WELCOME KIT - ICRA 2026��IEEE Technical Committee on Mechanisms and Design
Prepared by Student Representative:�Alessandro Perini
Table of Contents
May 31st 11� June 1st 12� June 2nd 13� June 3rd 15� June 4th 17� June 5th 20
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Announcements
This is a living page, that will be updated during the conference to highlight awards, room changes, and more.
If you have any suggestion regarding this document, please leave a comment.
- Coffee and Lunch Breaks-
Morning coffee break: 10:30 – 11:00
Lunch break: 12:30 – 14:00 (no official lunch provided by ICRA on June 1st)
Afternoon coffee break: 15:30 – 16:00
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TC on Mechanisms and Design
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Focus: Advancement of robotic mechanisms and design methodologies.
Contact: tcmechdesign@gmail.com | Official Website | LinkedIn
The Motivation
As robots move from factory floors to unpredictable environments, hardware is the deciding factor in success. The TC seeks to bring together researchers with interest in innovative mechanical hardware in robotic systems.
The Mission
Community
Consolidates a fragmented field into a coherent research body.
Industry Link
Accelerates technology transfer and aligns research with market needs.
Support
Standardizes practices and mentors young researchers on innovative hardware development.
The Scope: Innovative mechanical hardware in robotic systems
Committee Leadership
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Role | Name | Affiliation |
Co-Chairs | Prof. Darwin Lau | Chinese University of Hong Kong, HK |
Prof. Cynthia Sung | University of Pennsylvania, USA | |
Prof. Lillian Chin | University of Texas at Austin, USA | |
Prof. Matteo Russo | University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy | |
Associate Co-Chairs | Marco Controzzi | Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Italy |
Francesca Negrello | IIT, Italy | |
Hao Su | City University of New York, USA | |
Shenli Yuan | Boston Dynamics AI Institute, USA | |
Student Representative | Alessandro Perini | University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy |
Honorary Co-Chairs | Mark Cutkosky | Stanford University, USA |
Shigeo Hirose | Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan | |
Roland Siegwart | ETH Zurich, Switzerland |
Dates: 1–5 June, Vienna, Austria
Location: VIECON – Vienna Congress & Convention Center
*Note: the old name is “Messe Wien” – you will find that name still on some signs and also the Viennese still refer to this name
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Conference Venue
A detailed, interactive map of the entrances, parking, transportation, and nearby restaurants and hotels can be found on VIECON’s website homepage.
Details of the venue
Explore the venue in detail. If you have any doubts where to go, the VIECON official website provides a full 360° virtual tour of the facilities.
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Interactive Map
360° View
Conference Venue
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Floor Plan
VIECON
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Floor Plan
Congress Center
Foyer A
Hall B
Hall A
Hall C
Hall D
Hall A
Hall B
Hall C
Foyer A
Mall
Program at a glance
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VIEW WORKSHOPS & TUTORIALS�Click Here!!
Sunday 31st May 2026
Registration Open
VIECON - Foyer A, [15:00 - 19:00]
TEAB&SAC Dinner
Rathauskeller, [17:00 - 20:00]
This gathering is designed to strengthen connections among current and former Technical Committees (TCs) and early-career researchers.
Applicants will be contacted by the RAS Office directly.
Event (and waiting list) are fully booked!
