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May 23, 2025 | Full-day Workshop @ ICRA2025

Soft Robotics
for Space Applications

Welcome to our updated home page!

We’ve made some changes to help you find what you’re looking for more easily. All the original workshop content—including detailed information, schedules, and resources—has now been moved to the new Overview page. Here on the home page, you’ll find a showcase of the workshop’s highlights: browse through our gallery of images, watch videos (including the full panel discussion), and discover the winner of the Best Paper Award. We hope you enjoy exploring these moments from the Workshop on Soft Robotics in Space!

Special Issue proposal on Soft Robotics for Space Applications

Intro

Panel Discussion

Welcome to the panel discussion featured on the Soft Robotics for Space website, part of the ICRA 2025 Workshop on Soft Robotics for Space. This event brings together leading experts from space and soft robotics to chart a shared roadmap across four key themes:

  • Exploring how soft robotics and space systems can converge in practice.
  • Identifying what’s needed to move from lab research to space adoption.
  • Defining testing protocols, standards, and mission-relevant use cases.
  • Structuring collaboration through projects, shared facilities, or agency initiatives.

Our panel features distinguished voices from both fields:

  • Prof. Neal Yii, Space Roboticist
  • Prof. Jonathon Rogers, Space Roboticist
  • Prof. Allison Okamura, Soft Roboticist
  • Prof. Cecilia Laschi, Soft Roboticist
  • Prof. Thrishantha Nanayakkara, Soft Roboticist
Sorry about the vibrations during the first few minutes
Panel Discussion

Workshop Videos

Invited Speaker videos

Introduction

Introduced by organiser Dr. Yasmin Tauqeer Ansari

Mark R. Cutkosky

TALK TITLE: Reaching and Grasping with Soft Materials in Space

Michael T. Tolley

TALK TITLE: Biologically Inspired Soft Robots in Space!

Kazuya Yoshida

TALK TITLE: Soft and gentle capturing of a tumbling satellite in orbit

Thrishantha Nanayakkara

TALK TITLE: Mechanical intelligence in rover wheels for terrain perception and passive adaptation
We apologise for the initial two-minute audio issues

Kostas Bekris

TALK TITLE: Estimation, Modeling and Control for Hybrid Soft-Rigid Space Exploration Robots

Monica Li (on behalf of Rebecca Kramer Bottiglio)

TALK TITLE: Soft robots that evolve on demand

Elliot Hawkes

TALK TITLE: Soft Robotic Root-Inspired Anchors for Low-gravity Applications

Eleonora Botta

TALK TITLE: How to catch large debris on orbit: A self-maneuvering robotic tether-net system

Egidio Falotico

TALK TITLE: Soft Robot Control: Challenges, Limitations, and Applications for Space Debris Capture

Justin Werfel

TALK TITLE: Soft Robotics for Resilient Extraterrestrial Habitats

Vishesh Vikas

TALK TITLE Soft and Tensegrity Robots for Space: Mobility, Manipulation and Beyond
Invited Speaker videos

Student Papers and Videos

Duy Anh Nguyen

TITLE: Distributed Cascade Force Control for Soft-Tactile Multi-Robot Object Transportation in Communication-Free Space-Like Environments

William Foster-Hall

TITLE: Soft Robotics for Space Applications: Limb Design and Testing Methodologies

Jack Kalicak

TITLE: Towards Adaptive Space Harnessing Systems through Wearable Soft Robotic Textiles

Kwasi Debrah-Pinamang

TITLE: Design and Control of Soft Quadruped Robot for Search-and-Rescue Applications in Unstructured Spatial Terrain

Lauren Ervin

TITLE: Mechatronic Design of a Cable-Driven Tensegrity Continuum Manipulator

Lorenzo Ticozzi

TITLE: Hybrid Soft-Rigid Space Manipulators for On-Orbit Servicing

Lauren Ervin

TITLE: Improving Grip Stability Using Passive Compliant Microspine Arrays for Soft Robots in Unstructured Terrain

Barry Mulvey

TITLE: Multimodal Sensing for Agile Shape-Changing Robot Navigation and Interaction in Unstructured Environments

Tongjia Zheng

TITLE: The Shape Awakens: Estimating Dynamic Soft Robot States from the Outer Rim

Haobo Fang

TITLE: Origami Inspired Soft Robotic Arm: A Modular Platform for Manipulation

Adriana Lopez-Lopez

TITLE: Toward Inflatable Soft Robotic Arms for Space Debris Capture: A Preliminary Study

Rafael Ferrin

TITLE: Additional Pneumatic Logic Systems for Selectively Operating Distributed Pneumatic Elements
Student Papers and Videos

BEST PAPER AWARD

The Best Paper Award, sponsored by the IEEE-RAS Technical Committee on Space Robotics with a prize of $400, was selected by the award committee and is presented to…
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