The 6th Student International Olympiad on Mechanisms and Machine Science (SIOMMS 2025) was held from November 26 to 28, 2025, in Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan. The Kazakhstan IFToMM National Member Organization, Satbayev Kazakh National Research Technical University, and the Joldasbekov Institute of Mechanics and Engineering organized the Olympiad, with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The international event brought together 11 student teams from 6 countries, including Kazakhstan, China, Spain, Romania, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan, with a total of 33 participants representing leading technical universities and research institutions. The Olympiad focused on fundamental sections of Mechanisms and Machine Science (MMS) and aimed to promote analytical thinking, engineering culture, and international academic cooperation among young researchers.
The competition program consisted of eight theoretical problems covering the main areas of MMS. Participants were given four hours to solve the tasks, demonstrating a high level of theoretical knowledge, analytical skills, and engineering reasoning. The evaluation was conducted by an international jury chaired by Professor Sayat Ibrayev.
A distinctive feature of SIOMMS 2025 was the introduction of monetary prizes for outstanding individual performance. For the first time in the history of the SIOMMS Olympiad worldwide, the Kazakhstan IFToMM National Member Organization established cash awards for top-performing students, making the Kazakhstan MMS community the first to introduce financial incentives within the SIOMMS framework. The prizes were awarded to eight participants who achieved the highest individual scores.
In addition to the competition, the Olympiad included a scientific and educational program, featuring a lecture by Professor Sayat Ibrayev entitled “Approximate Synthesis of Linkages: Development of Levitsky–Sarkissyan Concepts in the Kazakh MMS School”, as well as an open meeting of the IFToMM Permanent Commission on Education. Participants also attended laboratory tours and cultural events.
The Olympiad concluded with an awards ceremony recognizing team and individual achievements, notable nominations, and the contribution of organizers and mentors. SIOMMS 2025 highlighted Kazakhstan’s leadership role in advancing MMS education and its proactive contribution to the global SIOMMS tradition.
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Despite numerous outstanding publications on mechanism mobility, many nuances of this topic remain challenging for students and are often discussed only among specialist researchers. These animated lectures, supported by the textbook Mobility of Mechanisms and Robot Manipulators, aim to clarify and make more accessible the concepts related to degrees of freedom in mechanical systems and the methods used to determine them.
The series presents techniques for calculating mobility across several categories: Regular mechanisms (isostatic systems, both spatial and planar, including open and closed kinematic chains); Hybrid mechanisms; Robot manipulators; Mechanisms with idle (passive) degrees of freedom; Overconstrained mechanisms.
Special attention is given to overconstrained mechanisms, analyzed through a table representing the rank of the velocity matrix of a kinematic chain as a function of the arrangement of kinematic pairs.
The final lecture examines Assur groups with zero mobility, structural synthesis of mechanisms based on the Chebyshev–Grübler–Kutzbach mobility criterion, and the effects of singular configurations on mechanical system mobility.
To reinforce understanding, practical examples are emphasized throughout. The third lecture encourages students to apply their knowledge by solving over 100 exercises from the textbook, each accompanied by a detailed solution and commentary.
It is hoped that these lectures will serve as a valuable resource not only for mechanical engineering students, but also for doctoral candidates and early-career faculty members seeking a deeper grasp of mechanism mobility.
Contact: mechanisms.rennes@gmail.com
The 9th IFToMM International Workshop On New Trends In Medical And Service Robotics took place on July 2-4, 2025, in Futuroscope-Poitiers, France.
Chaired by Prof. Med Amine Laribi, Prof. Giuseppe Carbone, Prof. Doina Pisla and Prof. Said Zeghloul, the event attracted about 85 scientists, engineers, doctors, students and guests from 15 countries China, Colombia, EAU, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Romania, Spain, Taïwan, Tunisia, Turkey, UK, USA.
The event was excellently hosted: the conference and the exhibition – by the Fundamental and Applied Science Faculty at the University of Poitiers, and the professional exhibition, as well as the round-table discussion.
We thank Université de Poitiers of Poitiers, in particular, the Fundamental and Applied Science Faculty, for having hosted the MeSRob’25 event.