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Monday 1th June 2026
Keynotes
★ No Mechanisms & Design keynotes
Workshops
★ AI-Driven Soft Robotics: Innovations, Challenges, and Future Directions | Full day
https://sites.google.com/view/ai-soro-icra2026
★ Dexterity with Multifingered Hands: Hardware, Sensing, and Skills | Full day
https://dex-manipulation.github.io/icra2026/
★ The Path Towards Generalizable Contact-Rich Robotics | Full day
★ The SOFT frontier 3: Soft or Rigid? New Trends in Wearable Robotics | Half – Afternoon
https://sites.google.com/view/sft-front
Events & Awards
★ [18:00 - 20:00] Welcome Reception | Room: Hall A/B/C
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Tuesday 2th June 2026
Keynote
★ [14:00 – 14:50] Can GOFE and Code-as-Policy Close the 100,000-Year Data Gap in Robot Manipulation? – Prof. Ken Goldberg (UC Berkeley) � Room: Hall A1 (Plenary)
★ [16:45 – 18:15] Keynote Session 2 – Eric Diller, Fanny Ficuciello, Tiantian Xu, Haoyong Yu � Room: Hall A1 (Plenary)
Oral Sessions
★ [11:20 – 11:30] High-Velocity, Pressure-Driven Eversion for Rapid Vine Robots
Room: Strauss 1-2 Session: Soft Robotics
★ [11:30 – 11:40] Adaptive-Twist Soft Finger Mechanism for Grasping by Wrapping
Room: Strauss 1-2 Session: Soft Robotics
★ [11:30 – 11:40] Design, Modeling and Direction Control of a Wire-Driven Robotic Fish (2-DoF Crank-Slider) � Room: Hall A3 Session: Field and Space Robotics
★ [11:40 – 11:50] 3D Printable Crease-Free Origami Vacuum Bending Actuators for Soft Robots � Room: Strauss 1-2 Session: Soft Robotics
★ [16:45 – 16:55] Ringbot Quad: A Monocycle Robot with Four Legs for Wheel-Leg Transformable Locomotion � Room: Lehar 1-4 Session: Manipulation and Locomotion
★ [17:35 – 17:45] WiXus: A Wheeled-Legged Robot with Wire-Driven Environmental Utilizing � Room: Lehar 1-4 Session: Manipulation and Locomotion
★ [17:35 – 17:45] RhoMorph: Rhombus-Shaped Modular Robots for Stable Reconfiguration Motion � Room: Strauss 1-2 Session: Modular Robots
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Tuesday 2th June 2026
Posters
Room: Hall C – Interactive Session 1
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Design of an Adaptive Modular Anthropomorphic Dexterous Hand for Human-Like Manipulation
★ [09:00 – 10:30] A Miniaturized Tendon-Driven Continuum Robot for Direct Laser Deposition
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Control of Humanoid Robots with Parallel Mechanisms Using Differential Actuation Models
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Underactuated Multimodal Jumping Robot for Extraterrestrial Exploration
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Lie Group Implicit Kinematics for Redundant Parallel Manipulators
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Stowable Tape Spring Truss Leg for Robotic Mobility
�Room: Hall C – Interactive Session 2
★ [15:00 – 16:30] Backdrivable Redundantly Actuated Parallel Robot for Sensorless pHRI
★ [15:00 – 16:30] Twisted String Actuation Module for Compact Robotic Finger
★ [15:00 – 16:30] Analytical Stiffness Formulation for Six-DOF Tensegrity Joints Using Screw Theory
★ [15:00 – 16:30] LEGO: Latent-Space Exploration for Geometry-Aware Optimization of Humanoid Kinematic Design
★ [15:00 – 16:30] ShapeForce: Low-Cost Soft Robotic Wrist for Contact-Rich Manipulation
★ [15:00 – 16:30] Dynamically Extensible and Retractable Robotic Leg Linkages for Multi-Task Execution in Search and Rescue Scenarios
Award
Room: Hall A2 – Session: Award Finalists 1
★ [11:40 – 11:50] RCM Constraint-Consistent Dynamic Control in Surgical Robots
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Wednesday 3th June 2026
Keynote
★ [16:45 – 18:15] Keynote Session 4 – Jeannette Bohg, Kento Kawaharazuka, Nikos Tsagarakis, Yuke Zhu � Room: Hall A1 (Plenary)
