Aerial Additive Manufacturing: Robotic Construction of Cantilever Structures with Aerial Vehicles
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Aeronautics
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Mirko Kovac (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Bates E
(2025)
Leaf level Ash Dieback Disease Detection and Online Severity Estimation with UAVs
in IEEE Access
Dams B
(2025)
The rise of aerial additive manufacturing in construction: a review of material advancements
in Frontiers in Materials
Furkan Kaya Y
(2024)
Infrastructure Robotics - Methodologies, Robotic Systems and Applications
Giordano A
(2024)
A Soft Robotic Morphing Wing for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles
in Advanced Intelligent Systems
Romanello L
(2024)
Gotta Catch 'em All, Safely! Aerial-Deployed Soft Underwater Gripper
Wiesemüller, Fabian
(2022)
Transient bio-inspired gliders with embodied humidity responsive actuators for environmental sensing
| Description | Material research development (WP1): • Finalized the development of the first version of the extrusion mechanism, transitioning from initial designs to a functional prototype. • Implemented a ROS (Robot Operating System) software package for the extrusion mechanism driver • Tested a newly developed gimbal-based actuator for precise and compliant manipulation. Aerial platform compatible for material deposition (WP2): • Successfully assembled and built a fully functional aerial platform for vertical printing in Aerial Additive Manufacturing (AAM). • Initial flight tests demonstrated the system's effectiveness in creating detailed maps of indoor spaces which showed a significant improvement over the previous system. • Completed the initial design phase for the extrusion mechanism for vertical printing tests. Building the DroneHub tailored to AAM capability (WP3): We are constructing a state-of-the-art test bed facility, the DroneHub (https://nest.empa.ch/drone-hub), at Empa in Switzerland, featuring a custom-developed façade tailored to host aerial repair and manufacturing experiments. |
| Exploitation Route | Use of DroneHub facility and the developed robotic prototypes for validation with industrial and academic partners. |
| Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Construction Creative Economy Energy Environment Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology |
| URL | https://nest.empa.ch/drone-hub |
| Description | One of the aims of the grant is to establish new partnerships and research collaboration with industry and the academic community. We showcased our aerial platform at various conferences and organised a workshop as proposed in the grant application, which has generated significant interest from industry and the public. Future economic impact can include the translation of the technology to industry through licensing or spin-off creation. Workshop: The Co-evolution of Digital Twins and Aerial Robotics for Sustainable Human Habitats, (Aug, 2023). Highlights of related outreach and exhibitions: • Venice Architecture Biennale, Italy (May 2023) • Swiss Robotics Day, Zurich, Switzerland (Nov. 2022) • ICRA Exhibition, London, UK (May 2023) • Swiss Robotics Day, Zurich, Switzerland (Nov. 2023) |
| First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
| Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Construction,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Energy,Environment,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Societal Economic |
| Description | DroneHub |
| Amount | SFr. 1,100,000 (CHF) |
| Organisation | Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Start | 05/2023 |
| End | 05/2026 |
| Description | Perception-guided Aerial Additive Manufacture: A StepTowards Closed-loop Construction with Aerial Robots |
| Amount | £47,867 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 2929989 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2024 |
| End | 05/2028 |
| Title | DroneHub: Inaugurated: A new home for Sustainability Robotics |
| Description | DroneHub: Inaugurated: A new home for Sustainability Robotics |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | DroneHub Next Evolution in Sustainable Building Technologies, NEST: The DroneHub is a modular unique testbed facility integrated into the NEST research building (Next Evolution in Sustainable Building Technologies) at Empa. NEST receives an average of 1,000 visitors per month from the industry, providing an excellent platform for validation, impact generation, and fostering new partnerships with industrial end-users. The facility serves as a vital platform for researchers and developers in the robotics community, offering in-situ testing and real-world representations of outdoor environments. This allows for the development of systems up to higher technology readiness levels (TRL 3-TRL 7). The DroneHub supports advancements in innovative construction and repair methods, enhanced environmental sensing approaches, and the integration of autonomous robots with humans and infrastructure systems. These capabilities make it particularly valuable for applications such as fire response and delivery operations. |
| URL | https://www.empa.ch/web/nest/drone-hub |
| Title | The Drone Hub at NEST |
