Tools and Techniques for Soft Matter

Career Talk

Date: Wednesday, August 19
Time: 10:30 – 12:00 CEST
Location: MPI-IS Stuttgart

About the session: Robotic systems based on unconventional soft materials are becoming increasingly common in research, and commercial products including compliant active structures have recently emerged. Designing and prototyping these systems requires knowledge of fabrication processes that differ significantly from those used in "rigid" mechanical assemblies. During this tutorial, we will reverse-engineer devices and actuators from the literature, while presenting the most widely used techniques for fabricating soft robots.

About Giulio: Dr. Giulio Grasso is a postdoctoral researcher at the Biomimetic Materials and Machines group of MPI-IS. He is a Mechanical Engineer with a PhD in Microtechnology, with expertise in design and simulation of soft compliant actuators, additive manufacturing, and wearable haptic feedback. At MPI since 2024, he is now working on the development of sustainable electrostatic actuators and of innovative fabrication processes.