★ [14:00 – 14:50] Natural Revolution: Biological Principles for Frugal and Sustainable Robotics – Prof. Barbara Mazzolai (IIT) � Room: Hall A1 (Plenary)
Oral Sessions
★ [11:00 – 11:10] On Robust Coordinated Compliant Control Design for Space Manipulators � Room: Strauss 1-2 Session: Aerial / Space Robotics
★ [12:00-12:10] USV with Interfacial Pumping for Efficient Microplastics Removal � Room: Strauss 1-2 Session: Field and Service Robotics
Posters
Room: Hall C – Interactive Session 3
★ [09:00-10:30] Design of a Hydraulic-Driven Adaptive Gripper with a Novel Actuation Mechanism
★ [09:00-10:30] Stability Principle Inherent in Wheel Gait of Planar X-Shaped Walker Generated Using Constant Torque Drive and Mechanical Stoppers
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Design of a Variable Stiffness Quasi-Direct Drive Cable-Actuated Tensegrity Robot
★ [09:00-10:30] Design of a Novel Loosely Coupled Parallel Structural Upper Body Exoskeleton
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Design of a Hydraulic-Driven Adaptive Gripper with a Novel Actuation Mechanism
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Multistability Enabled Passive Multiplexing in an N-DOF Underactuated Hyper-Redundant Robot
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Wednesday 3th June 2026
Posters
Room: Hall C – Interactive Session 3
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Workspace Optimization of a Flexure-Based 3RRR Parallel Robot
★ [09:00 – 10:30] COMPAct: Computational Optimization and Automated Modular Design of Planetary Actuators
★ [09:00 – 10:30] A Piezoelectrically-Actuated Mesoscale Compliant Parallel Robot Via Additive Manufacture
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Design and Modeling of a Reconfigurable Robot: Decoupled STAR (DSTAR)
Room: Hall C – Interactive Session 4
★ [15:00 – 16:30] Rollbot: A Spherical Robot Driven by a Single Actuator
★ [15:00 – 16:30] Towards the Best Robot for the Job: Multi-Task Co-Design and Component Selection
★ [15:00 – 16:30] A Parametric Wave-Structured 3-DoF Compliant Joint with Tunable Stiffness
★ [15:00 – 16:30] Anti-Backlash Mechanisms for Cycloidal Drive Robotic Actuators
★ [15:00 – 16:30] FilMBot: A High-Speed Soft Parallel Robotic Micromanipulator
★ [15:00 – 16:30] MoonBot: Modular and On-Demand Reconfigurable Robot Toward Moon Base Construction
Awards
Room: Hall A2 – Session: Award Finalists 3
★ [11:10 – 11:20] Robotic Dexterous Manipulation Via Anisotropic Friction Modulation Using Passive Rollers
★ [11:50 – 12:00] Design and Implementation of an Angle-Bisecting Foot Mechanism for a Leg-Wheel Transformable Robot
★ [12:10 – 12:20] Relaxation Dynamics in Oblate Spherical Rolling Robots
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Thursday 4th June 2026
Keynotes
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Industry Keynotes 2 � Room: Strauss 1-2
Plenary
★ [14:00 – 14:50] Aerial Robots – From Omnidirectional Flight to Physical Interaction at Height – Prof. Roland Siegwart (ETH Zürich) � Room: Hall A1 (Plenary)
Oral Sessions
★ [12:10 – 12:20] A Stable Model Reference Adaptive Controller Developed for a Prosthetic Hand Wrist � Room: Strauss 1-2 Session: Rehabilitation Robotics
★ [16:45-16:55] Human-Centered Development of Guide Dog Robots: Quiet and Stable Locomotion Control � Room: Regular Session, Hall A2 Session: Human-Robot Interaction
★ [16:55 – 17:05] ByteWrist: A Parallel Robotic Wrist Enabling Flexible and Anthropomorphic Motion for Confined Spaces � Room: Lehar 1-4 Session: Mechanism Design
★ [17:05 – 17:15] Design and Implementation of Elastic Structure Preserving Vibration Suppression Control for Flexible Robots � Room: Lehar 1-4 Session: Mechanism Design
★ [17:15 – 17:25] When Rolling Gets Weird: A Curved-Link Tensegrity Robot for Non-Intuitive Behavior � Room: Lehar 1-4 Session: Mechanism Design