Thanks to the support of IFToMM. Sponsors: STÄUBLI and MathWorks
The proceedings contain 55 papers and can be accessed through the conference website at https://iftomm-mesrob2025.sciencesconf.org/
or directly at the Springer website https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-96081-9
The 2nd International Conference and Exhibition “MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS: Design, Simulation, Testing and Manufacturing” (MES-2025) took place on September 17-19, 2025, in Yerevan, Armenia.
Chaired by Dr. Tigran Parikyan and Prof. Marco Ceccarelli, the event attracted about 60 scientists, engineers, students and guests from 11 countries across Europe, Asia and North America.
The event was excellently hosted: the conference and the student exhibition – by the College of Science and Engineering of the American University of Armenia, and the professional exhibition, as well as the round-table discussion – by the Institute of Mechanics of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.
While mostly addressing traditional IFToMM topics, the papers presented at the technical sessions as well as the prototypes and products shown at the exhibition emphasized the practical application and industrialization aspects of the engineering solutions suggested.
Beyond the technical talks — the cultural and social program made the event an unforgettable experience!
The proceedings contain 32 papers and can be accessed through the conference website at https://mech-eng-events.org/mes-2025/proceedings/ or directly at the Springer website https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-032-02352-0.
The photos of the event are available on the following drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Sm5ZYY5i7mxVSgF38KocLgjGMN1PsD6E
Dear Attendees,
We are delighted to invite you to the 17th IFToMM World Congress in the beautiful city of Florianópolis. This prestigious event will convene thought leaders, researchers, and professionals in the field of mechanism and machine science from around the world.
Join us for insightful sessions and networking opportunities designed to foster collaboration and innovation. We are preparing an exciting program that will include a wide array of topics, reflecting the latest advancements and technological trends in our field.
Located in Florianópolis, renowned for its stunning beaches and vibrant culture, this year’s congress promises not only an enriching academic experience but also a chance to explore the rich local heritage.
Details regarding submissions, registration, and the full program will be available soon. We encourage you to stay tuned for updates and prepare to be part of this extraordinary gathering.
On behalf of the organizing committee, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to our sponsors and partners for their invaluable support. We look forward to welcoming you to an inspiring and memorable congress.
Warm regards,
17th IFToMM World Congress Organizing Committee
Sculptor of kinetic art and IFToMM member Volkert van der Wijk has developed a mechanism to make a 3D printed crow fly as realistically as possible. The sculpture which he made on the request of the Belgium artist Hans op de Beeck is currently on display in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp (Belgium) until August 17 (website: https://kmska.be/en/hans-op-de-beeck-nocturnal-journey). Already more than 125.000 visitors have seen the sculpture, including the queen of Belgium
The flapping wing mechanism he designed is based on a crank that moves up and down in coordination with three of five vertical rods, which hold the crow’s body and wing segments. The dimensions of the parts for which the mechanism works and generates as realistic as possible impression of a real crow flying need to be so precise that he needed to develop a design method to obtain them. This method he will present and publish in a scientific article at the 8th International Workshop on Computational Kinematics (CK 2025) at the IIT Madras, India, from 25-28 November 2025 (website: https://ck2025.ammindia.org/).
You can read about the development of the sculpture on his website: https://kineticart.nl/en/collection_of_works/atelierblog/real_size_flying_crow
Website of Volkert van der Wijk: www.kineticart.nl
Link to video of the Crow: https://youtu.be/vLlS3ry7khk
The 3rd IFToMM Conference for Sustainable Development Goals (I4SDG 2025), held in Villa San Giovanni, Italy, was a major success. Chaired by Prof. Giuseppe Carbone and Prof. Giuseppe Quaglia, the event attracted around 200 participants from 25 countries, highlighting its growing global impact. A total of 164 high-quality paper submissions were received, showcasing innovative research aligned with sustainability and MMS sciences. The conference fostered strong collaboration among academia, industry, and international institutions. All accepted papers are published in two indexed Springer proceedings books, ensuring broad visibility. I4SDG 2025 reaffirmed its role as a key platform for advancing IFToMM’s mission toward sustainable and inclusive technological development.
More information and photos are available at https://www.iftommitaly.it/i4sdg2025/ Proceedings can be freely downloaded for 4 weeks from the conference website.
