Symposium SM4-A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting

Soft matter surrounds us. Materials in a variety of physical and chemical states are easily deformed when exposed to external mechanical, electrical, chemical or optical stimuli. Interdisciplinary materials science is at the core of a rapidly growing research field - exploring soft robots, ionic and electronic skin, energy harvesters, and systems that camouflage and self heal. The goal is to realize novel applications by mimicking nature in a wide range of fields, from consumer and mobile appliances to biomedical systems, sports and healthcare. All conceivable classes of materials with a variety of mechanical, physical and chemical properties are employed to achieve functionalities never seen before. Weight, flexibility and conformability are pivotal to enable these future technologies to proliferate.

The aim of this symposium is to provide a platform for researchers from all fields to exchange information and to strengthen the presence of these efforts within the materials research community. The symposium will report on recent progress in soft machines, stretchable electronics, approaches to self-healing, camouflage and self-cleaning, resorbable and transient soft devices, ionic and electronic skins, and stretchable power generation and storage. Abstracts focusing on novel materials and fabrication processes, modeling, and new, unusual device concepts are highly encouraged.

Topics will include:

Soft robots
Camouflage in soft devices
Soft sensors and actuators
Architectures for systems that self-heal and self-clean
Tough hydrogels and ionic hydrogels
Compliant energy harvesting and power generation
Stretchable energy and signal transmission
Soft electronic and ionic skins
Manufacturing of responsive materials

Invited Speakers:

SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _0 (University of Auckland, New Zealand)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _1 (Stanford University, USA)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _2 (Johannes Kepler University, Austria)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _3 (Harvard University, USA)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _4 (École nationale supérieure des mines de Saint-Étienne, France)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _5 (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _6 (University of California, San Diego, USA)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _7 (Carnegie Mellon University, USA)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _8 (University of Colorado Boulder, USA)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _9 (Northwestern University, USA)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _10 (Osaka University, Japan)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _11 (École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _12 (Cornell University, USA)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _13 (Joanneum Research GmbH, Austria)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _14 (Pneubotics, USA)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _15 (Yamagata University, Japan)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _16 (Ghent University, Belgium)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _17 (Harvard University, USA)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _18 (University of Vermont, USA)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _19 (Harvard University, USA)
SM4_A Soft Future—From Electronic Skin to Robotics and Energy Harvesting _20 (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA)