The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) recently hosted its 2024 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (IEEE RoboSoft 2024) in San Diego, California, USA.

SOFTech, a team from the Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), under the mentorship of Hongqiang WANG, Associate Professor of the Department of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, participated in the finals, clinching the top spot in the Locomotion Group competition.

The event attracted renowned universities and research institutions from the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong SAR, and beyond.

Comprising of undergraduate students Jinxuan LU, Xinshu HU, Zeyang QU, and Lingyi XIE, the SOFTech team stood out as the sole all-undergraduate team in the competition. Notably, the teams of undergraduate students supervised by Prof. WANG have achieved a remarkable feat by claiming prizes for four consecutive years, maintaining SUSTech’s outstanding track record of securing three first-place and one second-place finishes in the past four years.

The mobile robot competition evaluates the adaptability, autonomous movement, and system integration of robots across varied terrains, emphasizing their robustness and software characteristics.

SOFTech’s pneumatic robot, employing a bellows structure, demonstrated remarkable flexibility and adaptability, maneuvering with multiple degrees of freedom under positive and negative pressure.

To navigate various complex road surfaces like sand and smooth slopes, the team devised a modular structure enabling seamless installation of specific modules to ensure stable movement and facilitate robot maintenance and iteration.

Employing different types of anisotropic friction structures for the robot’s double friction feet allowed for varying friction levels on different surfaces, meeting operational requirements effectively. For robot control, the team devised two control systems: automatic control and remote semi-automatic control, enabling autonomous slope climbing and independent object handling.

The IEEE RoboSoft 2024 stands as the premier international conference in soft robotics, attracting global experts and scholars annually to showcase the latest advancements, exchange new research, technologies, and applications, and promote the development of the world’s soft robotics field.

The team members highlighted their enriched understanding of the potential of soft robots to address practical challenges after witnessing cutting-edge control and design at the RoboSoft competition and engaging with fellow participants.