Unconventional Robotic Systems

The theme of Unconventional Robotic Systems aims to collect and represent activities going on at TU Delft to study and develop robots that depart from traditional, commercially available designs. It emphasizes the creation of mechanically intelligent robotic bodies through novel mechatronic solutions, the development of new materials for robots, advanced fabrication techniques, and sensors tailored for unconventional robots. This research also investigates how these non-traditional bodies behave and how to control them effectively, integrating approaches such as modeling, dynamics, control theory, and machine learning.

Unconventional robots include but are not limited to aerial manipulators, legged robots, bio-hybrid robots, and elastically actuated systems. Continuum soft robots are a representative example of unconventional robotic systems. These systems are made to resemble invertebrate animals like octopuses, and their robotic body is composed of continuously deformable materials like silicon rubber. Advanced sensing technologies enable these systems to interact more intelligently with their environments.

Applications of these unconventional systems span across fields, including medical devices and rehabilitation tools that improve patient outcomes, assistive technologies that enhance the quality of life for individuals with disabilities, and industrial automation, where unconventional robots bring new possibilities in efficiency and precision. Environmental monitoring, aerospace, and defense also benefit from the robustness and adaptability of these systems.