Abstract
The ocean presents an extreme and dynamic environment where conventional rigid robots struggle to adapt to unpredictable forces and fragile ecosystems. This workshop, Soft Robotics Meets the Sea: Novel Robot Design for Harsh Environments, brings together researchers working on soft actuation, morphing structures, hydrodynamic modeling and control of deformable systems for underwater locomotion, manipulation and environmental interaction. The program will highlight material innovation, deployable mechanisms and simulation driven design that help transform laboratory prototypes into field ready marine robots. Interactive elements, including discussion panels and demonstration videos, will provide participants with insight into practical challenges such as fluid structure interaction, durability, sensing in water, and energy efficiency. The workshop aims to connect soft robotics, marine science and bio inspired design in order to inspire robots that do not just survive in the sea, but cooperate with it.
Description
The ocean is still one of the hardest environments for robotics. High pressure, waves, currents, limited visibility and unstructured terrain all reduce the effectiveness of traditional rigid machines. Soft robots, which are built from compliant materials and adaptive mechanisms, offer better safety and resilience for such environments, since they can deform, absorb external loads and interact with delicate marine organisms. At the same time, operating soft robots in water raises its own challenges, such as accurate hydrodynamic modeling, control under uncertainty and long term durability.
This workshop will explore recent progress in soft robotic design for marine tasks. Topics include soft and hybrid actuation for underwater use, morphing and deployable structures, bio inspired bodies for efficient swimming, modeling and control of continuum and deformable robots in fluid, and integrated sensing for monitoring and inspection. The workshop will also discuss how to bridge simulation level and field level performance, how to test soft robots in real water conditions, and how to move toward sustainable and ecological ocean technologies.
The objective is to define what is needed for the next generation of marine soft robots: robots that are compliant, energy aware, easy to fabricate and robust enough for long term ocean exploration, environmental monitoring and intervention in harsh conditions.
Topics of Interest
- Soft Material Robotics
- Marine Robotics
- Hydraulic and Pneumatic Actuators for Underwater Robots
- Mechanism Design of Mobile and Manipulator Type Soft Robots
- Underactuated and Deployable Soft Systems
- Robust and Adaptive Control of Soft Robots in Fluid Environments
- Simulation and Modeling of Fluid Structure Interaction
- Field Deployment in Hazardous or Harsh Marine Conditions
Call for Posters
We welcome submissions of extended abstracts for the poster session. Please note that you are only required to submit an abstract at this stage. If accepted, you will be invited to present your work as a physical poster on-site.
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Deadline March 15, 2026
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Format One A4 page extended abstract (PDF), IEEE layout.
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On-site Presentation Vertical A0 or A1 Poster.
Schedule
TENTATIVE Workshop Schedule
Invited Speakers
The following speakers have confirmed their participation.
Organizers
Workshop Organizing Committee
Sponsor(s)
Beijing NOKOV Science and Technology Co., Ltd.