This Engineering Research Initiation (ERI) project will support research that looks to advance the field of robotics by developing a new class of robots that can change their overall shape, safely interact with humans, manipulate loads many times greater than their own weight, and be robust to individual component failure. These robots consist of an interconnected network of robotic balloons that inflate and deflate to produce coordinated movement throughout the entire collective. These networked balloon robots have potential applications including healthcare, eldercare, and disaster response. In healthcare settings the soft, conforming nature of the balloons will safely and comfortably allow assistance with everyday tasks such as switching between sitting, standing and reclining postures. In disaster response, networked balloon robots could aid in search and rescue efforts by moving through narrow spaces while partially deflated, then fully inflating components in order to lift debris or prevent further collapse of a structure. Planned activities in support of this project include the initiation of an annual one-day symposium bringing together robotics researchers from throughout the state of Utah. The project will explore co-design of mechanical structure and control algorithms for an inflatable, shape-changing robot capable of exerting large forces through distributed, soft actuation. These robots comprise a lattice of inflatable actuators whose individual volumetric c