The team of the HTSF Soft Robotics programme is working on soft robots that are safer and better equipped to function in a human environment, involving many fields of expertise. Collaboration between the four Dutch universities of technology is indispensable.
Robots that operate among people need a ‘soft touch’. The robots used in industrial production are extremely precise and fast, but they are also rigid. They are less suitable for safe physical contact with people or, for example, picking up foodstuffs that can be damaged easily. The HTSF Soft Robotics programme seeks inspiration from nature, like the grip of a tree frog or the flexible arms of an octopus. Biological knowledge, new control technology and innovative robot design go hand and hand here: the partners in 4TU strengthen each other, so that the Netherlands can command a leading position in this new field.
Read more in the 4TU.Federation interview with Aimée Sakes (TU Delft) and Ali Sadeghi (University of Twente) about the team’s ambitions.
