Soft material robots consist predominantly of materials which are intrinsically compliant. This allows soft material robots to undergo very large deformations and safely conform to and interact with their environment.

The Priority Programme seeks to unravel the consequences of the shift from stiff to soft robot designs in a highly interdisciplinary context. Research in the programme should help to make the power of the soft paradigm more accessible and to leverage this power for the development of more flexible and adaptable robotic systems. The programme is intended to be highly interdisciplinary in nature. Potential participants are encouraged to establish collaborations with other research groups when submitting their proposals.