Syllabus: Creative Soft Robotics¶
16-480 IDeATe: Creative Soft RoboticsMW 2:00-3:50PMHunt Library A10 (IDeATe Physical Computing Lab)IDeATe Collaborative CourseIDeATe Programs: Soft Technologies, Physical ComputingPrerequisites: none
Course Description¶
Soft robotics is an emerging discipline centered on actuated devices constructed from compliant materials. In this course, students will survey the state of this emerging research then design and fabricate experimental soft systems and kinetic sculptures. Students will be guided through literature search and technical paper analysis to identify opportunities and techniques. The textual study spans contemporary robotics and arts literature. The project component will be research-focused and attempt novel fabrication and design techniques. It will center on fabricating kinetic sculptures with actuators and sensors using silicone rubber cast into 3D-printed and laser-cut molds. The project sequence will culminate in the collaborative design of soft robotic systems which match technical innovation with a human need or artistic expression.
Prerequisites and Enrollment
This course has no formal prerequisites, but students are expected to have senior-level technical skills within their own discipline. If you have any questions concerning prerequisites please contact the instructor. Total enrollment is limited to 12 students, drawn from all departments.
Course Name
This course previously began with a “IDeATe: Special Topics” designation, but is now simply called “IDeATe: Creative Soft Robotics.” It will satisfy minor requirements for IDeATe Soft Technologies or IDeATe Physical Computing as a “collaborative course.”
Detailed Description¶
This experimental seminar brings art and engineering together to explore robots and animate art made from soft materials. The work includes two main tracks: literature study and practical experiments. Students will research, read, present, and critique papers in the emerging field of soft robotics. Together we will identify and review kinetic art projects created on similar themes.
The experimental portion evolves from our literature study, with the aim of identifying techniques to replicate or extend toward creative goals. The objective is development of technique for creative sculptural expression using the methods of soft robotics. The final results will be collected into a final exhibition as works in progress.
This is a collaborative course exploring interdisciplinary practice at the intersection of art and robotics. This exploration is the key aim of IDeATe: we are developing practitioners who can effectively utilize their expert domain knowledge in collaboration with other disciplines. This involves developing both rigorous individual expertise as well as skill with negotiating the vocabularies of other domains. Students will be expected to learn skills from outside their home discipline and teach their own expertise, but more importantly, to develop their abilities to collaborate in diverse groups.
Learning Objectives¶
Upon completion of this course the students will be able to:
Identify major research areas within the emerging discipline of Soft Robotics.
Read and critique academic papers.
Search citation indices to discover academic literature.
Present academic papers and lead discussion.
Identify and critique kinetic art incorporating biomimetic and soft materials.
Collaborate in teams to generate, create, evaluate, and document ideas and projects.
Design molds for casting silicone rubber using 3D-printing and laser-cutting.
Design compliant devices incorporating fluidic actuation, tendon actuation, fluidic sensing, or conventional sensor elements.
Contribute productively to a discussion and critique environment with open responses, constructive criticism, and positive feedback.
Document and reflect upon processes and finished assignments.
It also incorporates the general goals of IDeATe to develop hybrid students with integrated knowledge in technology and arts. This stresses the following general skills:
algorithmic and analytic thinking
end-to-end execution of project concepts
communication through writing, drawing, and speaking
professional preparation
Course Structure¶
The general plan for the semester is to spend the initial portion on a literature review related soft robotics and art. This is followed by several rounds of lab exercises focusing on different technical skills, then transitioning to a longer final project. We begin with a few individual assignments, then each project is developed in pairs.
The daily agenda and assignment details will be posted to the course site using the individual agenda page for each class meeting under Daily Agenda Logbook.
Assessment and Grading¶
This course blends technical literature analysis with hands-on lab exercises and projects. There are no quizzes or exams.
Everybody is assumed to start with an A in the course. If you do the work you will keep it, but failing to fulfill the expectations will cause you to drift downward. The total grade in the course will be weighted approximately 50% for exercises and projects and 50% for research, discussion, and classroom participation.
The principal forms of assessment will be verbal critique, peer commentary, and self-reflection. Each student in this course begins with different experiences, disposition, and goals. There are many possible objectives in each assignment, e.g. studying a published result, developing a new skill, or testing a new process. Different students may choose different emphasis. The critique will center on the self-chosen goals. Sometimes we all learn more from an ambitious failure than a routine success.
