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SUMMARY:Tactile-Embodied Soft Robots: Enabling Perception and Intelligent 
 Physical Interaction in Compliant Systems -  Professor Kaspar Althoefer\, 
 Queen Mary University of London
DTSTART:20251121T160000Z
DTEND:20251121T170000Z
UID:TALK240052@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:46601
DESCRIPTION:Introducing softness and tactile embodiment into robotics is r
 eshaping how robots perceive and interact with the physical world. By usin
 g compliant materials such as silicone and fabrics\, combined with fluidic
  actuation\, soft robots achieve safe\, adaptable\, and dexterous manipula
 tion in settings where traditional rigid-component robots fall short. Embe
 dding tactile sensors within the soft body fundamentally changes how robot
 s perceive and interact with their environment. It enables them to sense k
 ey interaction parameters—such as contact\, distributed pressure\, textu
 re\, and shape—through the same deformable structures that generate moti
 on\, creating a form of embodied perception in which sensing\, actuation\,
  and morphology are intrinsically linked. My research investigates the fun
 damental principles that enable robots to physically sense\, interpret\, a
 nd adapt to their surroundings through the integration of soft materials\,
  compliant actuation\, and distributed tactile sensing. By studying how me
 chanical softness\, morphology\, and embodied perception interact\, I aim 
 to uncover the scientific foundations of intelligent\, touch-based manipul
 ation — bridging the gap between physical embodiment and perception– a
 ction coordination. This scientific approach informs the design of tactile
 -embodied robots capable of robust interaction in unstructured and dynamic
  environments. The insights gained are broadly applicable across domains 
 — from minimally invasive surgery and human–robot collaboration to rem
 ote inspection and repair in hazardous settings — and provide a strong f
 oundation for projects such as the EU-funded STIFF-FLOP and PALPABLE\, as 
 well as the European Research Council (ERC) funded Synergy Grant EndoThera
 nostics. The unifying vision behind these projects is to transform in-situ
  cancer diagnosis and therapy by creating soft\, touch-enabled robotic sys
 tems that can operate intelligently within the human body. Looking to the 
 future\, I aim to advance soft robotics toward systems that perceive and i
 nteract with the world imbued with the sensitivity\, precision\, and adapt
 ability of human touch.
LOCATION:JDB Seminar Room\, CUED
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