Multimodal Soft Robots for Multifunctional Manipulation, Locomotion, and Human-Machine Interaction

Living organisms display a remarkable spectrum of adaptive behaviors to navigate ever-changing environments, driven by their inherent capacity for multimodal actuations and sensations. These foundational multimodal actuations, encompassing bending, twisting, contraction/extension, and their synergistic combinations, empower creatures to achieve advanced multimodal locomotion (e.g., running, jumping, and swimming) and versatile manipulation (e.g., grasping, touching, pushing, and pulling), enabling them to adeptly evade predators and excel in prey capture. Augmenting these dynamic movements are multimodal sensations, encompassing distance, deformation, force, and temperature perception, equipping organisms with the sensory acumen to make informed decisions. Inspired by the natural world, the field of soft robotics has made significant strides in developing multimodal actuation and sensing methodologies. While bio-inspired designs have long informed modern robotics, a compelling need exists for comprehensive dialogues centered on "multimodality." This workshop aims to delve into the latest breakthroughs in multimodal soft robotics. Employing a holistic, multidisciplinary approach, we intend to assemble leading experts from diverse domains, including mechanics, materials, robotics, animal behavior, and neuroscience, to explore the multifaceted concept of "multimodality." Our objectives encompass addressing extant challenges, cultivating fresh interest, attracting new participants to the field, and fostering collaborative synergies that will drive the evolution of multimodal soft robotics.

We are calling for researchers at all career stages to contribute short talks, posters, and live demonstrations at the workshop. Those interested should submit an 1-page abstract with a maximum of one figure as a PDF to [email protected] and [email protected]. Submissions should be related to multimodal behavior of animals, multimodal soft robots, mechanics behind multimodal soft machines, multimodal actuation and sensing, etc. The submission deadline is Thursday, Feburary 15th, 2024 (11:59PM, your local time).

Submission details: A select number of submissions will be chosen to give short lightening talks during the workshop. Other submissions will be accepted to present posters or live demonstrations. We would like to encourage participants to present live demos if possible! There are two $300 prize funds for the best posters and live demos each.