Amid the vibrant atmosphere of the first National Science Popularization Month, the "Technology for the Future – Special Science Popularization Event on Soft Robots" was successfully held at Guangzhou Xiguan Peiying Middle School on September 15, 2025. Guided by the Bureau of Science, Technology, Industry and Information Technology of Liwan District, Guangzhou and hosted by the Guangzhou Future Additive Manufacturing Research Institute, the event invited Associate Professor Guo Jianglong from the Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), a member of Academician Leng Jinsong’s team, as the keynote speaker. He delivered in-depth knowledge of soft robots to over 200 middle school students, helping teenagers appreciate the charm of technology and inspiring their passion for innovation.

Event Venue

What are soft robots? Starting with creatures in nature, Professor Guo vividly explained the source of inspiration for soft robots, a cutting-edge global technological field. He then systematically elaborated on the definition, technical advantages, development history and classification of soft robots, enabling students to deeply understand how cutting-edge technology changes lives and drives social development. Compared with traditional rigid robots, soft robots feature higher flexibility, superior adaptability and safer interactivity, and possess unique advantages in scenarios such as grasping fragile items, high-end medical care and complex space monitoring.

Professor Guo Delivers Special Science Popularization Lecture

The event venue was brimming with highlights in the cutting-edge technology display and interactive experience session. Pneumatic artificial muscles mimicking an elephant’s trunk flexibly deformed under gas drive; flexible grippers modeled after fish fins accurately picked up small parts; flexible climbing robots scaled poles upward... A variety of soft robot exhibits brought by the research institute captured the students’ attention, and they scrambled to raise their hands to go on stage for the experience, with the enthusiasm at the venue remaining high throughout.

"What drives this robot?" "How does it sense pressure?" In response to a series of curious questions from the students, Professor Guo and the research institute staff gave detailed explanations while demonstrating the operations, allowing the students to intuitively experience the flexibility and convenience of soft robots.

Enthusiastic On-site Participation

Experience the Charm of Soft Robots Up Close

As the event drew to a close, Professor Guo shared the future application prospects of soft robots in fields such as aerospace exploration, deep-sea scientific research, high-end medical care and humanoid robots through pictures and videos, sowing the seeds of science deeply in the students’ minds.

Scientific and technological innovation and science popularization are the two wings for achieving innovative development. This special science popularization event is not only a vivid practice of the research institute in actively responding to the theme of the first National Science Popularization Month – "Technology Changes Life, Innovation Wins the Future" – which uses interesting science popularization to narrow the distance between teenagers and cutting-edge technology; it is also a concrete action of the research institute, based in Liwan District, to transform its technical achievements in the field of soft robots into science popularization resources, injecting impetus into regional innovative development.

Event Successfully Concluded

In the future, the research institute will continue to leverage its resource advantages to carry out more innovative and richly contented science popularization activities, enabling more teenagers to cherish scientific dreams, establish innovative aspirations, and cultivate more reserve forces for China’s scientific and technological innovation drive.