Project description
Soft, self-healing recyclable materials will support intelligent robotics applications
The EU Green Deal drives decarbonisation efforts, ranging from product sustainability (e.g. the Circular Economy Action plan) to sustainable supply chains. VUB-research groups - FYSC and Brubotics - have developed breakthroughs in self-healing soft robots and its processing techniques, contributing to the mentioned policies. The developed materials can fully recover functional properties after healing the incurred damage. Together with stronger multi-material interfacial properties, this can extend product lifetimes and raise their reliability and sustainability. Furthermore, the material’s inherent mechanical and chemical recyclability allows for short term impact in current supply chains and markets. The goal of the EU-funded SHINTO project is to mature the technology, test it, and prepare the launch of an environmentally responsible spin-off.
Objective
The SHINTO project aims to disrupt the soft robotics market by creating a new market for self-healing structural components, introducing autonomous damage detection and healing in intelligent soft robots. The current field is driven by a high adoption of soft grippers that ensure safe operation for collaborative robots in manufacturing and delicate manipulation in agrifood and warehousing. However, these expensive and mostly non-recyclable soft robots have limited lifetimes due to their vulnerability to damage. In symbiosis, VUB-research groups FYSC and Brubotics have been building soft robots out of self-healing materials that fully recover functional material properties and resulting performances after healing incurred damage. This extends the robots service lifetime and raises their reliability and sustainability, which in combination with their inherent recyclability contributes to economic benefits and the EU Green Deal. In SHINTO, technological breakthroughs will mature beyond lab demonstrators over pilot scale towards commercial viability through synergistic advances in (patented) self-healing polymers, manufacturing, application validation and business development. The team combines profound knowledge of materials and robotics scientists with business experts to establish a new deep tech company, marketing next generation self-healing grippers as semi-finished goods. The beach-head strategy targets existing soft robotics markets based on confirmed product-market fits. Existing feedback loops with key industrial partners, field tests and life cycle assessment allow to cocreate the required quality and TRL for business transition, while limiting business risk to a niche market. Parallel, continuous market analysis enables updating/expanding requirements and extending to broader (non-)robotic markets. The soft robotics market is expected to grow at 40%/y to $6.3B by 2027, while market fits beyond this niche are identified, e.g. the tire market at $174B in 2028.
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.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
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.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.3.1 - The European Innovation Council (EIC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
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.
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.
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-EIC - HORIZON EIC Grants
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIC-2021-TRANSITIONOPEN-01
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
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.
1050 BRUSSEL
Belgium
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.