This doctoral network (DN) responds to the growing need for a new generation of researchers and engineers capable of advancing the emerging field of magnetic soft robotics, which combines soft functional materials, magnetism and robotic systems. Soft robots can adapt their shape and mechanical properties more easily than conventional rigid robots and may offer new possibilities for manipulation, locomotion and interaction with complex environments. Materials involved are elastomers and complementary liquids filled with micro- and nanometer-sized magnetic particles. By applying magnetic fields, selected material properties such as stiffness, surface structure or friction can be modified during operation. This creates opportunities for robotic systems with adaptable functionality, but also raises fundamental scientific questions regarding the relationships between material composition, structure, magnetic response and resulting robotic performance.
Because the technical challenges involved are complex and require expertise from different disciplines, the consortium brings together seven academic and two industrial beneficiaries with complementary backgrounds in biology, materials science, physics and robotic engineering. The project investigates magnetic soft matter experimentally and theoretically, develops modelling and simulation tools, and translates the resulting knowledge into robotic components and demonstrators.
The research programme is directed towards the development and demonstration of mobile robots and robotic gripping devices in which key functional parameters, such as the friction of a robot's contact surfaces or the stiffness of robotic joints, can be adjusted using permanent magnets or electromagnets. To achieve this, the project studies the synthesis, structure-property relationships and physical mechanisms underlying magnetic soft materials, develops the required electronic and magnetic control systems, and explores adaptive control strategies for real-time adjustment of robot behaviour.
While MAESTRI is primarily a research and training project, it is expected to strengthen the scientific foundations of magnetic soft robotics, provide new experimental and computational tools for researchers in the field, and stimulate future application concepts in areas such as soft manipulation and adaptive robotic systems. The project also contributes to maintaining European expertise in advanced materials and robotics through interdisciplinary collaboration between academic and industrial partners.
A central objective of MAESTRI is the training of nine doctoral candidates. Through a structured programme combining research, international mobility, interdisciplinary education and exposure to industrial environments, the network prepares a new generation of specialists capable of working across the boundaries of materials science, physics and robotics in both academia and industry.
