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327-2149-00L 6 Credits DR , MSC D-MATL

Robotic Materials

Lecturers & Examiners: Prof. Dr. Hedan Bai
Limited number of participants. Please sign up for the waiting list. Weekly attendance is expected. To pass the course, only two absences are permitted. Attendance in the first lecture is mandatory. In order for your registration to be definitively accepted, enrol to the waiting list and a statement (max. 1 page) explaining your motivation for taking the course, confirming your attendance, should be sent to by September 7, 2025.
VVZ CR n/a

Last Updated: 2026-06-03 00:07:39

Abstract

This course offers a hands-on introduction to robotic materials with a focus on the material-​centric approach to create devices and robots with soft materials. Throughout the course, parallel lectures and labs will introduce soft materials and mechanisms for soft actuators, sensors, and systems for robotic and biomedical applications.Project-based labs will work towards a final robotic challenge.

Objective

By the end of the course, students will be able to learn the soft material library and collection of mechanisms to build soft functional devices, ranging from actuators, sensors, to integrated systems. Students will develop an understanding of material selection and development, as well as be able to evaluate the pros and cons of various mechanisms for different robotic and biomedical applications.Through the project-based lab sessions in parallel to the lectures, students will acquire the ability to design, fabricate, characterize, and integrate various soft functional devices (e.g., wearable sensors, grippers, mobile robots, etc.). A final soft robotic challenge (group project) will test the performance of the integrated system for a medical application.

Content

Soft material library for functional devices - intrinsically soft materials - hybrid materials approach with extrinsically soft structures Actuating mechanisms with soft materials - Lecture: fluidic elastomer actuator, electroactive polymer actuator, stimuli-responsive actuator - Lab: design, fabrication, and characterization of soft actuators for steering, gripping and locomotion Sensing mechanisms with soft materials - Lecture: resistive, capacitive, and optoelectronic soft sensors - Lab: design, fabrication, and characterization of soft sensors as wearable devices Sustainable soft devices and robots - Lecture: natural and synthetic soft materials, devices, and robots that can self-heal, biodegrade, and recycle Medical soft robotics - Lecture: overview of soft bioelectronic devices, review of current soft robotic technologies in medical applications - Lab: final project on design, fabrication, and testing of a soft robotic instrument for a medical application.

Resources

Lecture Notes

Copies of the slides will be made available for download before each lecture.

Literature

The Science of Soft RobotsKoichi Suzumori, Kenjiro Fukuda, Ryuma Niiyama, Kohei NakajimaISBN: 978-981-19-5174-9Stretchable Bioelectronics for Medical Devices and SystemsJohn A. Rogers, Roozbeh Ghaffari, Dae-Hyeong KimISBN: 978-3-319-28694-5

General Information

Language
English
Levels
DR , MSC
Frequency
Yearly recurring

Examination

Type
graded semester performance
Evaluation will be 50% based on the final group project of the robotic challenge according to the robot performance, report, and presentation; the other 50% is based on individual lab report throughout the semester's lab sessions.

Registration & Places

Limited places (Special selection)
Signup End
06.09.2026

Course Components

Type Title Time & Place Hours
lecture with exercise Robotic Materials No time listed 2 h weekly
practical/laboratory course Robotic Materials No time listed 2 h weekly

Offered In