Recording: Coming Soon

Abstract

The second SOFT Frontier Workshop at IROS 2025 will focus on advancing the practical applications of soft robotics. Building on the success of the IROS 2024 workshop “The SOFT frontiers: adaptive technologies for soft robotics”, which discussed adaptability in soft robotic systems, this workshop will explore the translation of cutting-edge research into real-world applications. Despite significant academic progress, soft robotics has yet to realize its full potential in various practical domains. This workshop aims to provide an in-depth overview of emerging applications, such as medicine, environmental applications, and industrial automation, highlighting recent breakthroughs and discussing the critical issues of adaptability, stability, and sustainability in real-world settings. The program will feature presentations from leading scientific experts and industrial pioneers, as well as an open call for young researchers to share their innovative work, fostering cross-domain and cross-generational dialogue. Panel discussions will focus on the practical hurdles of deploying soft robots and potential solutions, ensuring the field’s continued growth and impact. Our target audience is not only roboticists but also people in other fields (such as food science, biology, etc.), so that they can get knowledge of the potential of soft robots for their areas to promote the intersection and application of multiple disciplines.

Time: 9:00-13:00, 20th October 2025

Location: Room 102B, Hangzhou International Expo Center (HIEC)

Senior Speakers:

Helge Wurdemann, University College London (UCL)

Li Wen, Beihang University (BUAA)

Hongliang Ren, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)

Tiefeng Li, Zhejiang University (ZJU)

Arianna Menciassi, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA)

Young Frontier Speakers:

Jiangtao Su, Nanyang Technological University (NTU)

Qinghua Guan, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Yitong Zhou, South China University of Technology (SCUT)

Organizers:

Zixi Chen, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA)

Josie Hughes, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Guoying Gu, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Benhui Dai, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)

Cesare Stefanini, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA)

We thank the sponsorship for the Young Frontiers Award and social dinner from Soft Robot Technology Co., Ltd. (SRT).