# ERI: RUI: Controlling and Designing Soft Material Robots for Mixed Reality Applications

> **NSF 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT** · Williams College (MA) · $174,934

## Abstract

This Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) Research in Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) grant will support research to contribute new knowledge related to a class of robots, promoting both the progress of science and advancing national prosperity. Soft robots are robots with bodies made from soft materials like rubbers and foams. Soft robots are a natural choice for applications requiring safe, close interactions between humans and robots. One particular class of applications that promises to benefit from soft robots are mixed reality applications, which combine physical and virtual elements to create immersive experiences that users can both touch and see. However, there currently exists no principled framework for controlling and designing soft robots capable of producing mixed reality experiences. This award supports fundamental research to endow soft robots with the capability to generate mixed reality experiences. These mixed reality experiences could include highly accurate surgical training simulators as well as educational demonstrations. This research has broad impacts in healthcare, manufacturing, education, and agriculture and will benefit the United States economy and society. This research will provide opportunities for undergraduates at a primarily undergraduate institution to engage in novel robotics research at the intersection of engineering and computer science.

Optimization-based techniques enable real-time solutions to the soft robot inverse kinematics 

## Key facts

- **NSF award ID:** 2451514
- **Awardee organization:** Williams College (MA)
- **SAM.gov UEI:** JVZEJJ6N5EM8
- **PI:** James M Bern
- **Primary program:** 01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
- **All programs:** ROBOTICS, CISE Resrch Initiatn Initiatve, RES IN UNDERGRAD INST-RESEARCH, RESEARCH INITIATION AWARD
- **Estimated total:** $174,934
- **Funds obligated:** $174,934
- **Transaction type:** Standard Grant
- **Period:** 09/01/2025 → 08/31/2027

## Primary source

NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2451514

## Citation

> US National Science Foundation, Award 2451514, ERI: RUI: Controlling and Designing Soft Material Robots for Mixed Reality Applications. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-08 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nsf/2451514. Licensed CC0.

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