Innovation in (Soft) Robotics and Control
ETH Distinguished Seminar in Robotics, Systems, and Control (151-0623-00)
Welcome to the (soft) Robotics, Vision, and Controls Talks series hosted by ETH Zürich. These open talks focus on innovations in (soft) robotics, computer vision, and control systems, and are held in a hybrid format at ETH Zürich’s main campus.
About the Series
Schedule:
- Fridays at 16:00 CET in HG G5 (in-person) or via Zoom
- Location: ETH Zürich
- Join via Zoom
Next Talk
Autonomous Materials for Increased Agility and Endurance in Robots
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Robert Shepherd
Affiliation: Cornell University, USA
Date: November 07, 2025
Time & Location: 16:00 ; ETH HG F3
Abstract
General purpose robots are an important technical challenge that would be enabling for agriculture, ocean health, space missions, disaster recovery, personal medical care, and many other uses. The proliferation of quadrotor and, now, quadrupedal robots are beginning to show the value of general utility, but still fail to achieve the mobility and manipulation dexterity, as well as efficiency and operational lifetime of animals. Animals have far better performance, but they are presently far too complicated to build synthetically. Nature balances the trade off between architectural complexity and energetic cost of construction better than we do. I will present context to complex material systems and autonomy, the concept of Autonomous Material Systems, as well as synthetic and living approaches towards this hierarchy and interconnectivity. The results indicate that distributing sensing, actuation, energy, and communication in robots has great advantages, but is likely insufficient without living materials. In this talk, I will focus on advances in the use of aqueous redox flow batteries as hydraulic fluids for high energy density underwater robots, arrays of powerful microscale combustion engines, and a bioelectronic interface with mycelia that can eventually be used to control these systems.
Bio
Robert Shepherd is the John F. Carr professor of engineering at Cornell University in the Sibley School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. He received his B.S. (Material Science & Engineering), Ph.D. (Material Science & Engineering), and M.B.A. from the University of Illinois. At Cornell, he runs the Organic Robotics Lab (ORL: http://orl.mae.cornell.edu), that focuses on using methods of invention, including bioinspired design approaches, in combination with material science and mechanical design to improve machine function and autonomy. We rely on new and established synthetic approaches for soft material composites that create new design opportunities in the field of robotics. He is the recipient of an Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award, an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, is a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors, and his lab’s work has been featured in popular media outlets such as the BBC, Discovery Channel, and PBS’s NOVA documentary series. He is an advisor to the American Bionics Project (americanbionics.org) which aims to make wheelchairs obsolete. He is also the co-founder of the Organic Robotics Corporation (DBA LLume; http://llume.io) which aims to digitally record the tactile interactions of humans and machines with their environment. He is also the co-founder of MAV-Unlimited, Inc. (https://mav-unlimited.com), which seeks to make mass customization of consumer goods possible via high throughput 3D printing.
All Upcoming Talks
Autonomous Materials for Increased Agility and Endurance in Robots
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Robert Shepherd
Affiliation: Cornell University, USA
Date: November 07, 2025
Time & Location: 16:00 ; ETH HG F3
More info
Abstract
General purpose robots are an important technical challenge that would be enabling for agriculture, ocean health, space missions, disaster recovery, personal medical care, and many other uses. The proliferation of quadrotor and, now, quadrupedal robots are beginning to show the value of general utility, but still fail to achieve the mobility and manipulation dexterity, as well as efficiency and operational lifetime of animals. Animals have far better performance, but they are presently far too complicated to build synthetically. Nature balances the trade off between architectural complexity and energetic cost of construction better than we do. I will present context to complex material systems and autonomy, the concept of Autonomous Material Systems, as well as synthetic and living approaches towards this hierarchy and interconnectivity. The results indicate that distributing sensing, actuation, energy, and communication in robots has great advantages, but is likely insufficient without living materials. In this talk, I will focus on advances in the use of aqueous redox flow batteries as hydraulic fluids for high energy density underwater robots, arrays of powerful microscale combustion engines, and a bioelectronic interface with mycelia that can eventually be used to control these systems.
Bio
Robert Shepherd is the John F. Carr professor of engineering at Cornell University in the Sibley School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering. He received his B.S. (Material Science & Engineering), Ph.D. (Material Science & Engineering), and M.B.A. from the University of Illinois. At Cornell, he runs the Organic Robotics Lab (ORL: http://orl.mae.cornell.edu), that focuses on using methods of invention, including bioinspired design approaches, in combination with material science and mechanical design to improve machine function and autonomy. We rely on new and established synthetic approaches for soft material composites that create new design opportunities in the field of robotics. He is the recipient of an Air Force Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Award, an Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award, is a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors, and his lab's work has been featured in popular media outlets such as the BBC, Discovery Channel, and PBS's NOVA documentary series. He is an advisor to the American Bionics Project (americanbionics.org) which aims to make wheelchairs obsolete. He is also the co-founder of the Organic Robotics Corporation (DBA LLume; http://llume.io) which aims to digitally record the tactile interactions of humans and machines with their environment. He is also the co-founder of MAV-Unlimited, Inc. (https://mav-unlimited.com), which seeks to make mass customization of consumer goods possible via high throughput 3D printing.
