2024 Faculty Courses School of Engineering Department of Mechanical Engineering Graduate major in Mechanical Engineering
Soft Robotics
- Academic unit or major
- Graduate major in Mechanical Engineering
- Instructor(s)
- Shingo Maeda / Koichi Suzumori
- Class Format
- Lecture (Face-to-face)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 7-8 Fri
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- MEC.H533
- Number of credits
- 100
- Course offered
- 2024
- Offered quarter
- 2Q
- Syllabus updated
- Mar 14, 2025
- Language
- English
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
Soft robotics has progressed rapidly in recent years, and has become an important area and essential knowledge for students studying robotics. While conventional robots consist of a hard metal body, accurate servomotors, and precise programming, aiming for power, accuracy and reliability, soft robots consist of a flexible body, actuators and intelligence, realizing adaptability and robustness working in various situations. Basic concept of this new robotics and the latest research situation will be taught.
Course description and aims
At the end of this course, students will be able to explain about:
1) the basic concept and potential of soft robotics in comparison with conventional robotics,
2) the latest research status of soft robotics, and
3) the basics of mechanisms, electronics, materials, information processing, and biology related to soft robotics.
Keywords
Soft robot, Soft actuator, Functional polymer, Biomimetics, Soft computing
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
The instructors will explain each topics and concepts consisting of soft robotics on the aspects of design, mechanisms, electronics, control, material sciences, computer sciences and biology.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Introduction to Soft Robotics | Overview, basic concept, and biological analogy |
| Class 2 | Soft robot design | Design of soft robot body, dynamics of soft robots and embodiment |
| Class 3 | Flexible Electronics | Design of flexible motion, design of flexible functional devices, dielectric elastomer sensors/actuators, IPMC actuators and soft pumps |
| Class 4 | Information processing in Soft robotics | Design of soft intelligence, soft robots and machine learning, computing with soft materials and rhythm |
| Class 5 | Fabrication of soft materials | Types and properties of soft materials (polymers, gels, foams), 3D printing, soft lithography |
| Class 6 | Physics of soft bodies | modeling and Physics of soft bodies |
| Class 7 | Soft robot application | Applications and potentials in the future |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
Course materials are provided during class.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
To be uploaded on T2SCHOLA.
Evaluation methods and criteria
Evaluated by assignment(50%) and quiz(50%).
Related courses
- MEC.H434 ： Advanced Course of Actuator Engineering
- MEC.H531 ： Robot Control System Design
Prerequisites
None required.