A free-to-attend conference for people that like nonlinearities
KU Leuven — 18-19 June, 2026
Invited talks
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Metin Sitti
Koç University
“Soft-bodied shape-programmable bioinspired small-scale robots”
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Pedro Reis
EPFL
“Gyrophilia: Waltzing with Instabilities to Morph Rotating Structures” -
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Corentin Coulais
University of Amsterdam
“Metamaterials that learn to change shape and locomote” -
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Herbert Shea
EPFL
“Fiber Pumps for Integrated Soft Robotic Actuation”
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Kaitlyn Becker
MIT
Talk title TBD
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Tomohiro Tachi
University of Tokyo
“Degrees of Freedom of Origami Tessellations”
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Dominic Vella
University of Oxford
“Accidental actuation and soft modes in thin sheets”
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Frédérick Gosselin
Polytechnique Montreal
“Handling drag and aerodynamic loads through non-linear elastic deformations: from wind on trees to parachutes”
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Draga Pihler-Puzović
University of Manchester
“Beyond geometric nonlinearity in slender structures”
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Ahmad Rafsanjani
University of Southern Denmark
“Tactile Perception through Fluid–Solid Interaction”
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Benoît Roman
ESPCI
“Programming instabilities under negative pressure”
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Bolei Deng
Georgia Institute of Technology
“Tuning Nonlinearity via Linear Waves: A Pathway to Electronics-Free Systems”
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Ho-Young Kim
Seoul National University
“Extremely flexible robots”
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Cosimo Della Santina
TU Delft
Talk title TBD
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Vito Cacucciolo
Politecnico di Bari
Talk title TBD
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Edoardo Milana
Freiburg University
“Nonreciprocal motions in soft robotics via nonlinear compliant mechanisms”
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Trevor Jones
Carnegie Mellon University
“Navigating multistable networks with beams and beads”
Programme
On the day before the main conference, we’ll open the venue to our community to connect and foster collaborations. This day is intentionally separate from the official conference program: there is no curated schedule, and activities are self-organized (e.g., informal workshops, project meetings, breakout discussions). If you would like to organize something, please contact the organizers and we’ll help coordinate practicalities (room allocation, timing, and visibility).
A first session is already confirmed: Workshop: The future of physical control (link)
Wednesday, June 17
Thurs., June 18
Invited talks
Registration
8am-9am
9am-1:00pm
9:00
9:10
9:35
10:00
10:25
10:50
11:20
11:45
12:10
12:35
Welcome
Metin Sitti
Benoît Roman
Vito Cacucciolo
Ho-Young Kim
Break
Herbert Shea
Kaitlyn Becker
Cosimo Della Santina
Edoardo Milana
1pm-2:30pm
Lunch
2:30-4:30pm
Poster Session
We invite everyone, from seasoned expert to curious beginner, to present their latest research. Step up, showcase your insights, and connect with a vibrant community!
4:30pm-7pm
Social activity
Join us for an unforgettable activity that will take us through the city center of Leuven.
Friday, June 19
9am-1:15pm
Invited talks
Pedro Reis
Corentin Coulais
Dominic Vella
Draga Pihler-Puzovic
Bolei Deng
Break
Tomohiro Tachi
Frédérick Gosselin
Ahmad Rafsanjani
Trevor Jones
9:00
9:25
9:50
10:15
10:40
11:05
11:35
12:00
12:25
12:50
1:15-2:45pm
Lunch
3pm-5pm
Poster Session
We invite everyone, from seasoned expert to curious beginner, to present their latest research. Step up, showcase your insights, and connect with a vibrant community!
5pm-7pm
Reception
We invite all presenters (oral and poster) for a closing reception.
Practical Information
All sessions are organized in the “Promotiezaal”:
KULeuven University Hall, Naamsestraat 22,
3000 Leuven, Belgium
The venue
Duration: 25 min. (20 min. talk + 5min questions)
Please use your own laptop to present.
Invited talks
We strive to create a poster session where everybody can present, so preliminary results are highly appreciated!
Poster size: A1 (we will provide things to hang them)
Registration: The registration button at the top of this page also leads to a page to indicate if you are presenting a poster.
We hope to accommodate everybody to present a poster!
Posters session
Networking activity
A leisurely activity to get to know each other, no special things required!
Register here!
Registration deadline: May 1st, 2026