University of Konstanz
https://www.cps.uni-konstanz.de

(September 23rd. Chair: —)

We work predominantly on mobile robotics, swarm robotics, and bio-hybrid systems (living organisms coupled with technological entities).

Collective Systems: collective behavior in large-scale multi-robot systems and robot swarms.
Bio-hybrid Systems: combining living organisms, such as natural plants or humans, and technology in the form of distributed autonomous systems.

Heiko Hamann is professor for cyber-physical systems at the University of Konstanz, Germany. He was a professor of swarm robotics at the University of Lübeck, Germany from 2017 until 2022. His main research interests are swarm robotics, bio-hybrid systems, evolutionary robotics, and modeling of complex systems. In his research projects, he studies bio-hybrid systems, such as using natural plants as sensors by doing phytosensing (EU-funded project WatchPlant) and forming symbiotic relationships between robots and natural plants to produce architectural artifacts and living spaces (EU-funded project flora robotica).

(September 23rd. Chair: —)

His recent research interests are fully autonomous drones, namely, fully autonomous unmanned multi-rotor helicopters and VTOLs as UAVs with GPS or GPS-denied environments, advanced robotics and mechatronics.

Dr. Kenzo Nonami has been a full professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Chiba University since 1994. He was in charge of Vice President of Chiba University from 2008 to 2013. Right now, Dr. Nonami is an emeritus professor at Chiba University, in 2013 he founded the Company “Autonomous Control Systems Laboratory, Ltd.” and was Chairman from 2018 to 2021. He currently holds the position of Chairman at Advanced Robotics Foundation since 2019, and a Chairman at Japan Drone Consortium which includes more than 300 companies since 2012. And is Independent Outside Director at Sodick Co., Ltd. since 2020.

Dr. Nonami received a doctorate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tokyo in 1979. He worked as an Associate Professor at Chiba University from 1988 to 1994 and as full
professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Electronics from 2004. He won the NRC research fellowship at NASA (USA) in 1985 and did research on various fields like robots, unmanned small scale helicopter, Micro Air Vehicle to name a few. He is a member of Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Robotics Society of Japan, IEEE, ASME, etc. He has published more than 300 journal papers and seven textbooks. He has guided 36 Ph.D students. He will be taking over as Vice-President of Chiba University in April 2008. He has many awards to his credit from Japan and American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

University of Pisa
https://www.iit.it/people-details/-/people/antonio-bicchi

(September 23rd. Chair: —)

<text block about talk>

Antonio Bicchi is Senior Scientist at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa and the Chair of Robotics at the University of Pisa. He graduated from the University of Bologna in 1988 and was a postdoc scholar at M.I.T. Artificial Intelligence lab. He teaches Robotics and Control Systems in the Department of Information Engineering (DII) of the University of Pisa. He leads the Robotics Group at the Research Center “E. Piaggio” of the University of Pisa since 1990. He is the head of the SoftRobotics Lab for Human Cooperation and Rehabilitation at IIT in Genoa. Since 2013 he serves ad Adjunct Professor at the School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering of Arizona State University.

From January, 2023, he is the Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Robotics Reserach (IJRR), the first scientific journal in Robotics. He has been the founding Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (2015-2019), which rapidly became the top Robotics journal by number of submissions. He has organized the first WorldHaptics Conference (2005), today the premier conference in the field. He is a co-founder and President of the Italian Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Machines (I-RIM)

His main research interests are in Robotics, Haptics, and Control Systems. He has published more than 500 papers on international
journals, books, and refereed conferences. His research on human and robot hands has been generoously supported by the European Research Council with an Advanced Grant in 2012, a Synergy Grant in 2019, and three Proof-of-Concept grants. He originated and is today the scientific coordinator of the JOiiNT Lab, an advanced tech transfer lab with leading-edge industries in the Kilometro Rosso Innovation District in Bergamo, Italy.

Among his students, five were finalists of the “G. Giralt Award” for Best Ph.D. thesis in Robotics. The award went to Manuel G. Catalano in 2013, to Cosimo Della Santina in 2019, and to Giuseppe B. Averta in 2020. Alessandro Altobelli and Federica Barontini won the EuroHaptics Best Ph.D. Thesis award in 2015 and 2023, respectively. The prestigious IEEE RAS Early Career Award was awarded to Arash Ajoudani in 2021 and to and Cosimo Della Santina in 2023.

