Recent developments in soft robotic research have demonstrated remarkable properties such as large and continuous deformation, robustness in harsh environments, and safety in human-robot interactions. However, compared to animals, soft robots fall behind in speed, force, and precision. This performance gap represents an underexplored research area and marks an exciting opportunity – achieving animal-like fast and impulsive motion through developing bio-inspired soft materials, mechanisms, controllers, and systems. Through inviting interdisciplinary attendees from materials science, mechanism designs, and dynamics and control systems, this workshop aims to identify key challenges and opportunities in enabling animal-like agile and impulsive locomotion through actuation and mechanisms.

Specifically, our speakers will share results on the following topics: 1) soft functional materials and actuators, fabrication methods, geometric designs, and nonlinear control that lead to high bandwidth and precise actuation for high force manipulation and high speed locomotion; 2) bio-inspired compliant mechanisms and biomechanics that integrate energy storage and rapid release principles, drawing inspiration from muscles, tendons, and skeletal structures, to enable agile, high-force, and impulsive motions such as fast leaps and powerful jumps. We believe this workshop will provide a forum for an underexplored yet emerging area within soft robotics research, and has the potential to grow a new community consisting of interdisciplinary researchers.

(i) How can soft actuators and mechanisms be exploited and optimized for rapid motion?

(ii) What are the effective control strategies for impulsive and transient dynamics?

(iii) How can impulsive yet damage-tolerant soft systems be scaled and applied to real-world tasks?