Grading in the course is principally based on the documented evidence of fully engaging with the problems.
Most assignments will be graded either complete or no credit based on fulfilling all the defined objectives, which may include analysis, prototyping, documentation, and reflection. Especially good results may earn limited bonus credit.
In general, individual prototypes should meet the physical performance goals. But please note that a well-executed but ultimately unsuccessful idea will still get credit if the failures can be reasonably documented and explained.
Please note if work isn’t documented in photos and video, it didn’t happen; credit is given based on submitted documentation, not hazy memories of an in-person demonstration.
Formal grading is only reviewed and posted at mid-term and the end. Students are expected to submit assignment documentation on an ongoing basis to be available for review, but the hard submission deadlines are actually the last day before Spring Break and the last day of classes.
For team projects, individual scores for a project may vary from the group score based on peer reports and instructor observations.
Please note that unexcused absences may lower your overall grade as per the Attendance policy.
Course Policies¶
Attendance¶
Updated for 2026.
Class participation is an important part of learning in this course and so coming to class on time is mandatory. I will take attendance at each class and three unexcused absences will cause you to lose 10% in your final grade, with an additional 10% for each successive missed class. Unexcused absences during review days will also reduce your individual project grade.
If you must be absent, you must request approval in advance. Late requests will be considered on a case by case basis. Unexcused absences during review days will also reduce your individual project grade. We understand that your other courses have big deadlines, but the designated class hours are the most effective time for discussion and communication.
Lateness¶
Revised for 2026.
Please finish your assignments on time; it is enormously disruptive to in-class reviews when work is incomplete or missing. In general, work which misses the in-class review deadline will not be given a rescheduled review, so you will not receive verbal critique or peer assessment. Late work will be credited for grading purposes based solely on submitted documentation and will not be eligible for bonus credit.
Please remember that something is always better than nothing. If the review is imminent, please bring whatever prototype you have and submit whatever text, images, and drawings you can rather than do nothing.
Health Absence Policy¶
No one should physically come to class if they are feeling unwell for any reason, whether Covid-19 or something else. Part of the responsibility of each student is respecting the welfare of others.
Please contact your instructor by email prior to class if you are sick. Please consider remote participation (if feasible); the Zoom meeting and password can be found on the office hours doc (login required). Generous allowances will be made after illnesses for renegotiating due dates and expectations.
Electronic Devices¶
The use of devices for non-class activities is strictly prohibited during class time. This especially applies to phones and social media: leave it at home or leave it your pocket.
The instructor reserves the right to confiscate devices without notice. If a persistent problem develops, phones will be banned completely from class.
Class participation is essential for learning and collaboration. An individual engaging with outside distractions has an effect larger than their own attention: it distracts others and diffuses the group focus.
If you feel bored and in need of distraction, then I challenge you to spend that energy instead formulating a question about the material at hand.
Generative Artificial Intelligence¶
New for 2026.
In brief, all uses of generative artificial intelligence (“genAI”) are prohibited in this course without special permission.
Generative AI technologies are rapidly evolving and several services are currently available via your student account. They can be hard to avoid since many online services are including AI results by default.
Nevertheless, all uses of generative AI services are prohibited for course activities, including but not limited to online search, text summary, text generation, image generation, language translation, writing assistance, code generation, and program debugging.
In the event you do encounter genAI results you are required to find and read human-written corroborative sources before using this information for course purposes.
Misuse of genAI results will be treated as unauthorized assistance under the terms of the Carnegie Mellon Academic Integrity Policy.
If English is not your primary language, you may privately request an accommodation to allow automated language translation for reading support only. You will need to identify the specific translation services and negotiate a scope and practice of use.
There are several components to my rationale:
You learn a skill through practice, not through observing a result. Relevant skills for this course include reading, writing, critical thinking, and constructive drawing. While genAI can mimic human results in these areas, you will not learn. The process is the whole point; the final result is simply evidence of the process.
These tools are often wrong. These systems offer the allure of results written in an authoritative voice, but this an illusion of competence. Even under the best circumstances no genAI result should be trusted unless it can be independently verified.
These accuracy concerns also apply to automatic translation. However, in the interests of equity, I am offering non-native speakers the opportunity to negotiate a limited exception.
This is not a writing class and you are not being graded on writing quality. It is more informative for me to read your ideas as you express them directly rather than filtered through a machine. Writing is also a process of synthesis and discovery; using language tools may obstruct creative insight.
