“Distributing functionality in Soft Robots”
Bio: Prof. Benjamin Gorissen did his Ph.D research on micro soft robotic actuators at KU Leuven in Belgium and in part at Ritsumeikan University, Japan. He worked as a postdoc research at the KU Leuven and Harvard University in the field of nonlinear mechanics with a focus on harnessing nonlinearities in soft and deployable systems. In 2021 he worked at Facebook Reality Labs, before becoming a faculty at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at KU Leuven in 2022. He currently leads the Soft Robotics Research group at KU Leuven, focussing on harnessing nonlinearities in soft systems.
Title: Distributing functionality in Soft Robots
Abstract: Conventional robots are designed using a building block approach, linking localized actuators and actuators to a battery and processing unit. This approach doesn’t map to the field of soft robotics, where the used compliant materials are not strong enough to support a multitude of functional subsystems. Alternatively and as demonstrated in nature by the common octopus, the distribution of functionality throughout the body allows to overcome these limitations. This talk will explore the concept of functional distribution in soft inflatable robotics, harnessing structural nonlinearities to achieve this. By incorporating structures that snap, buckle or bifurcate, a rich design space is formed that allows us to create completely soft systems that can jump, walk, or even play Beethoven with only one pressure supply tube. By doing this we can offload computation and energy storage to the robots body, and create truly multifunctional, lean, systems.