The IFToMM EC Meeting & the International Workshop on Advanced Mechanism and Machine Science were successfully held on March 29 – April 1, 2025 in Beijing, China. The workshop was initiated by the IFToMM and the MO China-Beijing, and was hosted by the School of Mechanical, Electronic and Control Engineering (MECE) at Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU). It was featured by 19 keynote speeches[*]. More than 200 renowned scholars, young professors and students from over 50 universities in 14 countries attended this great event. The invited keynote speakers included the IFToMM President and the EC members, the Chair of IFToMM China-Beijing, and Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Academia Europaea, and the Canadian Academy of Engineering. During the workshop, professors and students shared the latest research achievements in the fields of innovative design in robotics and intelligent manufacturing.
(Group photograph)
The opening ceremony was chaired by Professor Sheng Guo, the Conference Chair and the Dean of MECE at BJTU. Professor Liang Gao, the Vice President of BJTU, and Professor Fei Song, the Director of the Office of International Cooperation and Exchange, attended the opening ceremony. Welcome remarks were delivered by Professor Liang Gao on behalf of BJTU. Professor Gao extended a warm welcome to all the guests attending this workshop. He pointed out that the IFToMM is one of the most authoritative and influential international academic organizations in the field of mechanical engineering. This workshop aims to provide a platform for scholars to exchange ideas, share achievements, deepen cooperation, and further promote the development of mechanism and machine science. It would also benefit the high-quality construction of the mechanical engineering discipline at BJTU.
Professor Andrés Kecskeméthy at the University of Duisburg-Essen in Germany, the IFToMM President, expressed gratitude to BJTU for the generous support and excellent organization of this event. He also gave a brief introduction to the IFToMM and encouraged involvement of Chinese researchers in the IFToMM community.
Professor Xinjun Liu at Tsinghua University, the Chair of IFToMM China-Beijing, delivered a welcome speech on behalf of MO China-Beijing and the Organizing Committee of the workshop. He briefly reviewed the mission of IFToMM China-Beijing and expressed the commitment to fostering international connections within the IFToMM community.
Professor Sheng Guo stated that BJTU hosted this workshop with the aim of providing a platform for experts and scholars in the field of mechanism and machine science to communicate and exchange ideas, and jointly explore the academic frontiers, latest achievements and developing trends. The MECE at BJTU would provide services to facilitate high-quality academic communication for all the participants.
The closing speech was delivered by Professor Wangqiang Wei, the secretary of the CPC MECE Committee at BJTU. He introduced the development of MECE at BJTU and expressed sincere gratitude to all the guests and experts who contributed to the success of this event. He also thanked the sister universities and all the experts and scholars for their long-term concern and support for MECE. He hoped that everyone take this workshop as an opportunity to deepen the international cooperation and promote the development in the mechanical discipline and other related fields as well. Through all the individual efforts, a glorious new chapter could start thereafter!
(Opening ceremony)
(Professor Liang Gao delivering welcome remarks.)
(Professor Andrés Kecskeméthy presenting an introduction to the IFToMM.)
(Professor Xinjun Liu delivering a welcome speech.)
(Professor Sheng Guo delivering a welcome speech.)
(Professor Wangqiang Wei delivering a closing speech.)
(Keynote speakers)
[*] List of keynote speeches.