Please note this is an ongoing discussion, and I welcome questions and feedback on this policy.
Computing Needs¶
Each student is expected to provide computing resources for individual work. If this requirement constitutes an individual hardship, please contact the instructor.
Our principal use of computing will be using software tools in support of digital fabrication, e.g. designing parts for laser-cutting. The optional course-supported CAD system will be SolidWorks. You will also need support for basic video editing.
Materials and Equipment¶
IDeATe endeavors to make all needed resources available to students without additional course fees. This class uses the extensive resources of the Physical Computing Lab. Laser-cutting materials are available on request and 3D prints are available for no charge. The class also has a small budget for special final project purchases. Students are also permitted to provide, scavenge, or purchase additional materials for projects. If you find yourself unable to complete the work using the resources at hand, please consult your instructor.
Physical Computing Lab¶
The designated classroom for the course is the IDeATe Physical Computing Lab in Hunt A10. Students will have access to the lab any time outside of scheduled class times via the ID card reader at the door. Please be courteous and refrain from entering during other classes.
Part of taking this course is joining the IDeATe interdisciplinary community. Students with lab access are expected to be a good community member and take responsibility for sharing resources wisely.
All lab users are expected to abide by the Physical Computing Lab Policies. The lab inventory of components and materials is available online at Physical Computing Lab Inventory. The lab usage schedule is online at IDeATe PhysComp Lab Calendar.
IDeATe Facilities¶
The course makes use of the IDeATe fabrication facilities and labs in the lower level of Hunt Library, subject to availability and the current IDeATe policies.
IDeATe laser cutters will be available for trained students. Please see the IDeATe Laser Cutters page for current details on qualification. Qualified students will gain long-term access.
The Mosaic 3D printing system will be operating via an online queue for course-related projects. Resin 3D printing will be available on request.
Currently, the normal library study spaces are operating on a reservation-only system.
The IDeATe facilities are shared student resources and spaces. As such, all members of the IDeATe community are expected to be respectful of the equipment, the spaces, and fellow students and their projects. Always clean up after completing your work, put things back in their correct place, and leave the lab in better condition than you found it.
Federal Law Enforcement¶
New for 2026.
There is currently no expectation the campus or our classroom will be visited by agents from the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation), ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), HSI (Homeland Security Investigations), or other federal forces. However, this could change at any point. The following guide is not legal advice but my requested classroom procedure in the event of a visit.
Do not open the door. As a private space, we are not required to allow entry unless presented with a valid judicial search warrant.
Please notify CMU Campus Security at 412-268-2323.
Please record the encounter using audio and video.
Please do not speak to agents. You have the right to remain silent.
If no instructor is present, please announce that the space is private and you do not consent to entry, search or questioning. If agents persist, demand a judicial warrant passed under the door.
Please stay calm and observe closely. Please remain in place, do not interfere, and do not lie or mislead.
For additional details and especially advice for persons without US citizenship, I recommend the following sources:
Individual Support¶
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities¶
Updated for 2026.
If you have a disability and require accommodations but do not already have them approved by the Office of Disability Resources, please apply for accommodations through the Application section of the Disability Resources Online Portal. If you already have accommodations approved with Disability Resources, please use the Accommodations Management of the Disability Resources Online Portal to notify me about your accommodations, and discuss your accommodations and needs with me as early in the semester as possible. I will work with you to ensure that accommodations are provided as appropriate.
Respect for Diversity¶
It is my intent that students from all diverse backgrounds and perspectives be well served by this course, and that the diversity that students bring to this class be viewed as a resource, strength and benefit. It is my intent to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, and culture. Your suggestions are encouraged and appreciated. Please let me know ways you see to improve equitable treatment of yourself or other students in the course so we can address these questions with clarity.
Student Health and Well-Being¶
Academic life can be unpredictable and potentially very stressful. Please take care of yourself. Do your best to maintain a healthy lifestyle this semester by eating well, exercising, avoiding drugs and alcohol, getting enough sleep and taking some time to relax. This will help you achieve your goals and cope with stress.
If you or anyone you know experiences any academic stress, difficult life events, or feelings like anxiety or depression, we strongly encourage you to seek support. Counseling and Psychological Services (CaPS) is here to help: call 412-268-2922 and visit https://www.cmu.edu/counseling. Consider reaching out to a friend, faculty or family member you trust for help getting connected to the support that can help.
Last updated 2026-01-06.