★ [17:45 – 17:55] Grip As Needed, Glide on Demand: Ultrasonic Lubrication for Robotic Locomotion � Room: Lehar 1-4 Session: Mechanism Design
★ [17:55 – 18:05] Robots That Redesign Themselves through Kinematic Self-Destruction� Room: Lehar 1-4 Session: Mechanism Design
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Thursday 4th June 2026
Oral Sessions
★ [17:55 – 18:05] Motion Generation for Modular Robots Using Hierarchical Policies� Room: Hall A3 Session: Modular Robots
★ [18:05 – 18:15] A Gripper for Flap Separation and Opening of Sealed Bags � Room: Lehar 1-4 Session: Mechanism Design
Posters
Room: Hall C – Interactive Session 5
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Design, Modeling, and Experimental Characterization of a Rod-Driven Continuum Robot with Asymmetric Joints for Active Chest Catheters
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Innovative Design of Multi-Functional Supernumerary Robotic Limbs with Ellipsoid Workspace Optimization
★ [09:00 – 10:30] A Novel Reconfigurable Dexterous Hand Based on Triple-Symmetric Bricard Parallel Mechanism
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Learning-Based Torque Estimation for Harmonic Drive Actuators
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Two-Time-Scale Composite Learning Online Identification and Control for Compliant-Joint Robots
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Singularity Analysis of ABB's GoFa 5 Robot Arm
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Bio-Inspired Rolling-Disk Continuum Robot: Logarithmic Spiral and Constant Curvature Design
★ [09:00 – 10:30] Design of a Single-Input, Five-Output Differential Actuation Unit for Underactuated Hands
Room: Hall C – Interactive Session 6
★ [15:00 – 16:30] Task-Driven Co-Design of Mobile Manipulators
★ [15:00 – 16:30] Design and Validation of a Novel Quadruple-Disk Cycloidal Compact-Cam Reducer for Robotic Applications
★ [15:00 – 16:30] TriCoSphere: A High-Dexterity, Large-Volume, 3-Finger Coaxial Spherical Manipulator
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Thursday 4th June 2026
Posters
Room: Hall C – Interactive Session 6
★ [15:00 – 16:30] CoPaRo: A Compact, Backdrivable 6-DOF Hybrid Parallel Robot with Serial-Like Form Factor
★ [15:00 – 16:30] GeoFIK: A Fast and Reliable Geometric Solver for the IK of the Franka Arm
★ [15:00 – 16:30] Passive Torsional Compliance for Dynamic Stability Improvement of a Curved-Spoke Tri-Wheel
★ [15:00 – 16:30] Knee-Inspired Hinge Absorbs Longitudinal Impacts to Enhance Robot-Environment Interaction Safety
★ [15:00 – 16:30] Handling Transitions across Singularities for UR-Like Serial Robots
Awards
No relevant award this day
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Friday 5th June 2026
Keynotes
★ No Mechanisms & Design keynotes
TC-sponsored Workshops
★ 3rd Unconventional Robots: From Concept to Real-World Systems | Full day
https://sites.google.com/andrew.cmu.edu/icra26-3rd-unconv-robots/home
Workshops
★ How Origami and Kirigami Have Revolutionized Robotics and What's Beyond? | Half – Morning
https://sites.google.com/view/origamirob
★ Emerging paradigms for robotic manipulation: the reality of extreme conditions | Half – Morning
https://sites.google.com/unisi.it/ws-extrememanipulation
★ Soft & Safe? Rethinking the Role of Softness in Medical Robotics | Full day
https://sites.google.com/view/rethinkingsoftness/home
★ Tailored to Move: Wearable Robotics for Motion Assistance | Full day
https://sites.google.com/view/tailored-to-move-icra2026/home
★ Human-Inspired Principles for Robotic Dexterous Manipulation | Full day
https://sites.google.com/view/humaninspiredrobotmanipulation
★ Embracing Intelligent Robotic Assistants for Robot-assisted Surgery | Full day
https://sites.google.com/view/icra26-workshop-medical-robot
Awards
★ No Mechanisms & Design awards
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