Cecilia Laschi

Cecilia Laschi

Pioneer of Soft Robotics, Biomimetics Expert & Global Academic Leader

Core Intelligence Domain: Robotics & Bio-Engineering
Location: Singapore & Italy | Languages: English, Italian
Representation: Represented globally by PSpeakers Global Intelligence

Cecilia Laschi is a globally recognised pioneer in the transformative field of soft robotics, merging biological inspiration with advanced engineering to redefine human-machine interaction and autonomous systems. As a visionary thought leader and leading academic researcher, Professor Laschi has fundamentally disrupted traditional rigid robotics by developing compliant, adaptable, and bio-inspired architectures that mimic the movements and efficiencies of living organisms.

Currently serving as a Full Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and acting as Co-Director of the NUS Advanced Robotics Centre, she stands at the vanguard of next-generation technological innovation. She is currently on leave from the esteemed Biorobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa, Italy, where she spent decades building one of the world’s leading research hubs for bio-inspired robotics.

Professor Laschi is most celebrated for her groundbreaking coordination of the OCTOPUS project, which successfully developed the world’s first entirely soft robot. This landmark achievement demonstrated how machines could dynamically adapt to unpredictable environments, paving the way for revolutionised applications in marine exploration, medical surgery, manufacturing, and collaborative human-robot spaces. Her proprietary frameworks in morphological computation and bio-inspired design have positioned her as an elite advisor for organisations seeking strategic foresight into the future of automation.

Major Professional Achievements

• Soft Robotics Pioneer: Globally acknowledged for leading the OCTOPUS project, successfully engineering the world’s first fully soft-bodied robot capable of aquatic locomotion and grasping.
• Elite Academic Leadership: Full Professor and Co-Director of the Advanced Robotics Centre at the National University of Singapore (NUS), shaping the global curriculum and research agenda for future roboticists.
• IEEE Fellow: Elevated to Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for her outstanding and sustained contributions to marine and soft robotics.
• Global Tech Recognition: Frequently featured in international tech indices, including being named among the Top 25 Women in Robotics by Robohub.
• Editorial Authority: Serves on the editorial boards of premier scientific journals, directing the global narrative and peer-reviewed standards for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.

Strategic Speaking Themes

• The Paradigm Shift of Soft Robotics: How transitioning from rigid mechanisms to adaptable, compliant materials is unlocking unprecedented possibilities in industrial and commercial automation.
• Biomimetics and Nature-Inspired Engineering: Leveraging billions of years of natural evolution to solve complex, modern technological challenges.
• Marine Robotics and Ocean Exploration: Deploying highly resilient soft robots to navigate, monitor, and preserve extreme underwater ecosystems.
• The Future of Human-Robot Collaboration: Engineering inherently safe robots (cobots) that can physically interact with human workers without risk of injury.
• Women in STEM Leadership: Strategic insights on fostering diversity, driving inclusive innovation, and breaking barriers in the global scientific and technological arenas.

Key Takeaways

• Adaptive Innovation: Organisations must embrace flexible, compliant frameworks—both mechanically and strategically—to survive and thrive in unpredictable environments.
• Bio-Inspired Problem Solving: Nature offers the ultimate blueprint for sustainable and highly efficient design; integrating biological principles can leapfrog traditional engineering limitations.
• Human-Centric Technology: The future of robotics is not in replacing humans, but in creating safe, seamless, and collaborative synergies between biological and artificial systems.
• Diversity as a Catalyst: Championing women and diverse minds in high-level technological research directly correlates with accelerated innovation and holistic problem-solving.