IEEE RAS Technical Committee on Soft Robotics
Last update: December 3, 2012
Information
Scope:
There has been an increasing interest in the use of soft and
deformable structures in the robotic systems. Soft and deformable structures
are crucial in the systems that deal with uncertain and dynamic
task-environments, e.g. grasping and manipulation of unknown objects,
locomotion in rough terrains, and physical contacts with living cells and human
bodies. Moreover the investigations on soft materials are also necessary for
more visionary research topics such as self-repairing, growing, and
self-replicating robots. Despite its importance and considerable demands, the
field of Soft Robotics faces a number of fundamental scientific challenges: the
studies of unconventional materials are still in their exploration phase, and
it has not been fully clarified what materials are available and useful for
robotic applications; tools and methods for fabrication and assembly are not
established; we do not have broadly agreed methods of modeling and simulation
of soft continuum bodies; it is not fully understood how to achieve sensing,
actuation and control in soft bodied robots; and we are still exploring what
are the good ways to test, evaluate, and communicate the soft robotics
technologies. From this perspective, this technical committee will bring
together the scientists and engineers who have different backgrounds and
disciplines, and provide a set of opportunities to discuss these open issues.
Priority areas for the technical
committee include:
News:
Website:
Activities
The technical committee will organize International
Workshop on Soft Robotics, in Monte Verita, Switzerland, July 2013
Two sessions related to soft robotics were organized in BioRob 2012. This first session focused on soft robots as
biologically inspired systems, modeling of soft robot, as well as soft robot locomotion
and manipulation. The second session focused on smart materials and actuators
for soft robotics. Organizers: Cecilia Laschi and
Barbara Mazzolai.
The second session in BioRob 2012 focused on
smart materials and actuators for soft robotics, including its application for
locomotion and manipulation. Organizers: Matteo Cianchetti and Virgilio Mattoli.
ETH Summer School on Soft Robotics, Zurich,
Switzerland, June 18-22, 2012
This summer school gives an introduction into current issues and
techniques in soft robotics research. More specifically, the lectures included
mechanical fundamentals for soft robotics, modeling and simulation of soft
bodies, soft actuators and deformable sensors and physical human robot
interaction.
Special
issue on "Soft Robotics" in Journal of Advanced Robotics 26(7), 2012
This special issue characterized the state of the art of soft robotics
research. The topics covered included motion control in soft robots, control of
continuum soft body, control challenge of flexible musculoskeletal body
structures of robots, component technologies for soft robotics, and stiffness
control for human robot interaction. Guest co-editors: Fumiya Iida, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Rolf Pfeifer and
Koh Hosoda.
Special session on "Soft Robotics"
at FET11 conference, Budapest, May 4-6, 2011
This session discussed how soft robotics had been developed in the last
decade and what progress had been made. The topics included the use of soft and
deformable materials, dynamic changes of morphology, and sensory motor control
for gentle system environment interactions. Session organizer: Fumiya Iida.
Swiss-Japan
Joint Seminar on "Soft Robotics: Morphology, materials, and
functionalities", University of Tokyo, June 20-23, 2010
The goal of this seminar was to bring together the leading scientists of
soft robotics research in Switzerland and Japan, and to discuss strategic
research collaborations. The seminar was attended by seven Swiss participants
and twenty two Japanese participants, consisting of faculty members, young
researchers and senior students.
Contact
Co-chairs:
Fumiya Iida, ETH Zürich
(Corresponding Co-Chair)
LEO-D 9.2, Leonhardstrasse
27, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland
Email: iidaf@ethz.ch
URL : http://www.birl.ethz.ch
Cecilia Laschi,
Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
Piazza Martiri
della Liberta'
33, 56127 Pisa, Italy
Email: cecilia.laschi@sssup.it
URL: http://www.sssup.it
Akio Ishiguro, Tohoku University
2-1-1 Katahira,
Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan
Email: ishiguro@riec.tohoku.ac.jp
URL:
http://www.riec.tohoku.ac.jp/lab/cmplx/index-e.html
Robert Wood, Harvard University
4th floor, 60 Oxford St,
Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Email: rjwood@eecs.harvard.edu
URL:
http://micro.seas.harvard.edu/
Founding-members:
Dario Floreano,
EPFL
Station 11, EPFL, CH-1015
Lausanne, Switzerland
Email:
dario.floreano@epfl.ch
URL : http://people.epfl.ch/dario.floreano
Rolf Pfeifer, University of
Zürich
Andreastrasse 15, 8050 Zürich,
Switzerland
Email: pfeifer@ifi.uzh.ch
URL : http://ailab.ifi.uzh.ch/pfeifer/
Carmel Majidi,
Carnegie Mellon University
5000 Forbes Avenue, Scaife Hall 408A, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
Email: cmajidi@andrew.cmu.edu
URL:
http://www.cmu.edu/me/people/majidi.html
Kyujin Cho,
Seoul National University
Gwanak-ro 1, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 151-744, Republic of Korea
Email: kjcho@snu.ac.kr
URL: http://robotics.snu.ac.kr/html/sub01.php
Hod
Lipson, Cornell University
242 Upson Hall, Ithaca NY, 14853-7501,
USA
Email: hod.lipson@cornell.edu
URL: http://web.mae.cornell.edu/lipson/
Daniela Rus,
MIT
The Stata
Center, Building 32 32 Vassar Street Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
Email: rus@csail.mit.edu
URL: http://www.csail.mit.edu/user/876
Barry A. Trimmer, Tufts University
200 Boston Ave., Suite 2600, Medford, MA
02155 USA
Email: barry.trimmer@tufts.edu
URL: http://ase.tufts.edu/biology/faculty/trimmer/
Maarja Kruusmaa, Tallinn University of Technology
Ehitajate tee 5,
19086 Tallinn, Estonia
Email: maarja.kruusmaa@ttu.ee
URL: http://www.biorobotics.ttu.ee
Website / mailing list coordinator:
Surya G. Nurzaman
/ Utku Culha
LEO-D 9.2, Leonhardstrasse
27, CH-8092 Zürich, Switzerland
Email: surya.nurzaman@mavt.ethz.ch,
utku.culha@mavt.ethz.ch
URL : http://www.birl.ethz.ch
Website:
http://www.softrobotics.ethz.ch
Founding date: 2012
Member count: 232