Michael TOLLEY
UCSD
Biologically Inspired Soft Robotics
Abstract: Robotics has the potential to address many of today’s pressing problems in fields ranging from healthcare to manufacturing to disaster relief. However, the traditional approaches used on the factory floor do not perform well in unstructured environments. The key to solving many of these challenges is to explore new, non-traditional designs. Fortunately, nature surrounds us with examples of novel ways to navigate and interact with the real world. Dr. Tolley’s Bioinspired Robotics and Design Lab seeks to borrow the key principles of operation from biological systems and apply them to robotic design. This talk will give an overview of recent projects in the lab that investigate the ways in which the use of non-traditional materials can help solve challenging problems in robotics. These projects seek to develop bioinspired systems capable of navigating the world by walking, digging, and swimming (inspired by animals like turtles, worms, and the oarfish) and of interacting safely with humans and delicate objects.
Biography: Michael T. Tolley is Associate Professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, and Director of the Bioinspired Robotics and Design Lab at the Jacobs School of Engineering, UC San Diego (bioinspired.ucsd.edu). Before joining the mechanical engineering faculty at UCSD in the fall of 2014, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University. He received the Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in mechanical engineering with a minor in computer science from Cornell University in 2009 and 2011, respectively. His research seeks inspiration from nature to design robotic systems with the versatility, resilience, and efficiency of biological organisms. His work has appeared in leading academic journals including Science and Nature, and has been recognized by various awards including a US Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Program award. He is active in the robotics community, serving in multiple associate editor and conference organizer roles including as Program Chair of the IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft) in 2020 and General Chair in 2024. Prof. Tolley is a Senior Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), a member of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS), and of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and is currently a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society.
Toshie Takahashi
Waseda University
Human-First Innovation for Physical AI: Rethinking Human–Robot Interaction in an AI-Driven Society
Abstract: As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in physical systems and robotic platforms, the nature of human–robot interaction is undergoing a fundamental transformation.
This shift raises critical questions not only about technical performance, but also about ethics, governance, and the future of human agency.
This talk introduces the framework of Human-First Innovation, which places human dignity, autonomy, and well-being at the center of AI and robotics design.
Drawing on international research projects, including United Nations collaborations and Japan’s Moonshot R&D Program, the talk examines how different societies envision and accept AI-driven systems in everyday life.
Particular attention is given to Physical AI, where intelligent systems are embedded in real-world environments and directly interact with human bodies and social contexts, requiring new design principles beyond conventional AI ethics.
The talk also introduces the concept of ‘Self-Creation’, highlighting how individuals continuously shape themselves through interactions with AI, media, and social environments.
In this context, AI is not merely a tool, but an evolving environment that reshapes human choices, identities, and possibilities.
By theoretical integrating insights with practical implications, this talk proposes guiding principles for designing and governing physical AI systems that support human flourishing in an AI-driven society.
Biography: Toshie Takahashi is a Professor at Waseda University, Japan, and an Associate Fellow at the Leverhulme Center for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge.
She has held visiting positions at the University of Oxford, Harvard University, and Columbia University.
Her research focuses on the social impact of AI and robotics, human-centered AI, and the future of human society in an AI-driven world.
She has led international projects including “A Future with AI: Voices of Global Youth” in collaboration. with the United Nations, and the GenZAI project under Japan’s Moonshot R&D Program.
Professor Takahashi serves as Chair of a study group under Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), where she explores human-centered futures in the digital age.
She has delivered keynote and invited talks at major global forums including the United Nations, The Economist, and Google.
Her work introduces the concept of Human-First Innovation, emphasizing the design and governance of AI systems that support human dignity, agency, and self-creation in an increasingly AI-driven society.
For more information, see: https://toshietakahashi.com