| No. | Title | Speaker |
| 1 | A novel and simple Quaternion extraction method for objective identification of finite parasitic/planar rotations – Theory, comparison and applications in biomechanics | Andrés Kecskeméthy University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany |
| 2 | Metamorphosis, Reconfiguration and Intelligence in Mechanisms and Robotics | Jian S Dai King’s College London, UK Southern University of Science and Technology, China |
| 3 | CraftsRobot: One Solution for Manufacturing of Large-scale Complex Structures | Xin-Jun Liu Tsinghua University, China |
| 4 | Research Progress on Cross-Domain Bionic Robots | Xilun Ding Beihang University, China |
| 5 | Implementation of Embodied Intelligence in Multifunctional Aerial Operation Robots | Dan Zhang Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China |
| 6 | Kinematic Metamaterials | Yan Chen Tianjin University, China |
| 7 | Mechanism Design for Robotic Applications | Erwin-Christian Lovasz University Politehnica of Timișoara, Romania |
| 8 | Design and Control of Soft Robotic Systems | Guoying Gu Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China |
| 9 | Maintenance oriented to Industry 4.0 | Cristina Castejón Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain |
| 10 | Closed Form Solution of the Forward Kinematics of Continuum Robots | Andreas Müller Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria |
| 11 | Multistable Compliant Mechanisms and Multistable Robots | Guiming Chen Xi’an Jiaotong University, China |
| 12 | Compliant mechanisms and actuation for human-robot interaction applications | Shaoping Bai Aalborg University, Denmark |
| 13 | Motion Planning in Robotics | Alessandro Gasparetto University of Udine, Italy |
| 14 | Towards Smarter Robot Bodies: Incorporating Innovations in Mechanical Intelligence | Ketao Zhang Queen Mary University of London, UK |
| 15 | New trends in Condition Monitoring of Rotating Machinery | Juan Carlos Jáuregui Correa Autonomous University of Querétaro, Mexico |
| 16 | New Crank Presses Based on High-Class Mechanisms | Assylbek Jomartov Joldasbekov Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Kazakhstan |
| 17 | Robot design in medical and service robotics | Med Amine Laribi University of Poitiers, France |
| 18 | New trends in enumeration of mechanisms and robots: a faith testimony | Daniel Martins Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil |
| 19 | Advances in High-Power-Density Dielectric Elastomer Artificial Muscles and their Applications | Huichan Zhao Tsinghua University, China |
The first on-site physical meeting of the IFToMM Executive Council EC 2024-2027 was successfully held at the School of Mechanical Engineering at Beijing Jiaotong University under the kind auspices of the Dean Prof. Sheng Guo. The EC meeting successfully took place on Sunday March 30, 2025 from early morning to the evening with all EC members present, reaching all the goals set by the agenda.
Main outcomes of the meeting were, among several procedural optimizations and boosting of communication between the EC and the working groups, a new initiative for providing virtual lab tours through the IFToMM webpage under the leadership of Prof. Yan Shen from Tianjin University, the intensification of activities in the Cross Disciplinary Groups (CDG) CDG 3: IFToMM Women’s Group: under the leadership of Prof. Shengnan Lyu of Beihang University and CDG 2: “IFToMM Young Faculty Group” under the leadership of Prof. Claudio Villegas from Bio Bio University Chile, the start of preparations for the Student’s Olympiad in Mechanism and Machine Science SIOMMS 2025 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the start of the Individual Member Organization Subscriber (IMOS) system of direct personal access of restricted IFToMM webpage area with free access to Springer Proceedings of the Series MMS, and the start of preparations for a renewal of the PC Terminology towards the new fields of Artificial Intelligence and Digitalization.
The EC meeting on Sunday was followed by an International Workshop on Advanced Mechanism and Machine Science attended by a great number of leading scientists of China in the areas of IFToMM with contributions from the members of the EC as well as several distinguished Chinese professors.
The IFToMM EC through its President thanks in the name of the whole IFToMM Community Prof. Sheng Guo for his immeasurable and kind hospitality, as well as for the excellent organization he offered together with his team, which made the great success of this meeting and the creation of new and everlasting bonds of friendship and scientific cooperation possible.
Thanks Prof. Guo and all of his team !
Andres Kecskemethy
IFToMM President
The 11th IFToMM D-A-CH Conference, organized by the German-speaking member organizations of IFToMM from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, took place in February at the University of Applied Sciences in Villach, Austria. The event was excellently hosted by Prof. Mathias Brandstötter and his team, providing an outstanding platform for young scientists to present and discuss their research projects while fostering connections in a collegial atmosphere.
The conference featured a diverse range of engaging presentations covering topics such as biomechanical engineering, robotics, mechatronics, multibody dynamics, vibrations, linkages, mechanical controls, computational kinematics, and transportation machinery.
A highlight of the event was a guided tour of the ADMiRE research center, offering participants insights into cutting-edge research activities.
For more information about the conference, please visit:
IFToMM D-A-CH Conference Website
The conference proceedings (in German) are available at:
IFToMM D-A-CH Proceedings
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