Abstract

The next generation of soft robots will not only adapt to their environment but also preserve their own integrity through embodied material intelligence. This workshop, titled “Robotic Materials Systemics”, explores how materials that integrate sensing, actuation, computation, and healing, can form the foundation of autonomous and self-preserving robotic bodies.

Unlike conventional robots that rely on centralized control and discrete hardware, robotic materials enable distributed intelligence, where chemical, mechanical, and informational processes are seamlessly coupled with the material itself. The workshop will highlight recent advances in soft functional materials, self-healing polymers, ionic and conductive gels, and energy-circulating fluidic systems inspired by biological systems.

Our goal is to establish a systemic design framework that connects chemistry, materials science, and soft robotics, thereby defining new design principles for autonomy and self-preservation.

The program will include invited talks, interactive poster presentations, live demonstrations, and cross-disciplinary discussions designed to foster collaboration between roboticists, chemists, material scientists, and AI scientists. By bridging soft matter physics, bio-inspired design, and machine intelligence, this workshop aims to catalyze the emergence of Robotic Materials Systemics as a new scientific frontier in the evolution of next-generation soft robots.

Keywords

1. Robotic Materials

2. Soft Robotics

3. Self-healing polymers and gels

4. Bio-inspired fluidic systems

5. Distributed sensing and actuation

6. Energy and material circulation

7. Multi-scale modeling and simulation

8. Embodied computation and control

9. Adaptive structures and morphing

10. Integration of chemistry and information technology

Invited Speakers

Interactive Poster Session

Overview

• Submissions should be extended abstracts of up to one page in IEEE Standard US Letter format. We welcome novel results, ongoing research, conceptual ideas, and summaries of work published in high-impact journals. 

• The poster session will be an interactive showcase of emerging research. Presenters are encouraged to bring physical prototypes and demonstrations. Each presenter will also give a flash talk (2-3 minutes).

• The review process will follow a single-blind evaluation. Authors of accepted papers will be invited to present their work during the interactive poster session at the workshop. 

• Accepted contributions will be used only for content review and will not appear in the RoboSoft proceedings.

• Authors are responsible for printing and bringing their own posters to the workshop. The recommended poster size is A0 (portrait orientation), but there is no mandatory poster template. 

Paper Submission

• Papers should be submitted in PDF format via [Submission Link].

Best Poster Presentation Awards

• Outstanding contributions will be recognized through two awards:

  • Best Poster Presentation Award

  • Best Fusion Poster Presentation Award

• Winners will be selected by the evaluation committee, and the award ceremony will take place during the closing session of the workshop.

Important Dates

• Paper Submission Deadline : March 25, 2026, 23:59 PM (Japan Standard Time)

• Notification of Acceptance : March 27, 2026

For any questions regarding the submission process, please contact the organizing committee (kamezaki[at]akg.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp).

Accepted Poster Presentation

1. PhysRes-MPC: Predictive Control for Phase Change Actuators, Fante Liu (The University of Tokyo)

2. Emulsification-based Modification of Silicone Rubber for Soft Bio-mimetic Robots, Yuta Ishikawa (Institute of Science Tokyo)

3. ChemTSv3: Adaptive Search Space Control for Molecular and Materials Design, Satoru Fujii (Yokohama City University)

4. Theoretical analysis for synchronization of chemo-mechanical oscillating gels connected mechanically, Taro Sukegawa (Institute of Science Tokyo)

5. Adaptive Electrohydrodynamic Pumps for Durable Soft Robotics (Amr Marzuq, Institute of Science Tokyo)

6. Role of Curvature and Wave Dynamics in Autonomous Locomotion of Belousov-Zhabotinsky Gels, Shunsuke Kanzawa (Institute of Science Tokyo)

Schedule (tentative)

Organizers

Sponsers

Coming soon.

Venue

This workshop will take place at Room 5 (2F), the Kanazawa Hotel. 

Registration Desk: Lounge on the 2nd Floor

WiFi Options: The hotel Wi-Fi is available, but not suitable for large file transfers or video streaming. We plan to provide a separate guest Wi-Fi for organizers.

Lunch Options: There are many restaurants around Kanazawa Station, and we recommend stepping out from Hotel Kanazawa to enjoy them. However, lunch hours can be very crowded, so if you prefer to avoid the rush, please consider bringing a light meal or snack with you.