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Closed-loop Controlled Soft Robots for Precise, Reliable, and Versatile Manipulation

Objective

European industry—particularly robotic manufacturers—faces mounting pressure to maintain global competitiveness. To remain at the forefront of innovation, Europe must embrace emerging technologies, and soft robotics presents a transformative opportunity. Soft robots, composed of compliant materials, offer intrinsic safety, adaptability, and enhanced interaction capabilities, making them ideal for next-generation smart systems.

Recent industrial uptake of soft robotic technologies, such as grippers and suction cups, highlights their practical benefits: reduced damage risk, shape conformity, and improved grasping through material friction. However, most commercial soft end-effectors operate in open-loop or vision-based control, lacking tactile or strain sensing due to integration challenges and sensor limitations. This restricts their precision, versatility, and reliability.

This project aims to close the control loop in soft robotics by developing advanced sensing, modeling, and control strategies tailored for deformable materials. By integrating novel sensor technologies and compliant designs, we will enhance the autonomy and intelligence of soft robotic end-effectors.

The consortium includes 15 partners from 9 countries—including EU members as well as the United Kingdom and South Korea—bringing together world-class expertise in sensing, soft robotics and materials science. Application sectors span retail and warehouse operations, rehabilitation centers and clinics, electricity suppliers, and offshore energy infrastructure operators. These diverse use cases will serve as real-world testbeds for validating the developed technologies.

Our approach aligns with Horizon Europe’s goals to foster safe, adaptive, and intelligent robotic systems. Results will be disseminated via the AI-on-demand platform and contribute to the European AI, Data, and Robotics ecosystem, reinforcing Europe’s leadership in soft robotics.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.

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Keywords

Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)

Programme(s)

Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.

Topic(s)

Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.

Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-IA - HORIZON Innovation Actions

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) HORIZON-CL4-2025-04

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Coordinator

TAMPEREEN KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 205 550,00
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 205 550,00

Participants (14)