Soft Robotics news

• Octopus-Inspired Soft Robot Featured on the Cover of Science Robotics

  Researchers from the Bristol Robotics Laboratory have unveiled a groundbreaking soft robotic system inspired by the neuromuscular structure of the octopus. The study, led by Tianqi Yue, was featured on the cover of Science Robotics as part of its Special Issue on Embodied Intelligence. By integrating suction-triggered switches with fluidic circuits, the team demonstrated a novel form of "suction intelligence" that enables robots to grasp delicate objects, adapt to complex geometries, and sense their environment—all with minimal computation. This innovation opens new doors for bioinspired robotics in fields such as healthcare, manufacturing, and agriculture.
• Cyborg Futures: Implanting and Integrating Artificial Muscle – A Landmark Scientific Meeting

  On 9–10 June 2025, the Royal Society will host Cyborg Futures: The Challenge of Implanting and Integrating Artificial Muscle — the first major scientific meeting to explore the frontier of cyber-physical human enhancement. Organised by a distinguished team of researchers, the event will bring together global leaders in bioengineering, soft robotics, neurointerfacing, smart materials, and ethics to address the scientific and societal implications of implantable artificial muscles. With a rich programme of talks, panels, and a poster session, the meeting promises groundbreaking insights into the technologies reshaping mobility, health, and the boundaries between biological and artificial systems. Free and open to all, with options to attend in person or online, this is a must-attend event for anyone interested in the cyborg future.
• Avonmouth Eastern European Health and Research Promotion Day

  Our recent participation in the Eastern European Health & Research Promotion Day was a successful activity, featuring an engaging talk on the innovative field of soft robotics and artificial muscles. This session presented the cutting-edge advancements and potential health applications of this technology, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation among attendees for the intersection of robotics and healthcare. The lively discussion and interactive presentation highlighted our group's commitment to bringing groundbreaking scientific developments closer to the public.
• Sound Voice, The Robot in Me - Workshop at BRL

  We were very excited to host a visit from Sound Voice, who provided us with an interactive workshop and examples of their videos and their work. The Robot in Me is an artistic project commissioned by the EPSRC emPOWER Programme, and the videos and exercises shared enabled our researchers to explore and discuss our concepts, understandings, and personal experiences of movement and what people really need in their day to day lives when they experience any condition or disease that compromise their movement abilities. Sound Voice’s artistic process aims to enable the emPOWER Programme to gain fresh insights and deeper understanding of individuals' experiences with physicality and its influence on our identity and interactions with the surrounding environment. We look forward to further involvement and collaboration as the project progresses.
• 1st Place - IROS Functional Fashion Competition 2023

  Congratulations to Amy Hicks, Ajmal Roshan and the Sumbrella team from SoftLab Bristol who won first place at the Functional Fashion Competition at IROS Conference 2023. The Sumbrella is a portable robotic wearable device, resembling an umbrella hat designed and built by the Bristol-based roboticists and robpsychologists. It contains soft bio-inspired tentacles which responsively interact with humans or objects in the surrounding environment via tuning movement and changing their shapes for a wide range of dynamic behaviours.
• Robot Demonstration at UoB

  At a recent Robot Demonstration Day, held at UoB, we were excited to be celebrating the excellent work from over 25 projects of current MSc Robotics (joint programme with UWE), MSc Biorobotics, and MSc Aerial Robotics students. Gemma Gibbs & Boon Aksornukul MSc students, Soft Robotics for wearable technology, presented their research on wearable devices for muscle rehabilitation at Robot Demo Day UoB. Congratulations to Gemma for winning Best Communicated Project Award across 3 MSc robotic programmes 2023.
• SORO Workshop

  A SORO Workshop held on 29th June 2023 brought together emerging solutions in three cutting-edge research fields of soft robotics, advanced biomaterials, and clinical translational science to discuss their combined potential to shape solutions for unmet challenges related to mobility/motility disorders. The workshop included diverse interdisciplinary talks to deliver an overview of the state-of-the-art in these three areas, followed by discussions of the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating them to deliver novel healthcare soft robotics technologies, at discovery, prototype and clinical levels.
• Soft Robotics Showcase

  We are excited to be hosting a Soft Robotics Showcase at the University of Bristol on 30th March, at Bill Brown Design Suite.  We are looking forward to meeting industry stakeholders working in this area.