A major challenge to deploying robots widely is navigation in human-populated environments, commonly referred to as social robot navigation. While the field of social navigation has advanced tremendously in recent years, the fair evaluation of algorithms t ...
Photorealistic synthetic data and novel rendering techniques significantly advanced computer vision research. However, datasets focused on computer vision applications cannot be easily applied to robotics because they typically lack physics-related informa ...
Industrial robots have been programmed to optimize mass production by executing predefined trajectories with their high speed, precision, and repeatability over long production cycles. However, the rise of Industry 4.0 and the increasing demand for diverse ...
For robots to operate in unstructured environments, they are required to interact with objects through contact. Those contacts may be used to push objects to the side, deform objects, or manipulate objects in-hand. This thesis addresses the problem of cont ...
The human sense of touch converts skin deformations into electrical impulses, enabling functional tasks such as object recognition and manipulation. Providing haptic information is crucial for improving usability in applications like prosthetics. Soft actu ...
Bridging the performance gap between robotics and biological systems demands significant advancements across multiple domains, including mechanical design, control theory, modeling, and artificial intelligence. In this thesis, I will introduce innovative m ...
Image steganalysis, detecting hidden data in digital images, is essential for enhancing digital security. Traditional steganalysis methods typically rely on large, pre-labeled image datasets, which are difficult and costly to compile. To address this, this ...
Modular robotics link the reliability of a centralised system with the adaptivity of a decentralised system.
It is difficult for a robot with a fixed shape to be able to perform many different types of tasks.
As the task space grows, the number of functi ...
In various robotics applications, the selection of function approximation methods greatly influences the feasibility and computational efficiency of algorithms. Tensor Networks (TNs), also referred to as tensor decomposition techniques, present a versatile ...
Robotics is entering our daily lives. The discipline is increasingly crucial in fields such as agriculture, medicine, and rescue operations, impacting our food, health, and planet. At the same time, it is becoming evident that robotic research must embrace ...
Robots outside of the fenced factories have to deal with continuously changing environment, this requires fast and flexible modes of control. Planning methods or complex learning models can find optimal paths in complex surroundings, but they are computati ...
Social insects, such as ants, termites, and honeybees, have evolved sophisticated societies where the collaborative efforts of "simple" individuals can lead to the emergence of complex dynamics. The reliance of each organism on the collective is so great t ...
Implementing virtual fixtures in guiding tasks constrains the movement of the robot's end effector to specific curves within its workspace. However, incorporating guiding frameworks may encounter discontinuities when optimizing the reference target positio ...
Biohybrid systems in which robotic lures interact with animals have become compelling tools for probing and identifying the mechanisms underlying collective animal behavior. One key challenge lies in the transfer of social interaction models from simulatio ...
This work studies the learning process over social networks under partial and random information sharing. In traditional social learning models, agents exchange full belief information with each other while trying to infer the true state of nature. We stud ...
The rise of robotic body augmentation brings forth new developments that will transform robotics, human-machine interaction, and wearable electronics. Extra robotic limbs, although building upon restorative technologies, bring their own set of challenges i ...
There is a growing trend towards designing learning activities featuring robots as collaborative exercises where children work together to achieve the activity objectives, generating interactions that can trigger learning processes. Witnessing such activit ...
This article summarizes the recent advancements in the design, fabrication, and control of microrobotic devices for the diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders. With a focus on diverse actuation methods, we discuss how advancements in materials science ...
Gender inequality is a widespread problem in our society. It can manifest itself in many ways and contexts, and starting as early as primary school. While an increasing number of initiatives aim at tackling gender biases and inequalities, few of them are a ...
Agricultural tasks and environments range from harsh field conditions with semi-structured produce or animals, through to post-processing tasks in food-processing environments. From farm to fork, the development and application of soft robotics offers a pl ...
