SESSION 1

Emerging Photonic Platforms for Communication and Sensing

​

09:30 - 10:00

Integrated blue light phased arrays enabling underwater optical wireless networks: towards a new era of Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT)

Hao Hu (Technical University of Denmark, Lundtofte, DE)

The Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT) aims to connect smart underwater sensors and systems for applications ranging from ocean monitoring, underwater exploration, aquaculture to disaster prevention. Underwater optical wireless communication is a promising route toward high-speed, energy-efficient, and environmentally low-impact data transmission, but current systems are limited by beam misalignment, limited communication distance, high power consumption, and high environmental impact. This talk presents BlueArray’s approach with narrow fast-steerable beam, combining blue VCSELs, integrated blue optical phased arrays, large-scale DAC arrays, and coherent receivers to enable long-range, high-speed, low-power-consumption, low-environmental-impact and scalable underwater connectivity for large-scale IoUT deployment.

 

10:00 - 10:30

Design of heterogeneously integrated systems and circuits for sensor and communication applications

Eugenio Cantatore (Eindhoven University of Technology, NL)

Heterogeneous integration is an emerging trend in advanced solid-state circuits, where different technologies are integrated together at package level, enabling the use of the most suitable technology to embody each function. This approach can enable better performance and efficiency compared to monolithic solutions and can be useful in many applications. The talk will deal with sensing and communication enabled by the integration of Photonic and Electronic Integrated Circuits and will focus on some of the challenges that electronic integrated circuits must face in the framework of heterogenous integration.

 

10:30 - 11:00

Compact spectrometers based on mid-infrared photonics for sensing applications: the UNISON project

Delphine Marris-Morini (Université Paris-Saclay, Orsay, FR)

High resolution optical spectroscopy in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectral range (3-12 μm wavelength) is an unambiguous way to detect and quantify small traces of greenhouse and toxic gases down to sensitivities of parts-per-billion. However, size, cost, and general complexity of the commercially available instruments limits their use to a small number of highly specialized applications, and prevents their deployment with sufficient coverage e.g. in networks, wearable electronics, etc. Particularly in the context of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, on chip integration of spectroscopic systems would constitute a game changer for mid-IR high-precision and portable sensors. The objective of UNISON is to address this challenge and demonstrate a highly scalable platform for infra-red spectroscopy that has both high-end performance and is compact. UNISON sensing scheme relies on dual comb spectrometers obtained by leveraging on electrically pumped cascade lasers (QCL and ICL) and on silicon-germanium (SiGe) mid-IR photonic circuits to surpass current spectroscopic systems in terms of detection bandwidth, point spacing and system compactness.

 

11:00 - 11:30

Coffee break

 

​

SESSION 2

Probabilistic Electronics and Neuromorphic Hardware

​

11:30 - 12:00

Probabilistic Computing in BAYFLEX technologies

Laurie Calvet (CNRS-Ecole Polytechnique, Palaiseau, FR)

Developments in the BAYFLEX project address a fundamental question: how can physical systems perform probabilistic inference directly, without relying on conventional digital computation? We explore how organic electronic devices provide a natural substrate for such computation through both their intrinsic dynamics, including coupling, memory, and fluctuations and circuit design. Probabilistic inference in these systems evolves toward configurations that reflect probabilistic relationships between variables. We discuss how this perspective connects device physics to probabilistic graphical models, enabling local, low-power inference at the sensor level. This approach opens a path toward distributed intelligent systems in which computation emerges from material behavior, rather than being imposed through external algorithms.

 

12:00 - 12:30

Bi- and Multistable Organic Electrochemical Devices for Bayesian Inferences

Hans Kleemann (TU Dresden, DE)

Organic electrochemical devices can be readily integrated via printing processes, operate at low voltages (<1 V), and exhibit a diverse range of properties that make them well suited for efficient local computing paradigms. In particular, static bi- and multistate stability in organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) can be engineered through tailored semiconductor–electrolyte interactions emerging at high charge carrier densities. Devices exhibiting such multistate stability provide a foundation for integrating key digital components for stochastic computing, such as Müller C-elements. Here, we examine the fundamental interactions that give rise to bi- and multistate stability in OECTs and describe strategies to engineer these properties. We further demonstrate multiple approaches for implementing both static and dynamic Müller C-elements using OECTs, and show that these devices can efficiently evaluate conditional probabilities based on Bayes’ rule.

 

12:30 - 13:00

Printed Low voltage OTFT technology for neuromorphic circuits

Lina Kadura (CEA-Liten, Grenoble, FR)

This work reports the development of a printed low‑voltage organic thin‑film transistor (OTFT) technology targeting neuromorphic circuit applications. Gravure and screen printing are employed to fabricate ultra‑thin, flexible OTFTs over large areas, highlighting the compatibility of the technology with scalable and cost‑effective manufacturing processes. The electrical performance of the transistors is systematically validated, demonstrating reliable low‑voltage operation. This enables straightforward interfacing with conventional electronics, making this technology particularly attractive for near‑sensor and edge‑processing systems.

​

13:00 - 14:00

Lunch

 

​

SESSION 3

Biological Swarms and Biohybrid Robotics

​

14:00 - 14:30

The BABots project: an overview

Elio Tuci (UNamur, BE)

In this talk, I describe motivations and objectives of the European funded project BABOTS: the design and control of small swarming biological animal robots, and I briefly illustrate the research work we have been doing in this project. In particular, I will illustrate the kind of research work we have been doing on the different work packages, by describing examples of genetic modifications to redesign the behaviour of the nematode worm C.elegans, and examples of experiments with wild worms. I will conclude with a summary of activities related to the analysis of ethical issues related to the development and use of biological animal robots.

