Soft robotics: New international doctoral programme launched with training in Kiel

In 2024, a consortium of seven academic and two industrial partners from the fields of biology, materials science, physics and robotics formed the MAESTRI European Doctoral Network. The programme, coordinated by the Regensburg University of Applied Sciences (OTH Regensburg), focuses on soft robotics, i.e. the use of flexible magnetic materials for robotics, and is funded by the European Union. The project partner from Kiel University (CAU) is the biologist, materials scientist and bionics expert, Professor Stanislav N. Gorb. At the start of March, he hosted the network's first scientific training school alongside his colleague from Regensburg, Professor Mikhail Chamonine. The event on the topic of "Bioinspiration and biomimetics" marked the official launch of the MAESTRI Programme. Two female and seven male doctoral candidates took part in the five-day workshop, getting to know one another and learning more about their respective projects.

At the introductory event, the young researchers from Italy, Denmark, Germany, Slovenia and Austria presented their research goals and explained their role in the network. On the subsequent days, they then learnt more about bionics, i.e. the transfer of natural phenomena to technology, in both theory and practice. Alongside experimental workshops on surface properties and presentations on magnetoactive elastomers (malleable materials with magnetic properties), the programme also included training on intercultural communication and visits to the Zoological Collection and the Botanical Gardens. There, the doctoral candidates were able to explore the diversity of shapes and surfaces in nature and discuss their potential for applications in the field of soft robotics.

"The training provided an excellent environment for team building and was a rewarding experience for the doctoral candidates, who were able to gain fundamental knowledge and practical skills to advance their research in the field of magnetic soft robotics," explained Gorb, member of the KiNSIS priority research area (Kiel Nano, Surface and Interface Science) and Head of the Functional Morphology and Biomechanics Working Group at Kiel University's Zoological Institute.