EPFL Robotics News

An ink for 3D-printing flexible devices without mechanical joints

Published:18.04.24 — EPFL researchers are targeting the next generation of soft actuators and robots with an elastomer-based ink for 3D printing objects with locally changing mechanical properties, eliminating the need for cumbersome mechanical joints.

Researchers unveil the largest 3D map of the universe ever made

Published:08.04.24 — The first results from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, or DESI project, with significant contributions from EPFL astrophysicists, has mapped galaxies and quasars with unprecedented detail measuring how fast the universe expanded over 11 billion years.

Making construction sustainable by reusing materials

Published:21.03.24 — One way to lighten the construction industry’s heavy carbon footprint is to reuse existing materials – an approach being explored by numerous researchers. Here’s a look at some of their ideas, ahead of an upcoming speaker event at EPFL.

Harsh field tests shape robotic design in unexpected ways

Published:15.03.24 — When the BBC commissioned two reptilian robots from the EPFL BioRob lab for a documentary on the African wilderness in 2016, the researchers could not have predicted how testing the devices in uncontrolled environments would change their approach to robotic design.

Robotic interface masters a soft touch

Published:13.03.24 — EPFL researchers have developed a haptic device capable of reproducing the softness of various materials, from a marshmallow to a beating heart, overcoming a deceptively complex challenge that has previously eluded roboticists.

The surprising effect of presence hallucinations on social perception

Published:12.03.24 — EPFL neuroscientists have devised a way to alter our social perception and monitor specific types of hallucinations, both in healthy individuals and patients with Parkinson’s disease. The test, which is also available online, provides the medical community with a tool to monitor hallucination susceptibility.

Leenards Prize for neurotech project in Dementia with Lewy Bodies

Published:11.03.24 — We are happy to announce that the 2024 Leenaards Foundation Science Prize has been awarded to our project on the early diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies.

Prof. Aude Billard President of IEEE Robotics & Automation Society

Published:05.03.24 — Professor Aude Billard, who heads EPFL's Learning Algorithms and Systems Laboratory (LASA) within the Institutes of Electrical & Micro Engineering and Mechanical Engineering, and serves as the Associated Dean for Education at the School of Engineering, has been appointed as the President of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS).

AI-driven method helps improve quality assurance for wind turbines

Published:22.02.24 — An international collaboration between EPFL and the University of Glasgow has led to an advanced machine-learning algorithm to effectively detect concealed manufacturing defects in wind turbine composite blades – before turbines are put into service.

MOOC: The Thymio robot as a tool for discovering digital science

Published:16.01.24 — This MOOC teaches basic understanding of robots’ mechanisms and Thymio’s programming languages, classroom use and pedagogical elements.