| Description | The Drone Hub at the NEST research and innovation building in Dubendirf, Switzerland, is a test environment that facilitates the integration and interaction of robots such as drones or climbing robots with infrastructure systems. Leveranging the ability of robots to act autonomously the Drone Hub serves as test-bed to perform challenging tasks and thus lowering both the risks for humans and the cost of operation. This includes inspection of facade elements, repairs of cracks or surface cleaning in areas which are dangerous for human to work. The Drone Hub is open to industry partners for their own needs. A partnership includes: The use of the Drone Hub infrastructure. Join R&D initiatives in aerial robotics, robot autonomy and infrastructure digitalisation. Echange programs and talent recruitment (sabbaticals). Access to technology foresight in aerial robotics and infrastructure robotics and applied AI. Access to the NEST network or partners from research industry and the public sector. Visibility of the logo and use of the NEST infrastructure for events and visits. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Research finding validation and testing. New scientific theory validation. Improve business operation and efficiency. Worker safety |
| URL | https://www.empa.ch/web/nest/drone-hub?inheritRedirect=true |
| Description | < |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | <> - Dronen warten und reparieren Gebäude: Alu Kongress 2024 Dubendorf, Switzerland 25th April 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Aerial Robotics for Sustainability |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Aerial Robotics for Sustainability Royal Aeronautical Society Cambridge Branch Thursday 1 st February 2024, 19:30 The Constance Tipper Lecture Theater (LT0) & TEAMS live stream Cambridge University Engineering Department, CB2 1PZ ARA (Environmental sciences rely heavily on accurate, timely and complete data sets which are often collected manually at significant risks and costs. Robotics and mobile sensor networks can collect data more effectively and with higher spatial-temporal resolution compared to manual methods while benefiting from expanded operational envelopes and added data collection capabilities. In future, robotics and AI will be an indispensable tool for data collection in complex environments, enabling the digitalisation of forests, lakes, off-shore energy systems, cities and the polar environment. However, such future robot solutions will need to operate more flexibly, robustly and efficiently than they do today. This talk will present how animal-inspired robot design methods can integrate adaptive morphologies, functional materials and energy-efficient locomotion principles to enable this new class of environmental robotics. The talk will also include application examples, such as flying robots that can place sensors in forests, aerial-aquatic drones for autonomous water sampling, drones for aerial construction and repair, and impact-resilient drones for safe operations in underground and tunnel systems. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.aerosociety.com/media/22135/247_feb-_prof-mirko-kovac-aeral-robots_flyer.pdf |
| Description | Aerial Robotics for Sustainability |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Cambridge branch RAeS talk Cambridge, UK Date: 01/02/2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Aerial robotics platforms and proving grounds |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | INTEROPERABILITY IN ROBOTICS & AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS PROVING GROUNDS London, UK Date: 16/02/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | An aviary for drone research |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Dübendorf, St. Gallen und Thun, 23.05.2023 - They maintain and repair buildings, observe natural phenomena and transport goods: Drones and robots could play a major role in our lives in the future. With the DroneHub, a kind of aviary is to be created in the NEST research and innovation building on the Empa campus in Dübendorf, where Empa researchers will explore and further develop the interaction of drones, infrastructure and natural habitats together with industrial and academic partners. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-95341.html |
| Description | Behind-the-scenes @ Centre of Excellence, Infrastructure Robotics Ecosystems |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Brahmal Vasudevan Multi Terrain Aerial Robotics Arena is hosted in the Aerial Robotics Lab and is the first of its kind in Europe. Professor Mirko Kovac, Director of Aerial Robotics Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London The Arena enables engineers to test the next generation of aerial robotics for urban environments and extreme conditions. Researchers in the Arena are able to simulate different terrains in the air, the ocean and on land. The space also enables engineers to create extreme conditions such as fire, smoke and heat to simulate how the next generation of drones will perform in harsh environments. This event was part of an exclusive programme of Member-only visits. Each event gives Members of Friends of Imperial College and their guest's unique access to facilities and research departments with our Behind-the-Scenes events in Imperial and beyond! |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.friendsofimperial.org.uk/events/behind-the-scenes-centre-of-excellence-infrastructure-ro... |
