IROS 2025 2nd Workshop on RoboTwin: Reciprocal Studies
Between Biology and Robotics
(Hangzhou, China – Oct. 20)

Workshop Overview

Over half a billion years of evolution, animals evolved remarkable adaptations for locomotion in complex three-dimensional environments. For centuries, engineers have turned to these biological systems to seek inspiration for constructing functional, flexible, and efficient robotics. In the past decades, biologically inspired robotics has matured into a significant branch of robotics. Recently, biologists and interdisciplinary teams are using robots as viable testbeds to explore and evaluate hypotheses in animal behavior. This strategy offers a suitable alternative to traditional biological methods, which have several limitations, including the feasibility to minimize confounding influences and isolate effects, the effects of the experiment and the experimenter on the study animal, and other limitations imposed by the behavior of the animals, etc. This workshop aims to bringing latest results in bio-inspired robots and expand their applications in biological studies from individual locomotion to collective behavior. Current studies on bio-inspired robots are evolving due to a deeper understanding of biological principles. In return, these bio-inspired robotics are providing the perfect platform for biologists to better understand biological phenomena.


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Potential Speakers

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Tomas Krajnik

Czech Technical University

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Huichan Zhao

Tsinghua University

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Fadong Chen

Zhejiang University

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Isabella Fiorello

Universität Freiburg

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Fumiya Iida

University of Cambridge

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Jian Deng

Zhejiang University

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Zhenshan Bing

Nanjing University

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Tianxue Zhang

Beihang University

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Ziyu Ren

Beihang University

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Yating Zheng

HU Berlin

Registration

We invite submissions on late-breaking research at the intersection of robotics and biology.

Some of the topics of interest include:

- Bio-inspired flying robots and their applications in biology
- Bio-inspired territory robots and their applications in biology
- Bio-inspired underwater robots and their applications in biology
- Bio-inspired sensing and locomotion control in robotics and animals
- Swarm robotics and their applications in biology

Submissions should take the form of 1-page extended abstracts. Contributions can encompass novel ongoing work, recently published research, or collaborative and/or large-scale projects.

Accepted submissions will have the opportunity to deliver a spotlight talk and present a poster. Please note that these submissions will not be published, shared, or archived.

Final submission deadline: Within a rolling period of five business days until September 30, 2025 (23:59:59 PST)

Submission link: https://forms.gle/tR7TX4sG1xkVuhf97

Program and Schedule

Time Speaker Title Chair
12:50-13:00 Opening TBD
13:00-13:30Huichan ZhaoEmpowering soft robots with high-power-density artificial muscles and multimodal sensorsTBD
13:30-14:00Fumiya IidaTBDTBD
14:00-14:10Jian DengTBDTBD
14:10-14:20Zhenshan BingTBDTBD
14:20-14:30Yating ZhengBio-inspired Behavior Emergence and Collective Control in Swarm Robotic Systems TBD
14:30-14:40Ziyu RenTBDTBD
14:40-15:00 Coffee Break TBD
15:00-15:30Tomas KrajnikTBDTBD
15:30-16:00YuFeng (Kevin) ChenAcrobatic maneuvers in insect-scale aerial robots via deep learned model predictive controlTBD
16:00-16:10Tianxue ZhangTBDTBD
16:10-16:20Fadong ChenTBDTBD
16:20-16:40 Coffee Break TBD
16:40-16:50TBDTBDTBD
16:50-17:00TBDTBDTBD
17:00-17:30Isabella FiorelloBiohybrid Evolution: Engineering Microrobotic Machines Inspired by Plant SystemsTBD
17:30-18:00Cosimo Della SantinaTBDTBD
18:00-18:10 Closing & Award TBD

Organizers

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Liang Li

MPI-AB & University of Konstanz

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Wei Wang

University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Steven Ceron

University of Michigan

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T. Thang Vo-Doan

University of Queensland

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Isabella Fiorello

University of Freiburg

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Yunus Alapan

University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Andreagiovanni Reina

University of Konstanz

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Heiko Hamann

University of Konstanz

Contact

If you have any questions about this workshop, please contact:
Liang Li <lli@ab.mpg.de>

Sponsors