National University of Singapore
https://cde.nus.edu.sg/me/staff/cecilia-laschi-2

(September 24rd. Chair: —)

<text block about talk>

Prof Cecilia Laschi is Provost’s Chair Professor of robotics at the National University of Singapore, leading the Soft Robotics Lab. She is Co-Director of CARTIN – Centre for Advanced Robotics Technology and Innovation. She is on leave from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Italy, The BioRobotics Institute (Dept. of Excellence in Robotics & AI). She graduated in Computer Science at the University of Pisa and received a Ph.D. in Robotics from the University of Genoa. She received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Southern Denmark, Odense, in 2023. She was JSPS visiting researcher at the Humanoid Robotics Institute of Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.

Cecilia Laschi is best-known for her research in soft robotics, an area that she pioneered and contributed to develop at international level. She investigates fundamental challenges for building robots with soft materials, with a bioinspired approach which started with a study of the octopus as a model for robotics. She explores marine applications of soft robots and their use in the biomedical field, with a focus on eldercare. She has worked in humanoid and neuro-robotics, applying brain models in humanoid robots.

She is Editor-in-Chief of Bioinspiration & Biomimetics and Specialty Chief Editor of Soft Robotics in Frontiers in Robotics & AI. She serves in the Editorial Boards of Science Robotics and IEEE Robotics & Automation Letters. She serves as evaluators for the EC (incl. ERC programme), HFSP and national research agencies.

She is IEEE Fellow and member of other scientific societies, like AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science), and the IEEE Robotics & Automation Society (RAS), where she was elected twice as AdCom member and is founding co-chair of the Technical Committee (TC) on Soft Robotics. She founded and chaired the 1st IEEE-RAS International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft) in 2018, serving now in its Steering Committee. She is Co-Chair of Gordon Research Conference on Robotics 2024.

She co-founded the spin-off company RoboTech, in edutainment robotics.

University of technology in Vienna
https://www.tuwien.at/etit/ict/asl/team/dongheui-lee

(September 24rd. Chair: —)

<text block about talk>

Dongheui Lee (이동희) is Full Professor of Autonomous Systems at Institute of Computer Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, TU Wien. She has been also leading a Human-centered assistive robotics group at the German Aerospace Center (DLR), since 2017. Prior, she was Associate Professor of Human-centered Assistive Robotics at the TUM Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Assistant Professor of Dynamic Human Robot Interaction at TUM, Project Assistant Professor at the University of Tokyo (2007-2009), and a research scientist at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) (2001-2004). She obtained a PhD degree from the department of Mechano-Informatics, University of Tokyo, Japan in 2007. She was awarded a Carl von Linde Fellowship at the TUM Institute for Advanced Study (2011) and a Helmholtz professorship prize (2015). She has served as Senior Editor and a founding member of IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L) and Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Robotics. Her research interests include human motion understanding, human robot interaction, machine learning in robotics, and assistive robotics.

Professional Career:

• Since April 2022 – Full Professor, TU Wien, Austria
• 2017 to March 2022 – Associate Professor (W3), Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany
• Since 2017 – Group Leader, Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany
• 2009 to 2017 – Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany
• 2007 to 2009 – Project Assistant Professor, Department of Mechano-Informatics, The University of Tokyo, Japan
• 2007 – Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Mechano-Informatics, The University of Tokyo, Japan
• 2007 – Ph.D. Information Science and Technology, Department of Mechano-Informatics, The University of Tokyo, Japan – “Statistical Mimesis from Partial Observation and its Application to Humanoid Robots”
• 2001 to 2004 – Research Scientist, KIST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology), Korea

University of California
https://matsci.ucsd.edu/faculty/nicholas-gravish

(September 24rd. Chair: —)

<text block about talk>

Research Focus
Robotics, robotic and biological systems, biomechanics, locomotion, manufacturing

Research Summary
Gravish’s research focuses on better understanding the challenges of movement and manipulation in micro-scale robotic and biological systems. Current understanding of locomotion and manipulation in micro-scale systems lags behind our ability to create devices at these scales (i.e. microrobots). We also lack an intuitive understanding of the strategies animals use for movement and manipulation at these scales. To bridge this knowledge gap between manufacturing and movement, Gravish studies high-speed, robust, and agile locomotion in microscale biological systems such as flying and running insects and looks for the principles of dynamic locomotion at the micro-scale. In addition, Gravish manufactures at-scale microrobots to test locomotion and manipulation hypotheses. His research takes an integrative approach, through quantitative biology experiments and robotics manufacturing and experiments, based on the mechanics driving the interaction between the animals and their environment when they move. He aims to discover principles for robust movement in complex environments with limited sensing and control. Gravish’s overarching goal is to expand our knowledge of movement and manipulation capabilities in micro-scale biological and robotic systems through novel manufacturing and experiments.

