Innovation in (Soft) Robotics and Control
ETH Distinguished Seminar in Robotics, Systems, and Control (151-0623-00)
Welcome to the (soft) Robotics, Vision, and Controls Talks series hosted by ETH Zürich. These open talks focus on innovations in (soft) robotics, computer vision, and control systems, and are held in a hybrid format at ETH Zürich’s main campus.
About the Series
Schedule:
- Fridays at 16:00 CET in HG G5 (in-person) or via Zoom
- Location: ETH Zürich
- Join via Zoom
Next Talk
Designing Human–Robot Synergies for Socio-Economic Impact
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Dino Accoto
Affiliation: KU Leuven, Belgium
Date: December 12, 2025
Time & Location: 16:00 ; ETH HG G5
Abstract
The concept of embodied intelligence, i.e., the emergence of intelligent capabilities from the interaction between body, environment, and computational processes, is by now well-established in robotics. In the recent past, major advances in software have attracted the attention of both the general public and the productive sector toward artificial intelligence; in parallel, expectations have grown regarding personal robotics and intelligent automation. Large language models operate within digital interfaces, thus testifying how AI requires “a body” to generate real effects in the physical world. In this context, robotics faces a dual challenge/opportunity. On the one hand, it must respond to the expectations of society, which anticipates tangible benefits in daily life; on the other hand, it must meet the needs of the productive sector, which is called upon to address socio-economic megatrends, unprecedented in the history of technology, namely the marked ageing of the active population and the growing shortage of labour. With regards to the first challenge, the body of the robot represents the vehicle through which it can act safely and effectively in the world, in line with the principles of structural intelligence (the hardware aspect of embodied intelligence). With regard to the second, the crucial issue lies in identifying the optimal balance between automation and human labour. The prospect of complete automation, the so-called “lights-out factories”, is, according to many studies, hardly feasible and surely not fully consistent with the European vision of Industry 5.0. In summary, it is essential to ensure that the body of the robot facilitates interaction with humans, in industrial as well as non-industrial domains, guaranteeing productivity and safety while generating synergies with positive outcomes for all stakeholders: the private user, the individual operator, industry, and society as a whole. Having this scenario in the background, the presentation will introduce design approaches and mechatronic devices developed for the achievement of structural intelligence in different domains. It will also illustrate on-going projects aimed at making the robot a tool at the service of productivity in socio-economically challenging contexts, while at the same time being respectful of human factors and capable of enhancing human skills and experience.
Bio
Prof. Dino Accoto received his PhD in BioRobotics from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa, Italy, in 2002. He had previously been selected as an honor student of Engineering at the same institution. He was Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna from 2003 to 2006, following an early period as visiting scholar at Stanford University, USA. He later joined Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Italy, where he was appointed Associate Professor of Industrial Bioengineering in 2015. In 2018 he moved to Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, before taking up his current appointment as Professor at KU Leuven, Belgium, in 2022. Prof. Accoto has co-founded three companies in the microengineering and robotics field, serving as managing partner, CTO, and CEO. He is the first inventor on several patent families, ranging from compliant sensors and actuators to complete robotic systems for medical and industrial applications. His research interests center on a biomechatronic design approach to human–robot interaction, human assistance and augmentation, with a focus on agile automation. Since 2023, Prof. Accoto has been the holder of the MOVU Robotics Chair at KU Leuven, Belgium.
All Upcoming Talks
Designing Human–Robot Synergies for Socio-Economic Impact
Speaker: Prof. Dr. Dino Accoto
Affiliation: KU Leuven, Belgium
Date: December 12, 2025
Time & Location: 16:00 ; ETH HG G5
More info
Abstract
The concept of embodied intelligence, i.e., the emergence of intelligent capabilities from the interaction between body, environment, and computational processes, is by now well-established in robotics. In the recent past, major advances in software have attracted the attention of both the general public and the productive sector toward artificial intelligence; in parallel, expectations have grown regarding personal robotics and intelligent automation. Large language models operate within digital interfaces, thus testifying how AI requires “a body” to generate real effects in the physical world. In this context, robotics faces a dual challenge/opportunity. On the one hand, it must respond to the expectations of society, which anticipates tangible benefits in daily life; on the other hand, it must meet the needs of the productive sector, which is called upon to address socio-economic megatrends, unprecedented in the history of technology, namely the marked ageing of the active population and the growing shortage of labour. With regards to the first challenge, the body of the robot represents the vehicle through which it can act safely and effectively in the world, in line with the principles of structural intelligence (the hardware aspect of embodied intelligence). With regard to the second, the crucial issue lies in identifying the optimal balance between automation and human labour. The prospect of complete automation, the so-called “lights-out factories”, is, according to many studies, hardly feasible and surely not fully consistent with the European vision of Industry 5.0. In summary, it is essential to ensure that the body of the robot facilitates interaction with humans, in industrial as well as non-industrial domains, guaranteeing productivity and safety while generating synergies with positive outcomes for all stakeholders: the private user, the individual operator, industry, and society as a whole. Having this scenario in the background, the presentation will introduce design approaches and mechatronic devices developed for the achievement of structural intelligence in different domains. It will also illustrate on-going projects aimed at making the robot a tool at the service of productivity in socio-economically challenging contexts, while at the same time being respectful of human factors and capable of enhancing human skills and experience.
Bio
Prof. Dino Accoto received his PhD in BioRobotics from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa, Italy, in 2002. He had previously been selected as an honor student of Engineering at the same institution. He was Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna from 2003 to 2006, following an early period as visiting scholar at Stanford University, USA. He later joined Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Italy, where he was appointed Associate Professor of Industrial Bioengineering in 2015. In 2018 he moved to Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, before taking up his current appointment as Professor at KU Leuven, Belgium, in 2022. Prof. Accoto has co-founded three companies in the microengineering and robotics field, serving as managing partner, CTO, and CEO. He is the first inventor on several patent families, ranging from compliant sensors and actuators to complete robotic systems for medical and industrial applications. His research interests center on a biomechatronic design approach to human–robot interaction, human assistance and augmentation, with a focus on agile automation. Since 2023, Prof. Accoto has been the holder of the MOVU Robotics Chair at KU Leuven, Belgium.
Recent Past Talks
Unified Resilient Autonomy across Robot Configurations
Prof. Dr. Kostas Alexis (Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway)
December 2025
From Rigid Mechanics to Soft Intelligence: Controlling What We Cannot Fully Actuate
Prof. Dr. Cosimo Della Santina (TU Delft, Netherlands)
November 2025
Voluntary: Swiss Robotics Day in Lausanne
()
November 2025
Archives
- Spring 2025 - 14 talks on soft robotics, foundation models, and embodied AI
- More semesters coming soon…