Towards perceptive and self-aware robots

The use of robots has become increasingly prevalent in manufacturing and assembly processes, particularly in tasks such as welding, painting, assembly, pick-and-place, and packing. These operations are generally carried out in confined spaces away from human interaction. However, researchers are now seeking to make robots more collaborative and bring them closer to humans, enabling them to support human activities. This transition from industry to the human workspace poses many challenges, as the environment can be unstructured and cluttered, and robots are required to perform a variety of tasks without causing harm to humans or the environment.

To operate safely in these conditions, robots must be equipped with appropriate sensing capabilities to detect the presence of objects or humans and track their movements to anticipate possible collisions. Additionally, robots should be able to explore their surrounding space by interacting with it, recognize and manipulate objects, and control the forces that arise during contact.

With a sound expertise in tactile sensing the Soft Robotics Lab is pursuing research in this direction in order to take the human-robot collaboration to a whole new level. This research aligns with the main objectives of the Sestosenso Project, which began in October 2022 and involves 14 partners, including the University of Oxford.