| Description | Bio-Inspired Soft Aerial Robotics (workshop) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics RoboSoft 2023 Singapore Date: 03/04/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Bio-inspired Drones for Sustainability |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar at Sabanci University Istanbul, Turkey Date: 19/06/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Bio-inspired Soft Metamorphic Aerial Robotics -Year 3- What can we learn from nature to develop shape-changing, metamorphic, adaptive, multi-functional and multi-terrain Aerial Robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Currently, the thriving field of soft aerial robotics has continued to explore the development of airborne robotic systems through the utilization of deformable and flexible structures. Unlike conventional rigidbodied aerial robots, soft aerial robots leverage compliance and morphing capabilities to achieve unique advantages in versatility, adaptability to various terrains, scalability, agility, maneuverability, manipulation, and multi-functionality in a single robot. The last two years of this workshop have highlighted everything from novel design principles, real-world applications, bio-inspiration, and control and modeling principles for soft aerial robots. The focus of this year's workshop will be updates from groups working in this field, with a special emphasis on comparative biology. This sentiment has two folds, first to draw inspiration from biology for the development of the next generation of aerial vehicles and second is to develop robophysical models to help understand biology better. Together with the prominent researchers from these interdisciplinary fields, the purpose of this workshop is to track the progress of ongoing innovation and latest advancements in this rapidly growing subsection of soft and aerial robotics. The workshop will continue to identify technical and conceptual obstacles while outlining the primary challenges and opportunities in the realm of bio-inspired soft aerial robotics. Finally, the workshop will further focus on the deployability of these innovative aerial robots in real-world conditions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://robosoft2024.org/workshops/ |
| Description | Bioinspired, soft and other novel design paradigms for aerial robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) Yokohoma, Japan |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Bioinspired, soft and other novel design paradigms for aerial robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk was focusses on the development of novel, biologically inspired flying robots for distributed sensing in air and water and on autonomous robotic construction for digital infrastructure systems. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://sites.google.com/view/rsicra2024/speakers |
| Description | Contributed talk: Physical Artificial Intelligence in Untethered Soft Aerial Robots for Safe Environmental Interaction and Perching |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 2023 Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting & Exhibit - Symposium SF06-From Robotic Towards Autonomous MaterialsBoston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Crash Landing onto "you": Untethered Soft Aerial Robots for Safe Environmental Interaction, Sensing, and Perching |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | There are various desired capabilities to create aerial forest-traversing robots capable of monitoring both biological and abiotic data. The features range from multi-functionality, robustness, and adaptability. These robots have to weather turbulent winds and various obstacles such as forest flora and wildlife thus amplifying the complexity of operating in such uncertain environments. The key for successful data collection is the flexibility to intermittently move from tree-to-tree, in order to perch at vantage locations for elongated time. This effort to perch not only reduces the disturbance caused by multi-rotor systems during data collection, but also allows the system to rest and recharge for longer outdoor missions. Current systems feature the addition of perching modules that increase the robots' weight and reduce its overall endurance. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/html/2405.10043v2 |
| Description | Decoding the Future: Trustworthy Governance with AI? - Data for Policy 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Decoding the Future: Trustworthy Governance with AI? - Data for Policy 2024 London, UK 9th July 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Digital twins and robotics for a sustainable human habitat |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Building Smart Workshop London, UK Date: 12/07/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Distinguished invited talk: Physical AI for Soft Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 2023 Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting & Exhibit - Symposium SF06-From Robotic Towards Autonomous Materials Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Distinguished invited talk: Physical AI for Soft Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 2024 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit December 1 - 6, 2024 Boston, Massachusetts Symposium SF06-From Robotic Toward Autonomous Materials Soft robotics has made tremendous strides over recent years, with new forms of soft actuators, sensors, and control strategies paving the way for physical intelligence. However, the field still faces challenges in power, performance, and control due to limited materials availability. To overcome these limitations, researchers are turning to nature for inspiration. Multifunctionality is the key to building emergent autonomous behavior that can integrate distributed actuation, perception, control, and energy capabilities in robotic agents. This requires new materials design paradigms that can tightly integrate multiple robotic capabilities to create functional materials that can perform tasks without human intervention. The symposium aims to bring together experts from materials science, soft robotics, chemistry, and mechanics to achieve this interdisciplinary vision. By collaborating across these fields, researchers can build beyond the current visions of robotic materials and create truly autonomous ones. The potential applications of this technology are vast, from soft robots that can perform delicate surgical procedures to autonomous systems that can monitor and repair infrastructure. This innovative approach provides research opportunities where both theory and experiments can produce discoveries and potential applications in Material science and Engineering, such as self-cleaning and functionalized actuators for AR, VR XR applications, environmentally adaptive surfaces, energy systems, responsive surfaces to communicate biological markers, situation adaptive protective gear and more. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.mrs.org/meetings-events/annual-meetings/archive/meeting/symposium-sessions/call-for-pape... |
| Description | DroneHub |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Qatar Government Meeting Dubendorf, Switzerland Date: 06/03/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | DroneHub: Building-drone interface for integrated living |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | LINA Event Dubendorf, Switzerland Date: 30/03/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Drones for Environmental Health |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 2024 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) October 14-18, 2024, Abu Dhabi, UAE |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://ras.papercept.net/conferences/conferences/IROS24/program/IROS24_ContentListWeb_2.html#tuk1n_... |
| Description | Empa Open Day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Empa Open Day 14th Sept 2024 Dubendorf, Switzerland |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://events.empa.ch/en/home/openlabday |
| Description | Enabling sustainability with bio-inspired robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Empa TV: Bright Minds: #1 Mirko Kovac Dübendorf, online Date: 04/07/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Exhibition: Lab of Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | AI for Good is the United Nations' leading platform on Artificial Intelligence for sustainable development. Laboratory of Sustainability Robotics exhibit novel aerial platforms including 3D printing aerial robots and information about DroneHub. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://aiforgood.itu.int/summit24/programme/ |
| Description | Features characterizing aerial aquatic robots: Ubiquitous Robotics 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Features characterizing aerial aquatic robots: Ubiquitous Robotics 2024 New York, 24th June 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | From Lab to Nature: Soft Material Aerial and Aquatic Robots for Sustainable Ecosystem Interaction and Environmental Sensing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | From Lab to Nature: Soft Material Aerial and Aquatic Robots for Sustainable Ecosystem Interaction and Environmental Sensing 2024 MRS Fall Meeting & Exhibit Session: Embodied Perception Boston, 1-6th Dec 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.gatan.com/company/events/2024-materials-research-society-mrs-fall-meeting-exhibit |
| Description | Heat-resistant drone could scope out and map burning buildings and wildfires |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Imperial College London and Empa researchers have built a drone that can withstand high enough temperatures to enter burning buildings. The prototype drone, called FireDrone, could be sent into burning buildings or woodland to assess hazards and provide crucial first-hand data from danger zones. The data would then be sent to first responders to help inform their emergency response. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/245718/heat-resistant-drone-could-scope-burning-buildings/ |
| Description | ICRA Workshop "Impulsive Motion in Soft Robotic and Microrobotic Systems" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | ICRA Workshop "Impulsive Motion in Soft Robotic and Microrobotic Systems" 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in PACIFICO Yokohama May 13th to 17th, 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://2024.ieee-icra.org/ |
| Description | ICRA Workshop "Sustainable Soft Robots: Working with the Environment" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | ICRA Workshop "Sustainable Soft Robots: Working with the Environment" 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in PACIFICO Yokohama May 13th to 17th, 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://2024.ieee-icra.org/ |
| Description | Imperial Robotics Forum at ICRA2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The Robotics Forum showcased their latest research at ICRA2023 through exhibitions, demos, presentations and workshops. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/246133/imperial-robotics-forum-icra2023/ |
| Description | Keynote: Bio-inspired Drones for Sustainability |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Adaptive Motions of Animals and Machines (Amam) 2023 Kobe, Japan Date: 06/06/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Keynote: Robotics Testing Grounds for Sustainability Robotics Innovation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Take-off start up summit Istanbul, Turkey Date: 05/12/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Keynote: Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Keynote at Bilisim Vadisi (Valley of information technology) Istanbul, Turkey Date: 16/06/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Laboratory of Sustainabilty Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Empa Strategie Klausur Emmetten, Switzerland Date: 13/09/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | OST Technology Day: Outlook on future-oriented technologies |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Around 200 representatives from industry attended the Technology Day at the Buchs campus of OST - Ostschweizer Fachhochschule on 11 June 2024. The event about future technologies for Switzerland, at which Empa researcher Mirko Kovac gave a keynote speech on how drones can be used in numerous areas in to achieve sustainability goals, was organized in collaboration with the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW), RhySearch and Switzerland Innovation Park Ost. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.ost.ch/de/forschung-und-dienstleistungen/technik/systemtechnik/technologietag-2025/mirko... |
| Description | Podiumsdiskussion: Chancen und Herausforderungen von Künstlicher Intelligenz in der Tech-Industrie |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Podiumsdiskussion: Chancen und Herausforderungen von Künstlicher Intelligenz in der Tech-Industrie |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.handelskammer-d-ch.ch/media/5734/download/Fachkonferenz%20KI%20Robotik%20Automation%20Sc... |
| Description | Podiumsgespräch Vernissage Technology Outlook |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | SATW Technology Outlook - Zukunftsweisende Technologien für die Schweiz Zurich, Switzerland Date: 15/09/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Robots for Understanding Natural Ecosystems (RUNE) Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Natural ecosystems are defined by complex webs of interactions between the flora, fauna, and non-organic elements of an environment. The importance of modeling and understanding these entangled and dynamic interactions is increasing as anthroprogenic change threatens ecosystems across the globe. Marine, terrestrial, and aerial robotic platforms increasingly capable of safely navigating remote environments over extended periods provide opportunities to better and quickly study such ecosystems. These platforms leverage advances in field robotics, computer vision, and artificial intelligence, such as semantic mapping, reinforcement learning, and distributed or adaptive planning. With these, robots can be more than just mobile sensors collecting data for human analysis; they can actively and independently aid in exploration and understanding across a diverse range of ecosystems and synthesize complex high-level concepts into targeted and actionable plans for conservation and science. This workshop brings together robotics researchers at the forefront of environmental sensing and exploration, animal monitoring, semantic modeling, and more to present a panoramic view of robotic advances in the pursuit of understanding natural ecosystems. We further invite researchers in ecology and related fields, who use or wish to use robotics, to attend and contribute their insights on the most critical challenges and opportunities for greater use of autonomous robots to solve these problems. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://sites.google.com/view/icra-2024-rune-workshop/home |
| Description | Soft Aerial Robotics: Metamorphic Aerial Robots for Multi-Terrain Mobility |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics RoboSoft 2023 Singapore Date: 03/04/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | INRIA Rennes, France Date: 16/02/2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | DIAS - Drone Industry Association Switzerland DIAS represents, supports, and promotes its members who export drone-related products and services Swiss Drone Industry Day 10th Oct 2024 Ittigen, Bern, Switzerland |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mirkokovac_swiss-drone-activity-7250051224824086528-1X6A/ |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Swiss Green Economy Symposium Winterthur, Switzerland Date: 07/09/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | energie bewegt winterthur - 36. Energie-Lunch Date: 02/03/2023 A group of professionals. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | AI.BAY conference 2023 Munich, Germany Date: 23/02/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | AI for Good Global Summit Geneva, Switzerland Date: 04/07/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Deep Dive Series - The Future of Robotics & AI (Liechtenstein Bankers Association) Vaduz, Liechtenstein Date: 23/05/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | DLD Nature The Future of Security & Prosperity September 12-13, 2024 • Munich Investing in nature means investing in a prosperous future. More than half of global GDP depends on the well-being of our planet. Biodiversity forms the basis of all life on Earth and is key to driving economic value in the future. DLD Nature was all about discussing solutions for biodiversity loss, protecting nature and transitioning to a sustainable, future-forward