Soft Robotics news
- Cyborg Futures Event RecordingsOur Cyborg Futures event at the Royal Society last June featured fascinating talks from a great lineup of world-leading experts and innovators. The event was the first to address the scientific and social challenges of cyber-physical enhancement, robotic body restoration, and implantable artificial muscles. If you missed the event or would like to revisit the talks, you can now view the recordings: https://bit.ly/4iocSg0
- emPOWER Research WorkshopWe were very excited to host a two-day emPOWER research workshop at Goldney House in Bristol in October 2025. The event was very well attended by many of those who had contributed to the emPOWER programme over the years as well as welcoming researchers from the VIVO Hub for the chance to exchange knowledge and explore potential opportunities for future collaboration. The busy agenda included updates on the latest science from emPOWER, demonstrations of device prototypes, and introductions to VIVO Hub research. We were very pleased to have such a good representation from so many areas including clinicians and specialist contributors. Our final day concluded with reflection and discussion around remaining challenges and next steps for the future.
- Robotic exosuit trousers could boost astronauts’ movement in space missionsIn October 2025, Dr Emanuele Pulvirenti, took part in the ADAMA analogue astronaut mission in Adelaide, Australia. The mission was organised by ICEE.space in collaboration with the Universit of Adelaide as part of the Austrian Space Forum’s “World’s Biggest Analog” campaign and hosted at the University of Adelaide’s EXTERRES CRATER facility, the largest simulated Lunar regolith environment in the Southern Hemisphere. During the trials, a lightweight soft robotic exosuit developed by Dr Pulvirenti and the team at the Vivo Hub at the UOB was worn by analogue astronauts to assist lower-limb movement during simulated extravehicular activity (EVA). The exosuit was designed to reduce muscular effort and fatigue while maintaining natural movement patterns, aiming to support astronaut performance during future Moon and Mars missions. This campaign marks the first time such an assistive soft exosuit has been tested in a planetary analogue mission outside the laboratory. Photo supplied by @taylorparham
- Cyborg Futures: Exploring the Next Frontier of Human EnhancementOn June 9 and 10 2025, we attended Cyborg Futures at the Royal Society, the first dedicated scientific meeting on the challenges of implanting and integrating artificial muscles. This Scientific Discussion Meeting was funded by the Royal Society through a competitive scientific discussions programme call. The proposal was led by Professor Jonathan Rossiter, UoB. The event convened global leaders in robotics, biomaterials, neurotechnology, and medical innovation to explore how emerging technologies can restore and enhance human function. Highlights included sessions on, smart, implantable materials, neurointerfaces and biointegration, soft robotics and surgical challenges, and ethical implications of enhancement Organised by a leading international team of researchers, Cyborg Futures sparked critical dialogue on the future of biorobotics and human–machine symbiosis. We look forward to continuing these conversations and advancing this exciting field.
- Octopus-Inspired Soft Robot Featured on the Cover of Science RoboticsResearchers from the Bristol Robotics Laboratory have unveiled a groundbreaking soft robotic system inspired by the neuromuscular structure of the octopus. The study, led by Tianqi Yue, was featured on the cover of Science Robotics as part of its Special Issue on Embodied Intelligence. By integrating suction-triggered switches with fluidic circuits, the team demonstrated a novel form of "suction intelligence" that enables robots to grasp delicate objects, adapt to complex geometries, and sense their environment—all with minimal computation. This innovation opens new doors for bioinspired robotics in fields such as healthcare, manufacturing, and agriculture.
- Sound Voice, The Robot in Me - Workshop at BRLWe were very excited to host a visit from Sound Voice, who provided us with an interactive workshop and examples of their videos and their work. The Robot in Me is an artistic project commissioned by the EPSRC emPOWER Programme, and the videos and exercises shared enabled our researchers to explore and discuss our concepts, understandings, and personal experiences of movement and what people really need in their day to day lives when they experience any condition or disease that compromise their movement abilities. Sound Voice’s artistic process aims to enable the emPOWER Programme to gain fresh insights and deeper understanding of individuals' experiences with physicality and its influence on our identity and interactions with the surrounding environment. We look forward to further involvement and collaboration as the project progresses.
- SORO WorkshopA SORO Workshop held on 29th June 2023 brought together emerging solutions in three cutting-edge research fields of soft robotics, advanced biomaterials, and clinical translational science to discuss their combined potential to shape solutions for unmet challenges related to mobility/motility disorders. The workshop included diverse interdisciplinary talks to deliver an overview of the state-of-the-art in these three areas, followed by discussions of the challenges and opportunities associated with integrating them to deliver novel healthcare soft robotics technologies, at discovery, prototype and clinical levels.
- Soft Robotics ShowcaseWe are excited to be hosting a Soft Robotics Showcase at the University of Bristol on 30th March, at Bill Brown Design Suite. We are looking forward to meeting industry stakeholders working in this area.
VIVO Hub Showcases Mobility Innovation at Charter Day 2025
The VIVO Hub was proud to represent the Bristol Robotics Laboratory at Charter Day 2025, a University of Bristol event honouring and thanking legacy donors for their generous support.
Dr. Emanuele Pulvirenti and PhD student Mr. Ajmal Roshan hosted a stall showcasing BRL’s cutting-edge wearable exosuit technology, designed to support individuals with mobility challenges. Their research focuses on developing novel soft robotic wearables that enable users to move comfortably while receiving essential physical support from the exosuit.
Professor Jonathan Rossiter, Professor of Robotics and Head of the Soft Robotics Group, also spoke at the event, highlighting BRL’s innovative work and the powerful impact of legacy funding on research.
The event offered a unique opportunity to connect with legacy pledgers and enquirers, and to demonstrate how their contributions are helping to advance transformative research in robotics and beyond.
Avonmouth Eastern European Health and Research Promotion Day
Our recent participation in the Eastern European Health & Research Promotion Day was a successful activity, featuring an engaging talk on the innovative field of soft robotics and artificial muscles. This session presented the cutting-edge advancements and potential health applications of this technology, fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation among attendees for the intersection of robotics and healthcare. The lively discussion and interactive presentation highlighted our group's commitment to bringing groundbreaking scientific developments closer to the public.
1st Place - IROS Functional Fashion Competition 2023
Congratulations to Amy Hicks, Ajmal Roshan and the Sumbrella team from SoftLab Bristol who won first place at the Functional Fashion Competition at IROS Conference 2023. The Sumbrella is a portable robotic wearable device, resembling an umbrella hat designed and built by the Bristol-based roboticists and robpsychologists. It contains soft bio-inspired tentacles which responsively interact with humans or objects in the surrounding environment via tuning movement and changing their shapes for a wide range of dynamic behaviours.
Robot Demonstration at UoB
At a recent Robot Demonstration Day, held at UoB, we were excited to be celebrating the excellent work from over 25 projects of current MSc Robotics (joint programme with UWE), MSc Biorobotics, and MSc Aerial Robotics students. Gemma Gibbs & Boon Aksornukul MSc students, Soft Robotics for wearable technology, presented their research on wearable devices for muscle rehabilitation at Robot Demo Day UoB. Congratulations to Gemma for winning Best Communicated Project Award across 3 MSc robotic programmes 2023.