UNIVERSITY OF HERTFORDSHIRE
             COMPUTER SCIENCE RESEARCH COLLOQUIUM

                            presents

     
	"Interacting with the physical world: Embedding tactile perception in soft robots"
	

                    Prof. Kaspar Althoefer
              (Queen Mary, University of London)

                          28 May 2025
                         13:00 -14:00 
                          Room LF233

                  Everyone is Welcome to Attend
			Refreshments will be provided
				  
				                               


Abstract:

As robotics advances, enabling robots to safely and intelligently interact with the physical world remains a key challenge. This talk explores how integrating tactile sensing into soft robotic systems can enhance their ability to adapt and respond to complex environments. Drawing inspiration from the human sense of touch, I will present novel sensor technologies that allow robots to detect forces, stiffness, and subtle contact cues—enabling more precise manipulation, safer human collaboration, and performance in delicate or extreme scenarios. The talk will also address interdisciplinary efforts in sensor design, material innovation, and tactile data processing, with the goal of bringing robotic touch closer to human-level capability.

Biosketch:
 
Professor Althoefer is an experienced roboticist leading competitively funded research on soft robotics, intelligent micro-sensing systems and interaction dynamics modelling with applications in minimally invasive surgery, assistive technologies and human-robot interaction at Queen Mary University of London. He acquired in excess of £10M as Principal Investigator from national/international funding bodies and successfully completed more than 30 PhD projects.
 
Professor Althoefer’s research team is involved in funded collaborative research with leading London hospitals, European research organisations and international companies creating novel robot-assisted solutions for theranostics in the colon employing growing robots, tissue diagnosis using miniaturised sensors, cardiac catheterisation, foetal ultrasound monitoring, nuclear waste decommissioning, and ergonomically-optimised human-robot interaction in the manufacturing sector. Over the last decade, the team has built a large portfolio of projects in application-oriented research for the healthcare sector and a wide range of industries with funding from organisations such as ERC, European Commission (including coordination of two EU-projects), EPSRC, Innovate UK, Wellcome Trust and UK-based charities, exceeding £30M and producing more than 500 peer-reviewed papers.


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Hertfordshire Computer Science Research Colloquium
http://cs-colloq.cs.herts.ac.uk