We are pleased to highlight our group’s participation in the upcoming Symposium SF04: Magnetoactive Soft Materials and Devices, which will take place from November 30 to December 5, 2025, in Boston, Massachusetts. This major international symposium focuses on the fast growing field of soft magnetoactive materials and their transformative applications across science and engineering.
We are proud to share that Dr. Aniket Pal from our group serves as one of the Symposium Organizers, contributing to the scientific direction, planning and coordination of this interdisciplinary event.
About the Symposium
Magnetoactive soft materials are at the forefront of innovation in soft robotics, programmable matter and microrobotics. By embedding magnetic micro or nanoparticles into compliant polymers, these materials combine mechanical softness with magnetic responsiveness. Their coupled magneto mechanical behavior allows remote actuation, programmable deformation and complex shape changes, even in confined or non line of sight environments.
These capabilities make magnetoactive soft materials key enablers for next generation technologies in:
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Soft robotics and microrobotics
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Biomedical devices and minimally invasive systems
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Smart materials for sensing, haptics and displays
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Aerospace and multifunctional structural systems
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Adaptive and reconfigurable materials
The symposium brings together researchers from experimental, theoretical and computational domains to disseminate recent breakthroughs and explore emerging technological opportunities.
Scientific Scope
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
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Design, synthesis and processing of novel magnetic materials
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Mechanics and modeling of magnetoactive materials
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Multiscale additive manufacturing (3D/4D printing)
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Magnetorheological materials and devices
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Small scale magnetic actuators, soft robots and magnetic microrobots
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Magnetic metamaterials and active structures
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Integrated actuation, sensing and power systems
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Simulation, control and AI driven design strategies
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Magnetic swarms and collective emergent behavior
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Applications in healthcare, robotics, augmented reality and information displays
By integrating perspectives from nano to macro scales, the symposium advances our understanding of how magnetoactive materials can be designed and deployed in next generation systems.
Invited Speakers
The symposium features leading researchers from globally renowned institutions including Massachusetts Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, Purdue University, Swansea University, University of Groningen, OIST, Stanford University, University of Michigan, North Carolina State University, and others. Their contributions represent the cutting edge of magnetoactive materials research.
Symposium Organizers
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Meng Li
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA -
Luis Dorfmann
Tufts University, USA -
Aniket Pal
Universität Stuttgart, Institute of Applied Mechanics, Germany -
Abdon Peña Francesch
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, USA