The Soft Robotics Embodied Intelligence Challenge

Challenge Overview

For AI to be meaningfully integrated into robotics, we must broaden our understanding of what constitutes the "brain" of a robot. Discussions of AI in robotics typically centre around computation in a classical sense - processors, control algorithms, and data-driven decision-making. However, in soft robotics, intelligence is distributed across the entire system, where morphology, material properties, and environmental interactions play fundamental roles.

The structure and composition of a soft robot, along with its ability to deform and adapt, significantly enhance its functional capabilities. Without this embodied intelligence, the potential of AI-driven robotics remains inherently limited. By merging insights from materials science, biomechanics, AI, and mechanical engineering, this competition aims to push forward the notion that intelligence is not confined to only control algorithms, but emerges from the synergy between body, control, and environment. Soft robots, which take inspiration from natural organisms, demonstrate how compliance, adaptability, and mechanical intelligence can drive movement and interaction.