Overview
Start-up companies are springing up in soft robotics and related fields, and soft robotics is becoming widely known in society. The industrial forum 2026 will focus on how soft robotic/materials research and related fields have moved from labs to business. We will have a round table with researchers and business people with success stories to share about their own paths from research to creating a business.
Chairs & Organizers: Vito Cacucciolo (Polytechnic University of Bari), Shingo Maeda (Institute of Science Tokyo)
Date & Time: Monday, April 13, 2026, 1:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m (Tentative).
Location: 29F, Kyobashi Edogrand, 2-2-1 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
How to join
Each participant must register and pay an additional fee of 16,000 JPY (about USD 100) through the conference registration site.
Invited Speakers
Prof. Kotaro Tadano
Laboratory for Future Interdisciplinary Research of Science and Technology (FIRST), Institute of Science Tokyo;
President and CEO
RIVERFIELD Inc. https://riverfieldinc.com/en/
Prof. Robert F. Shepherd
John F. Carr Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Cornell University;
CTO & Co-Founder, LLUME; Co-Founder, MAV Unlimited
LLume https://llume.io/
MAV Unlimited, Inc. https://mav-unlimited.com/
Toru Ichihashi
Representative Director & CEO
SoLARIS https://solaris-inc.com/
Program (tentative)
| 1.00 pm | Introduction by organizers |
| 1.15 pm | Talk 1 – Soft Robotics Startup TBA + Q&A |
| 1.45 pm | Talk 2 – Soft Robotics Startup TBA + Q&A |
| 2.15 pm | Poster session and coffee break |
| 2.45 pm | Talk 3 – Soft Robotics Startup creation TBA + Q&A |
| 3.15 pm | Talk 4 Soft Robotics Startup creation TBA + Q&A |
| 3.45 pm | Poster session and coffee break |
| 4.15 pm | Industrial Panel discussion |
| 5.00 pm | Social event + poster session |
| 7.00 pm | Conclusion |
Access
Access Info: https://www.edogrand.tokyo/en
- From Tokyo Station (JR Line) Yaesu Chikagai Exit 4 about a 5-minute walk.
- From Kyobashi Station (Tokyo Metro Ginza Line) Exit 7/8
- From Takaracho Station (Toei Asakusa Line) Exit A5/A6 about a 3-minute walk.
- From Tokyo Ginza-itchome Station (Yurakucho Line) Exit 7about a 5-minute walk.
Pre-registration
Please complete the pre-registration using the form below by the end of February. Information on how to finalize the registration and pay the registration fee will be provided later. Places are limited, and access will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis until capacity is reached.