Bio
Before joining UC San Diego, Gravish was a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard under Professors Robert J. Wood and Stacey A. Combes. He was the recipient of a James S. McDonnell postdoctoral fellowship. He received his Ph.D. from Georgia Tech under Professor Daniel I. Goldman and his bachelor’s from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Assistant Professor, SDU Soft Robotics, SDU Biorobotics,
The Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller Institute, University of Southern Denmark
https://www.softrobotics.dk/
https://portal.findresearcher.sdu.dk/en/persons/saravana-prashanth-murali-babu
https://saravanaprashanth.myportfolio.com/

(September 24rd. Chair: —)

<text block about talk>

Bio
Saravana Prashanth Murali Babu is an Assistant Professor at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU), where he leads his “Sustainable Soft Robotics” research at SDU Soft Robotics. His work focuses on developing sustainable, bioinspired soft robots to tackle environmental challenges through accessible and innovative approaches in design, fabrication, control, and learning. He holds a PhD in BioRobotics (cum laude) from the BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Italy under the supervision of Dr. Barbara Mazzolai and Prof. Cecilia Laschi.

Saravana’s contributions in advancing soft robotics, particularly in bioinspired locomotion, modular design, and the development of eco-friendly, biodegradable robots for multi-terrain exploration. His previous works on integrated actuator-sensor solution with intrinsic proprioception and tunable stiffness, enabling soft robots to perform dynamic and adaptive tasks. His research draws inspiration from the dynamic movements of small animals, particularly invertebrates, using them as models for soft robotics. To explore these biological motions, he develops robots that mimic similar behaviors, offering insights into unresolved biological questions and hypotheses. This approach aims to advance biological studies without harming animals, using soft robots as experimental models. From an engineering perspective, Saravana adopts modular design as his robot platform, enabling the integration of multiple locomotion principles into a single robot. Along with this perspective, he aims to contribute to the broader goals of sustainable development and climate action. By bridging biological inspiration with engineering innovation, his work drives robotics toward sustainability and the creation of eco-conscious technologies. Saravana envisions establishing a high-standard platform for biodegradable robotics, advancing technologies that align with and support planetary health.

Stanford University
https://biology.stanford.edu/people/deborah-m-gordon

(September 25th. Chair: —)

<text block about talk>

Deborah M. Gordon is a Professor in the Department of Biology at Stanford University. She studies how ant colonies work without central control using networks of simple interactions, and how these networks evolve in relation to changing environments. She received her PhD from Duke University, then joined the Harvard Society of Fellows, and did postdoctoral research at Oxford and the University of London before joining the Stanford faculty in 1991. Projects include a long-term study of a population of harvester ant colonies in Arizona, studies of the invasive Argentine ant in northern California, arboreal ant trail networks and ant-plant mutualisms in Central America.

University of Bristol
https://hauertlab.com/people

(September 25th. Chair: —)

<text block about talk>

Sabine Hauert is Reader (Associate Professor) of Swarm Engineering at the University of Bristol in the UK. Her research focusses on making swarms for people, and across scales, from nanorobots for cancer treatment, to larger robots for environmental monitoring, or logistics. Profoundly cross-disciplinary, Sabine works between Engineering Mathematics, the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, and Life Sciences. She’s PI or Co-I on more than 30M GBP in grant funding and has served on national and international committees, including the UK Robotics Growth Partnership, the Royal Society Working Group on Machine Learning and Data Community of Interest, and several IEEE boards. Before joining the University of Bristol, Sabine engineered swarms of nanoparticles for cancer treatment at MIT, and deployed swarms of flying robots at EPFL.

Sabine is also President and Co-founder of Robohub.org, and executive trustee of AIhub.org, two non-profits dedicated to connecting the robotics and AI communities to the public.

As an expert in science communication with 15 years of experience, Sabine is often invited to discuss the future of robotics and AI, including in the journals Science and Nature, at the European Parliament, and at the Royal Society. Her work has been featured in mainstream media including BBC, CNN, The Guardian, The Economist, TEDx, WIRED, and New Scientist.