Scalable Electronic-skins for Autonomous Intelligence in Soft Robotics

forthcoming

In the emerging era of physical intelligence, soft robotics offers a transformative pathway to safe, adaptive, and intelligent human–machine interactions. Yet this vision remains constrained by a fundamental limitation: today’s soft robots largely operate “blind” due to the lack of scalable, high-resolution sensing systems that can capture both distributed tactile interactions and body deformations. This absence critically undermines their ability to perceive, adapt, and act autonomously in real-world environments. FLEX-AI aims to address this bottleneck by translating a breakthrough stretchable electronic skin (e-skin), developed under the ERC SELECT project, into scalable, application-ready solutions that enable autonomous soft robotic behaviours. This e-skin uniquely integrates simultaneous, high-resolution sensing of both touch and deformation within a single, conformal, stretchable platform, capabilities never achieved before. This project will pioneer robust, scalable fabrication methods for mass-producible e-skins and validate their generalisation and usability across diverse robotic platforms. Another central ambition is to enable real-time perception–action loops by embedding the e-skin into soft machines and developing lightweight, on-device control frameworks. This will demonstrate soft robots that can perceive, decide, and adapt autonomously to environments. By addressing critical technological, fabrication, and integration challenges, FLEX-AI will de-risk the pathway from lab-scale prototypes to commercially viable products. Target applications include healthcare robotics and assistive devices, where safe, intelligent physical interaction is essential. By uniting scalable fabrication, multimodal perception, and autonomy-driven control, FLEX-AI will redefine the capabilities of soft robots. The project has the potential to unlock new markets, deliver broad societal impact, and establish Europe as a global leader in next-generation robotics innovation.