Leibniz Universität Hannover Faculty Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
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Institute of Assembly Technology and Robotics
 
Institute of Assembly Technology and Robotics Research Research Areas

Soft Robotics

Soft Robotics is concerned with the development and application of robots that consist of compliant structures. The resulting adaptability and flexibility is achieved in particular through the use of soft materials. Soft robots are able to adapt to their environment and perform complex movements. This enables a variety of applications in different areas.

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Soft Robotics is concerned with the development and application of robots that consist of compliant structures. The resulting adaptability and flexibility is achieved in particular through the use of soft materials. Soft robots are able to adapt to their environment and perform complex movements. This enables a variety of applications in different areas.

The flexibility of soft robots leads to an intrinsic safety that enables them to be used in a wide range of areas of human-robot interaction. Frequently mentioned areas of application include medical technology (e.g. minimally invasive surgery) or wearables (exoskeletons or clothing with supportive functions based on the principles of soft robotics). The latter can be used in rehabilitation, for example. In addition, soft robots are suitable for moving in unknown and dense environments under challenging conditions. In an industrial environment, their adaptability enables them to grasp objects of different shapes.

In fundamental research, match deals with the modeling of soft robotic systems. Methods based on this, such as design optimization, control and path planning, play an important role in the development of soft robotics systems for future applications. The holistic view in soft robotics research also includes the areas of sensor technology and structural synthesis.

In addition, match uses research knowledge to identify specific applications for soft robots and use them in real environments. This is currently being done for medical technology applications as well as in a joint project with GEOMAR, in which a soft robotic system is being developed for use in the deep sea to collect rock samples.
The match has been coordinating the DFG priority program Soft Material Robotic Systems since 2019. Here, the interdisciplinary research of various institutes across Germany in the field of soft robotics is bundled and thus advanced.

Research Areas

  • Active Suction Device for Deep-Sea Applications (ASDDSA)
    In a collaboration with the GEOMAR (Helmholtz Center for Ocean Research Kiel), the match team is researching the development of a soft robotic system that can be used in the deep sea to take sediment samples. The aim is to develop a lightweight, cost-effective and pressure-neutral actuation system to replace the hydraulically actuated titanium manipulator currently in use and reduce the overall costs of deep-sea sediment sampling.
    Team: Jan Peters, Cora Maria Sourkounis
    Year: 2022
    Funding: DFG
  • Percutaneous Tumor Biopsy and Ablation under MRI using Soft Robots
    In collaboration with Hannover Medical School (MHH), match is researching a soft robot to assist with minimally invasive procedures using magnetic resonance imaging. The robot is intended to support medical staff in their daily work. Soft robots are particularly suitable for use in MRI due to their MRI-compatible materials and actuation using compressed air.
    Team: Mats Wiese, Karina Guadalupe Velazquez Flores, Jan Peters
    Year: 2022
  • Switchable Strain-Limiting Structures for Soft Robotics
    Soft robots are characterized by their softness and associated advantages such as adaptability and inherent safety. In real-life applications, however, precision and the absorption of external forces are often also required. At match, we are therefore researching ways to specifically change the stiffness of soft robots using various mechanisms.
    Team: Jan Peters
    Year: 2021
    Funding: DFG
  • Soft Robotic, Haptic Feedback Seat for Autonomy Level Transitions in Highly Automated Vehicles
    In collaboration with the University College London, match is researching a haptic driver's seat for semi-automated vehicles. The seat is designed to prepare the driver for upcoming control handovers and thus increase situational awareness. Soft actuators are used to provide pleasant and intuitive communication between the vehicle and the human driver.
    Team: Jan Peters
    Year: 2020
    Funding: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
  • Coherent Methodology for Modelling and Design of Soft Material Robots – The Soft Material Robotics Toolbox (SMaRT)
    Robots made of soft materials offer a high degree of flexibility. The compliance of the material leads to a high level of adaptability that classic robot systems do not offer. In the project SMaRT ("Soft Material Robotics Toolbox"), match is conducting research together with the Institute for Mechatronic Systems (imes) and the Institute for Dynamics and Vibrations (IDS) on a coherent methodology for modeling and designing soft material robots.
    Team: Mats Wiese
    Year: 2019
    Funding: DFG
  • Soft Material Robotic Systems
    Soft Material Robotic Systems (SMRS) are flexible robots made of soft materials such as silicone or elastomers. Unlike conventional robots, they can adapt to complex environments and utilize pneumatic, hydraulic, or even chemical actuators for movement. SMRS are frequently utilized in areas where traditional robots are unsuitable due to their rigidity or limited flexibility, such as in medical rehabilitation, food production, or underwater research.
    Team: Ditzia Susana Garcia Morales, Mats Wiese, Jan Peters, Cora Maria Sourkounis
    Year: 2019
    Funding: DFG Priority Programme
  • Origami-Inspired Soft Pneumatic Actuators for Soft Robotics
    Soft Robots explore compliant materials and innovative design approaches to address intricate challenges across diverse fields. Typically fabricated from supple and resilient materials such as silicon, these robots can bend, adjust, and interact with their surroundings in ways that traditional robots cannot. Building on the inherent advantages of soft robots, this project aims to address a critical aspect of their design and functionality: the actuation components. This project specifically focuses on advancing the actuation components of soft robots, which are responsible for generating and controlling their movements. By developing soft pneumatic actuators inspired by origami patterns.
    Team: Ditzia Susana García Morales, Karina Guadalupe Velazquez Flores
    Year: 2019

Institute of Assembly Technology and Robotics

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