Voluntary: Swiss Robotics Day in Lausanne
Speaker:
Affiliation:
Date: November 14, 2025
Time & Location: all day ; SwissTech Convention Center (Rte Louis Favre 2, 1024 Ecublens)
TBD
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Cosimo Della Santina
Affiliation: TU Delft, Netherlands
Date: November 28, 2025
Time & Location: 16:00 ; ETH HG G5
Unified Resilient Autonomy across Robot Configurations
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Kostas Alexis
Affiliation: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway
Date: December 05, 2025
Time & Location: 16:00 ; ETH HG G3
More info
Abstract
State-of-the-art autonomy methods remain fragmented with controllers, sensor fusion pipelines, and learning algorithms typically tailored to narrow robot morphologies and operating regimes. This specialization has historically been necessary to achieve operational results, but inevitably limits generalization and slows the pace of innovation. A common blueprint for autonomy is necessary. This talk outlines a vision toward Unified Resilient Autonomy that is applicable across diverse robot configurations, whether flying, aquatic, or ground systems. By pursuing a common autonomy architecture and leveraging the lessons learned from its broad evaluation in extreme conditions, we demonstrate resilient functionality that transfers across embodiments. The discussion will highlight both the underlying methods that enable this unification as well as concrete results from field testing in unconventional environments - such as subterranean settings, ship ballast tanks, and submarine bunkers.
Bio
Prof. Dr. Kostas Alexis is a Professor at the Department of Engineering Cybernetics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), head of the Autonomous Robot Lab, and Director of the Norwegian Centre for Embodied AI. Together with his team, he conducts research on resilient robotic autonomy, exploring how autonomous systems can operate in high-risk, uncertain environments by presenting resourcefulness, robustness, and redundancy. Focusing on enhancing and safeguarding the autonomy capabilities of robotic systems, his research cuts across model-based optimization for control, sensor fusion, path planning, and learning algorithms for navigation. Prof. Alexis has served as Principal Investigator in major international grants both in Europe and the US, and was the PI and team lead of Team CERBERUS, winners of the DARPA Subterranean Challenge.
Designing Human–Robot Synergies for Socio-Economic Impact
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Dino Accoto
Affiliation: KU Leuven, Belgium
Date: December 12, 2025
Time & Location: 16:00 ; ETH HG G5
More info
Abstract
The concept of embodied intelligence, i.e., the emergence of intelligent capabilities from the interaction between body, environment, and computational processes, is by now well-established in robotics. In the recent past, major advances in software have attracted the attention of both the general public and the productive sector toward artificial intelligence; in parallel, expectations have grown regarding personal robotics and intelligent automation. Large language models operate within digital interfaces, thus testifying how AI requires “a body” to generate real effects in the physical world. In this context, robotics faces a dual challenge/opportunity. On the one hand, it must respond to the expectations of society, which anticipates tangible benefits in daily life; on the other hand, it must meet the needs of the productive sector, which is called upon to address socio-economic megatrends, unprecedented in the history of technology, namely the marked ageing of the active population and the growing shortage of labour. With regards to the first challenge, the body of the robot represents the vehicle through which it can act safely and effectively in the world, in line with the principles of structural intelligence (the hardware aspect of embodied intelligence). With regard to the second, the crucial issue lies in identifying the optimal balance between automation and human labour. The prospect of complete automation, the so-called “lights-out factories”, is, according to many studies, hardly feasible and surely not fully consistent with the European vision of Industry 5.0. In summary, it is essential to ensure that the body of the robot facilitates interaction with humans, in industrial as well as non-industrial domains, guaranteeing productivity and safety while generating synergies with positive outcomes for all stakeholders: the private user, the individual operator, industry, and society as a whole. Having this scenario in the background, the presentation will introduce design approaches and mechatronic devices developed for the achievement of structural intelligence in different domains. It will also illustrate on-going projects aimed at making the robot a tool at the service of productivity in socio-economically challenging contexts, while at the same time being respectful of human factors and capable of enhancing human skills and experience.
Bio
Prof. Dino Accoto received his PhD in BioRobotics from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa, Italy, in 2002. He had previously been selected as an honor student of Engineering at the same institution. He was Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna from 2003 to 2006, following an early period as visiting scholar at Stanford University, USA. He later joined Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Italy, where he was appointed Associate Professor of Industrial Bioengineering in 2015. In 2018 he moved to Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, before taking up his current appointment as Professor at KU Leuven, Belgium, in 2022. Prof. Accoto has co-founded three companies in the microengineering and robotics field, serving as managing partner, CTO, and CEO. He is the first inventor on several patent families, ranging from compliant sensors and actuators to complete robotic systems for medical and industrial applications. His research interests center on a biomechatronic design approach to human–robot interaction, human assistance and augmentation, with a focus on agile automation. Since 2023, Prof. Accoto has been the holder of the MOVU Robotics Chair at KU Leuven, Belgium.
Recent Past Talks
Developing Generalist Robots
Prof. Dr. Chelsea Finn (Stanford University, USA)
October 2025
Multifunctional, Adaptive, and Sustainable Robotic Materials Towards General Utility
Prof. Dr. Hedan Bai (ETH Zurich, CH)
October 2025
Soft-Matter Engineering for Robotics and Wearables
Prof. Dr. Carmel Majidi (Carnegie Mellon University, USA)
October 2025
Archives
- Spring 2025 - 14 talks on soft robotics, foundation models, and embodied AI
- More semesters coming soon…