Publications related to Cognitive robotics

Investigating neural resource allocation in the sensorimotor control of extra limbs

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 ...

EPFL2024

Robot Learning using Tensor Networks

Suhan Narayana Shetty

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 ...

EPFL2024

Memento Mori: Reliable robustness in self-reconfigurable modular robots

Kevin Andrew Holdcroft

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 ...

EPFL2024

Additively manufactured stretchable zipping electrostatic actuators

Giulio Grasso

The use of soft and stretchable materials allows the development of adaptive robotic systems and human-machine interfaces that are more natural and comfortable to interact with. One of the application fields that benefits the most from these compliant mate ...

EPFL2024

Identifying important sensory feedback for learning locomotion skills

Auke Ijspeert, Guillaume Denis Antoine Bellegarda, Milad Shafiee Ashtiani

Robot motor skills can be acquired by deep reinforcement learning as neural networks to reflect state-action mapping. The selection of states has been demonstrated to be crucial for successful robot motor learning. However, because of the complexity of neu ...

NATURE PORTFOLIO2023

A biohybrid interaction framework for the integration of robots in animal societies

Francesco Mondada, Daniel Burnier, Vaios Papaspyros, Raphael Cherfan

The collective behavior of animals has been traditionally studied through observation, quantitative models of behavior, and devices of low intelligence. Nowadays, the advancements in the field of robotics allow for closed-loop experiments that occur in rea ...

2023

Exploration-based model learning with self-attention for risk-sensitive robot control

Sudong Lee

Model-based reinforcement learning for robot control offers the advantages of overcoming concerns on data collection and iterative processes for policy improvement in model-free methods. However, both methods use exploration strategy relying on heuristics ...

2023

Human-Robot Swarm Interaction: An Explorative Path to Foster Complex Systems Understanding

Hala Khodr

Order, regularities, and patterns are ubiquitous around us. A flock of birds maneuvering in the sky, the self-organization of social insects, a global pandemic or a traffic jam are examples of complex systems where the macroscopic patterns arise from the m ...

EPFL2023

Non-verbal Communication between Humans and Robots: Imitation, Mutual Understanding and Inferring Object Properties

Nuno Ricardo Ferreira Duarte

Humans can express their actions and intentions, resorting to verbal and/or non-verbal communication. In verbal communication, humans use language to express, in structured linguistic terms, the desired action they wish to perform. Non-verbal communication ...

EPFL2023

Accessible Soft Robotics Education with Re-configurable Balloon Robots

Josephine Anna Eleanor Hughes, Kieran Daniel Gilday, Yi-Shiun Wu

Soft robotics requires effective tools to educate the next generation of engineers and researchers. Stemming from a lack of universally accepted principles for education and with high barriers to entry in terms of fabrication and hardware, education to dat ...

IEEE2023

3PAC: A Plug-and-Play System for Distributed Power Sharing and Communication in Modular Robots

Jamie Paik, Kevin Andrew Holdcroft, Christoph Heinrich Belke

In modular robotics, there is classically a compromise between coupling complexity and functionality. The mechanical and electrical designs are linked, such that adding electrical features often requires redesigning the mechanical components. However, incr ...

IEEE-INST ELECTRICAL ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS INC2022

Hybrid Wireless-Local Communication via Information Propagation for Modular Robotic Synchronization Applications

Jamie Paik, Kevin Andrew Holdcroft, Christoph Heinrich Belke, Alexander Thomas Sigrist

Modular robots hold promise of adaptability, robustness, and versatility. Synchronization of modules is critical; if a module is asynchronous, not only will the robot fail to perform tasks properly, but its behavior may be self-destructive through self-col ...

WILEY2022

A game-based approach for evaluating and customizing handwriting training using an autonomous social robot

Pierre Dillenbourg, Chenyang Wang, Barbara Bruno, Daniel Carnieto Tozadore

Handwriting learning is a long and complex process that takes about ten years to be fully mastered. Nearly one-third of all children aged 4-12 experiences handwriting difficulties and, sadly, most of them are left to fight them on their own, due to the sca ...

IEEE2022

A Case for the Design of Attention and Gesture Systems for Social Robots

Barbara Bruno, Utku Norman, Daniel Carnieto Tozadore, Romain Maure, Erik Alessandro Wengle

The success of social robots, even (or, especially) in use cases as simple as "manning" a booth to promote a product in a shopping mall, depends on their ability of interacting with humans in a timely, effective and enjoyable way. In this paper we present ...

SPRINGER INTERNATIONAL PUBLISHING AG2022

Social/dialogical roles of social robots in supporting children's learning of language and literacy-A review and analysis of innovative roles

Barbara Bruno

One of the many purposes for which social robots are designed is education, and there have been many attempts to systematize their potential in this field. What these attempts have in common is the recognition that learning can be supported in a variety of ...

FRONTIERS MEDIA SA2022

Questioning Wizard of Oz: Effects of Revealing the Wizard behind the Robot

Pierre Dillenbourg, Pierre Pravin Oppliger, Barbara Bruno, Jauwairia Nasir

Wizard of Oz, a very commonly employed technique in human-robot interaction, faces the criticism of being deceptive as the humans interacting with the robot are told, if at all, only at the end of their interaction that there was in fact a human behind the ...

IEEE2022

Introducing Productive Engagement for Social Robots Supporting Learning

Jauwairia Nasir

We have all been one such student or seen such students who can maintain the 'good student' image while playing a video game under the table or those loyal backbenchers, seemingly always distracted, who then ace their exams. These intricacies of human beha ...

EPFL2022

Active origami platforms for human-robot interactions

Frédéric Henri Vaskin Giraud

Robots are employed to assist humans in lengthy, challenging, and repetitive tasks. However, the fields of rehabilitation, haptics, and assistive robotics have shown a significant need to support and interact with people in their everyday life. To facilita ...

EPFL2022

Scalable Multi-agent Coordination and Resource Sharing

Panayiotis Danassis

A plethora of real world problems consist of a number of agents that interact, learn, cooperate, coordinate, and compete with others in ever more complex environments. Examples include autonomous vehicles, robotic agents, intelligent infrastructure, IoT de ...

EPFL2022

Product of experts for robot learning from demonstration

Emmanuel Pignat

Adaptability and ease of programming are key features necessary for a wider spread of robotics in factories and everyday assistance. Learning from demonstration (LfD) is an approach to address this problem. It aims to develop algorithms and interfaces such ...

EPFL2021