 

14:30 - 15:00

Mathematical and computational models of collective behaviour in C. elegans

Carlo Longhi (ISTC-CNR, Roma, IT)

This talk presents computational and mathematical methods designed to bridge the analytical gap between individual and collective dynamics in C. elegans populations. We introduce a probabilistic behavioural classification model influenced by chemical gradients, analyse how population density alters movement patterns from superdiffusive persistence to Brownian-like motion, and develop an individual-based model for collective chemotaxis. Together, these approaches provide a computational framework for understanding and controlling biological swarms within the BABOTS project.

 

 

SESSION 4

Flexible RF Systems and Metasurfaces for Robotics (1)

​

15:00 - 15:15

The FITNESS project: metasurfaces for robotics

Christophe Craeye (UCLouvain, BE)

The main goal of FITNESS concerns the creation of an “electromagnetic aura” around a robot, such that it can sense its near-field environment. In other words, it creates a sense of touch without immediate contact, up to distances of the order of 10 cm. This is carried out using RF technology at centimeter-waves and can also be used seamlessly for sensing and communication in the far field. The project involves new low-loss flexible materials, new metallization techniques on such materials, material characterization, sparse metasurfaces, RF-circuits development (on-board on on-chip), control of creeping waves around curved bodies, sparse-array metasurfaces and near-field detection algorithms. Results in all these areas will be shown, as well as recent efforts toward system integration.

 

15:15 - 15:30

Printing techniques on flexible substrates for RF circuit, antennas and metasurface applications

Maxime Harnois (CNRS/IETR, FR)

The metallization of flexible dielectrics for curved metasurfaces requires balancing electrical performance, mechanical flexibility, and compatibility with emerging sustainable substrates. Additive manufacturing and printed electronics offer promising low-temperature solutions, although challenges remain regarding film homogeneity and process reliability. Metallization strategies strongly depend on the geometry of the target surface: developable geometries can rely on conventional forming and transfer techniques, while non-developable surfaces require advanced approaches such as stretchable electronics, kirigami-inspired structures, or transfer printing. Recent advances in conductive and stretchable inks, as well as water transfer printing, enable conformal metallization of highly curved 3D objects. This talk proposes a framework to align fabrication methods with the future needs of conformal, flexible, and sustainable metasurfaces.

​

​

15:30 - 16:00

Coffee break

 

 

SESSION 5

Flexible RF Systems and Metasurfaces for Robotics (2)

 

16:00 - 16:15

Low-Power Wideband 22FDX Receiver Front-Ends in Package for K-/Ka-Band Near-Field Sensing Applications

Martin Rack (UCLouvain, BE)

This presentation discusses the design, fabrication, packaging, and experimental validation of low-power K-/Ka-band receiver front-ends implemented in 22 nm FD-SOI technology for the EU project FITNESS. The work includes wideband low-noise amplifiers, passive down-conversion mixers, and complete receiver chains operating from 23 to 30 GHz while maintaining low noise figure, compact area, and power consumption below 50 mW per RX path. Particular emphasis is placed on the use of transformer-feedback techniques for wideband LNA matching and on highly integrated passive mixer architectures. Recent results on packaged QFN implementations and system-level validation will also be presented, together with perspectives toward compact mm-Wave sensing and metasurface-based systems.

 

16:15 - 16:30

Semi-Automated Material Characterization

Johannes Bökler (Fraunhofer FHR, DE)

We present a semi-automated, pressure-controlled measurement system for high-frequency material characterization that significantly improves the reproducibility of measurements, with a particular focus on soft dielectric materials. Systematic validation based on extensive repeated measurements demonstrates a marked reduction in parameter spread and enhanced result quality and accuracy relative to manual measurements. In addition, comparison with state-of-the-art commercial systems indicates that the proposed approach provides robust, user-independent, and high-quality characterization results for materials relevant to antenna and high-frequency applications.

 

16:30 - 16:45

Curved metasurfaces devoted to robotic applications

Zvonimir Sipus (University of Zagreb, HR)

The ability of metasurface antennas to conform to curved structures, such as those found on robotic limbs, has become crucial for supporting machine-to-machine and human-to machine communication. Numerous challenges are present in the design and realization of curved metasurface antennas, such as uncontrolled radiation of creeping waves, the requirement for amplitude and phase correction of excited leaky waves, and practical issues related to metallization of complex metasurface patterns on flexible substrates. The aim of this presentation is to addresses each of these aspects, providing design, realization and validation methodologies for curved metasurface structures for robotic applications.

 

 

SESSION 6

Toward Convergent Intelligent Systems

​

16:45 - 17:30

Panel Discussion: Toward Convergent Intelligent Systems

Thomas Walewyns (UCLouvain, BE)

The panel discussion will gather representatives from the ORBIT Cluster projects to discuss emerging synergies between photonics, flexible electronics, probabilistic computing, biological robotics, sensing systems, and adaptive communication technologies.

Discussion topics include:

• Integration of sensing, communication, and computation

• Sustainable and flexible hardware technologies

• Edge intelligence and distributed autonomous systems

• Biohybrid and swarm-inspired robotics

• Ethical and societal implications

Future European collaborative research opportunities.