economy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://dldnews.com/dld-nature/ |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar at MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, US Date: 27/10/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics Exhibition- Swiss Robotics Day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Sustainability Robotics Exhibition- Swiss Robotics Day Basel, Switzerland 14th November 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://swissroboticsday.ch/ |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics for Digital Construction |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Building Smart Workshop London, UK Date: 12/07/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics for Environmental Sensing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | ENAC Seminar Series Lausanne, Switzerland, online Date: 25/04/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics: Environmental Intelligence with Intelligent Drones- Kistler Kaderanlass |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Sustainability Robotics: Environmental Intelligence with Intelligent Drones- Kistler Kaderanlass Dubendorf, Switzerland 21st June 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics: Journées du GDR Robotique 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Sustainability Robotics: Journées du GDR Robotique 2024 Paris, France 4th November 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics: Tech tour sustainable construction 2024 Lausanne |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Sustainability Robotics: Tech tour sustainable construction 2024 Lausanne |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tech-tour_announcing-the-keynote-speakers-for-tech-activity-724977177... |
| Description | Sustainabilty Robotics: One with Nature One with Health - BioRob 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Sustainabilty Robotics: One with Nature One with Health - BioRob 2024Linking One Health to Environmental Intelligence and Ecorobotics Forum at IEEE RAS EMBS 10th International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob 2024) Heidelberg, Germany 3rd Sept 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mirkokovac_3-september-conference-day-biorob-2024-activity-7236637821... |
| Description | Talk - Impulsive Motion in Aerial Robotics, ICRA 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk - Impulsive Motion in Aerial Robotics, ICRA 2024 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in PACIFICO Yokohama May 13th to 17th, 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://2024.ieee-icra.org/ |
| Description | Talk - Physical AI for Soft Aerials Robotics, ICRA 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk - Physical AI for Soft Aerials Robotics, ICRA 2024 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in PACIFICO Yokohama May 13th to 17th, 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://2024.ieee-icra.org/ |
| Description | Talk- Bioinspired, soft and other novel design paradigms for aerial robotics, ICRA 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk- Bioinspired, soft and other novel design paradigms for aerial robotics - ICRA 2024 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in PACIFICO Yokohama May 13th to 17th, 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://2024.ieee-icra.org/ |
| Description | Talk- Sustainability Robotics, ICRA 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk- Sustainability Robotics, ICRA 2024 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in PACIFICO Yokohama May 13th to 17th, 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://2024.ieee-icra.org/ |
| Description | Talk- Sustainable Soft Robots: Working with the Environment, ICRA 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk- Sustainable Soft Robots: Working with the Environment, ICRA 2024 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in PACIFICO Yokohama May 13th to 17th, 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://2024.ieee-icra.org/ |
| Description | Talk- Transient Bio-degradable Robotics for environmental intelligence, ICRA 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk- Transient Bio-degradable Robotics for environmental intelligence, ICRA 2024 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation in PACIFICO Yokohama May 13th to 17th, 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://2024.ieee-icra.org/ |
| Description | Teamwork on the ground and in the air |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | AM Expo Luzern, Switzerland Date: 12/09/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | The Brahmal Vasudevan Multi Terrain Aerial Robotics Arena is hosted in the Aerial Robotics Lab and is the first of its kind in Europe |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Brahmal Vasudevan Multi Terrain Aerial Robotics Arena is hosted in the Aerial Robotics Lab and is the first of its kind in Europe Behind-the-scenes @ Centre of Excellence, Infrastructure Robotics Ecosystems Imperial College London The Arena enables engineers to test the next generation of aerial robotics for urban environments and extreme conditions. Researchers in the Arena are able to simulate different terrains in the air, the ocean and on land. The space also enables engineers to create extreme conditions such as fire, smoke and heat to simulate how the next generation of drones will perform in harsh environments. This event was part of an exclusive programme of Member-only visits. