Research focuses on understanding and designing intelligent robotic systems through rigorous analysis, system development, and field deployment.
Researchers develop techniques and tools for kinematics, dynamics, control, estimation, and motion planning for deterministic and stochastic systems. Several scientific domains drive current research. Novel design principles are developed using modular self reconfigurable robots, self-replicating robots, and hyper-redundant manipulators. Navigation and interaction of robots in extreme environments – e.g. deep sea, space, and the human body – is a major focus, including applications in underwater vehicles, autonomous aerial vehicles and spacecraft, and medical and surgical robotics.
Also important to our mission is the development of robotic systems inspired by principles of biomechanics and neural control of animal movement. Closely related application areas include medicine, environmental assessment, and molecular biology.
Associated Research Centers and Institutes