SoftNeuro – Soft-Electronics and Neuromorphic Systems for Resource-Constrained Artificial Intelligence in Soft Robotics and Wearables

SoftNeuro is a project focused on the development of resource-constrained artificial intelligence for soft robotics and wearable devices. It combines neuromorphic systems and soft electronics to create a new paradigm of AI that overcomes the limitations of traditional computing in flexible and wearable contexts. The project leverages the latest advances in neuromorphic hardware, printed/soft electronics, and low-power AI, targeting applications in soft robotics and wearable computing systems.

Develop AI systems (algorithms + hardware) that can run in resource-constrained environments such as soft robots and wearables. Integrate neuromorphic computing approaches and soft/printed electronic substrates to enable intelligence in flexible, deformable form factors (rather than rigid electronics). Bridge the gap between wearable/soft robotics hardware and advanced AI, making everyday devices more “alive” and context-aware through embedded intelligence.

Focus on neuromorphic systems and soft electronics: rather than standard rigid computing modules, SoftNeuro emphasizes flexible, lightweight, low-energy AI hardware. Emphasis on “resource-constrained” settings: targeting the heavy challenge of running advanced AI in devices with limited power, space or rigidity (e.g., wearables or soft robots). Multi‐disciplinary: spanning hardware (soft electronics, printed circuits), neuromorphic architectures, wearable/robotic platforms, and algorithmic AI. Embedded in the TECO research ecosystem at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), linking to researchers like Haibin Zhao working on neuromorphic circuits and printed electronics.

Can enable wearables and soft robots that are truly intelligent and interactive, without relying on bulky computation or heavy batteries — opening new form factors for intelligent systems. Advances in neuromorphic hardware for wearables may lead to substantial energy savings, longer battery life, and new applications in health monitoring, human–robot interaction, soft robotics, ambient intelligence. The merging of soft electronics and neuromorphic AI could influence future device design, making flexible AI systems more mainstream and enabling more seamless integration into clothing, skin-like devices or robotic soft actuators. By pushing the frontier of embedded AI hardware in constrained domains, SoftNeuro may help move the field away from only “cloud + big compute” towards edge, embedded intelligence in soft/wearable form.