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May 23, 2025 | Full-day Workshop @ ICRA2025

Soft Robotics
for Space Applications

Recent advancements in soft robotic systems have led to innovative solutions across various space applications. These include enhancements for surface and aerial exploration, advanced maintenance and inspection techniques to improve the longevity of space infrastructure, and the development of materials and systems capable of withstanding extreme space conditions. Additionally, current active research includes exploring inflatable structures for deployable habitats, efficient sample collection methods, flame-retardant skins for safety in volatile conditions, and novel approaches to space debris mitigation. Despite the significant progress in these areas, the community has yet to come together to collectively discuss and brainstorm the highest possible areas of impact for soft robotics in space applications and to foster potential collaborations.

This inaugural workshop on soft robotics in space applications is structured around two objectives. First, it aims to create a platform for experts to exchange insights, present current challenges, and explore future research directions and funding opportunities. Second, it will host a panel discussion that brings together specialists from both space and soft robotics to examine the challenges in space missions and explore how soft robotics can provide innovative solutions. By fostering these discussions, the workshop seeks to spark new collaborations and drive advancements in the integration of soft robotics into space exploration.

Important dates

  • April 17
    Paper Submission
  • April 25
    Acceptance Notification
  • May 5
    Camera - Ready Paper
Submit here
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Abstract

Invited talks

MARK R. CUTKOSKY

Fletcher Jones Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Dept. at Stanford University

Michael T. Tolley

Professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Director of the Bioinspired Robotics and Design Lab at the Jacobs School of Engineering, UC San Diego

Kazuya Yoshida

Full Professor in Department of Aerospace Engineering, Tohoku University, Japan

Thrishantha Nanayakkara

Professor of Robotics, and the Director of Morphlab at Imperial

Kostas Bekris

Professor of Computer Science at Rutgers University in New Jersey

Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio

John J. Lee Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Yale University

Elliot W. Hawkes

Associate Professor with the Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara

Eleonora Botta

Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University at Buffalo, NY

Paul Glick

Robotics Mechanical Engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Egidio Falotico

Tenure-Track Assistant Professor at The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy

Justin Werfel

Senior Research Fellow at Harvard University
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Invited talks

Schedule

Tentative
TimeAgendaSpeakerInstitution
09:00 - 09:10
Opening Talk
Organizers
IIT, UC Berkeley, BYU
09:10 - 09:35
Reaching and Grasping with Soft Materials in Space
Prof. Mark Cutkosky
Stanford, USA
09:35 - 10:00
Biologically Inspired Soft Robots in Space!
Prof. Mike Tolley
UCSD, USA
10:00 - 10:25
Soft and gentle capturing of a tumbling satellite in orbit
Prof. Kazuya Yoshida
Tohoku University, Japan
10:25 – 10:35
Student Short Presentations
10:35 – 10:55
Coffee Break / Poster Presentations
10:55 – 11:20
Mechanical intelligence in rover wheels for terrain perception and passive adaptation
Prof. Thrishantha Nanayakkara
Imperial, UK
11:20 - 11:45
Estimation, Modeling and Control for Hybrid Soft-Rigid Space Exploration Robots
Prof. Kostas Berkis
Rutgers University, USA
11:45 – 12:05
Soft robots that evolve on demand
Dr. Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio
Yale, USA
12:05 – 12:30
Soft Robotic Root-Inspired Anchors for Low-gravity Applications
Dr. Elliot Hawkes
University of California, Santa Barbara, USA
12:30 – 13:30
Lunch
13:30 - 13:55
How to catch large debris on orbit: A self-maneuvering robotic tether-net system
Dr. Eleonora Botta
University of Buffalo, USA
13:55 - 14:20
Soft Robot Control: Challenges, Limitations, and Applications for Space Debris Capture
Dr. Egidio Falotico
SSSA, Italy
14:20 - 14:50
The opportunities and challenges for new technology in planetary exploration
Dr. Paul Glick
JPL, USA
14:50 - 15:00
Student Short Presentations
15:00 - 15:20
Coffee Break / Poster Session
15:20 - 15:45
Soft Robotics for Resilient Extraterrestrial Habitats
Dr. Justin Werfel
Harvard, USA
15:45 - 16:00
Short Student Presentations
16:00 – 17:00
Panel Discussion
Space Robotics
  1. Dr. Jonathon Rogers (NASA)
  2. Dr. Neal Lii (DLR)

Soft Robotics

  1. Prof. Cecilia Laschi (NUS)
  2. Prof. Ian Walker (University of Wyoming)
  3. Prof. Allison Okamura (Stanford)

16:45 - 17:15

Closing Remarks / Awards Session
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Panel Discussion

Allison Okamura

Richard W. Weiland Professor of Engineering at Stanford University

Ian Walker 

Professor and Head of the department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Wyoming

Cecilia Laschi

Provost’s Chair Professor at the National University of Singapore, Director of Advanced Robotics Centre and Co-Director of CARTIN – Centre for Advanced Robotics Technology and Innovation

Jonathan Rogers

Chief of the Robotic Systems Technology Branch at NASA’s Johnson Space Center

Neal Y. Lii

Domain Head of Space Robotic Assistance, and co-founding head of the Modular Dexterous (Modex) Robotics Laboratory, at the Institute of Robotic and Mechatronics, German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany.
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Panel Discussion

Call for Papers and Extended abstracts

The Soft Robotics for Space Applications Workshop is an excellent venue for submitting research at the intersection of soft robotics and space robotics. Submissions featuring late-breaking developments and preliminary results are encouraged in, but not limited to, the following areas:

Topics of Interest

  • Design and control of flexible and adaptive technologies for space missions
  • Innovations in materials for extreme conditions
  • Enhanced maintenance and inspection techniques for space infrastructure
  • Strategies for efficient sample collection in space exploration
  • Mitigation of space debris through soft robotics solutions
  • Bio-inspired terrestrial and aerial exploration in space
  • Novel designs for space habitats leveraging soft robotics principles
  • Advancement of soft robotic technologies for enhancing astronaut mobility and functionality in suits, gloves, and other equipment

Manuscripts should adhere to the IEEE template and be between two to four pages in length, excluding references. The total file size must not exceed 10 MB. All submissions will be reviewed by the organizing committee. Accepted papers will have the opportunity to present a poster and deliver a 5-minute lightning talk during the workshop.

The submission period has now ended.
However, if you wish to submit your work, please reach out to us via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Call for Papers and Extended abstracts

Organizers

Dr. Yasmin Tauqeer Ansari

Postdoctoral Researcher
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy

Dr. Hannah Stuart

Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Berkeley, USA

Dr. Marc Killpack

Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Brigham Young University, USA

Dr. Barbara Mazzolai

Director of Bioinspired Robotics Lab
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy
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Organizers
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