogels, polymer fibres and more. Prototype devices that utilise these materials are described including swimming fish robots, wearable compression and support garments, miniature surgical tools and a cardiac assist device. Recent interest includes artificial muscle powered engines for energy harvesting and storage. The examples emphasise progress but also highlight the remaining challenges in fulfilling the quest.
Auke Jan Ijspeert
Investigating the role of embodiment and distributed control in animals using robots and neuromechanical simulations.
The ability to efficiently move in complex environments is a fundamental property both for animals and for robots, and the problem of locomotion and movement control is an area in which neuroscience, biomechanics, and robotics can fruitfully interact. In this talk, I will present how biorobots and numerical models can be used to explore the interplay of the four main components underlying animal locomotion, namely central pattern generators (CPGs), reflexes, descending modulation, and the musculoskeletal system. Going from lamprey to human locomotion, I will present a series of models that tend to show that the respective contributions of these components might have changed during evolution. I will discuss the importance of the embodiment, in particular the viscoelastic properties of the body, in the high robustness and adaptation of animal and robot locomotion. I will also present how deep reinforcement learning can be used to explore questions related to supraspinal learning and planning that takes into account spinal cord dynamics.