Research Workshop at ICRA 2026 Vienna, Austria
Multi-Stable and Origami-based Soft Robots
June 01, 2026
VIECON – Vienna Congress and Convention Center
Bi- and multi-stable structures, including origami structures, allow to rapidly release stored strain energy as they transition between various equilibrium shapes. These snap-through transitions between stable configurations enable the generation of rapid and amplified deformations. The application of bi- and multi-stability to soft actuators and robots has attracted significant research interest. Previous and current work demonstrated numerous innovative applications of bi- and multi-stability. These include single-input control mechanisms, high-speed actuations for jumping robots, significant shape reconfigurations, adaptive sensing, mechanical logic computations, and more.
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This workshop aims to showcase recent developments and foster connections among researchers exploring multistability in the field of soft robotics.
Invited Speakers
Cynthia Sung
University of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania
Ruike Renee Zhao
Stanford University, Stanford
Miha Brojan
University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Hanqing Jiang
Westlake University, China
Allison Okamura
Stanford University, California
Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin
University of Notre Dame, Indiana
Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio
Yale University, Connecticut
Samara Ren
ISTA, Austria
Mingchau Liu
University of Birmingham, England
Evgueni Filipov
University of Michigan, Michigan
Excellent PhD student
Tian Chen
University of Houston, Texas
Organizers
Amir Gat
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Israel
Robert Shepherd
Cornell University, New York
Ezra Ben-Abu
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Israel
Zeynep Temel
Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania
Hod Lipson
Columbia University, New York
June 1st - Monday
09:00-09:10 Workshop Introduction
09:10-09:30 Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio - TBD
09:30-09:50 Zeynep Temel - How Adaptive Morphology Shapes Locomotion
09:50-10:10 Yasemin Ozkan-Aydin - Origami-Inspired Design of a Burrowing Robot for Granular Media
10:10-10:20 3 spot-light talks of 3 minute each
10:20-11:00 Coffee Break & First poster session and demos
11:00-11:20 Samara Ren - Computational Homogenization for Inverse Design of Surface-based Inflatables
11:20-11:40 Hanqing Jiang- Muscle-Inspired Elasto-Electromagnetic Mechanism in Autonomous Insect Robots
11:40-12:00 Robert Shepherd - Bang Bang – Millisecond Sense and Respond Loop Using Explosive Actuation of Bistable Structures
12:00-12:30 Lunch Break
12:30-12:50 Evgueni Filipov - Origami for Dexterity in Miniature Manipulation and Testing
12:50-13:10 Ezra Ben-Abu - Multistable Bending Catheter
13:10-13:30 Amir Gat - Fluid-Driven Director-Field Design enables Versatile Deployment of Multistable Structures
13:40-14:20 Coffee Break & Second poster session and demos
13:30-13:40 3 spot-light talks of 3 minute each
14:20-14:40 Excellent PhD student - TBD
14:40-15:00 Cynthia Sung - Dynamical locomotion enabled by origami design
15:00-15:20 Ruike Renee Zhao - Elastic Rod Origami for Programmable Property Tunning
15:20-15:40 Coffee Break & Group discussion circles
15:40-16:00 Allison Okamura - Design and fabrication of foldable, soft, wearable haptic devices
16:00-16:20 Mingchau Liu - TBD
16:20-16:40 Hod Lipson - Fast Untethered Soft Robotic Crawler with Elastic Instability
16:40-17:00 Coffee Break & Group discussion circles
17:00-17:20 Tian Chen - Mechanical Multi-Stability Towards Robotic Intelligence
17:20-17:40 Miha Brojan - Multistable Origami Inspired Concept for Propulsion of Soft Robots Through Fluid Media
17:40-18:00 Workshop conclusions & Winners announcement
Preliminary Program
The program is subject to change, and will be updated continuously up to the conference.
Call for abstract - Short talks and posters
We invite ICRA 2026 attendees to submit abstracts related to the following topics:
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Fabrication of bi- or multi-stable structures
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Bi- or Multi-stable structures in soft robotics
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Origami structures in soft robotics
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Fabrication of origami structures
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​Late-breaking results, materials under review, and elaborations on previously accepted works are all welcome.
Format:
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1 page maximum (excluding references)
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ICRA double-column format (templates available here)
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Submit abstract as a PDF file (10 MB limit)
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Authors of accepted abstracts will be asked to give a 3-minute spotlight talk and present a poster in person at the workshop; live demos are greatly encouraged!
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Accepted abstracts will be made publicly available on the workshop website
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Timeline:
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March 01, 2026: Call for abstracts opens
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May 01, 2026: Submission deadline
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May 14, 2026: Acceptance notifications
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May 20, 2026: Extended submission deadline
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May 22, 2026: Acceptance notifications for extended submissions
Submission:
Please send your abstract to Ezrab@campus.technion.ac.il with the subject line: "Abstract for Multi-Stable and Origami-based Workshop ICRA 2026".
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To further recognize excellence, the top abstract submitted by a PhD student will be selected for a full invited talk at the workshop. This opportunity is intended to showcase outstanding graduate research and increase its visibility within the community.
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We will hold competitions for Best Demo and Best Poster!
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Location
The upcoming conference will be held at the VIECON – Vienna Congress and Convention Center. Stay tuned for more detailed information on the exact location within the venue, which will be communicated at a later time.
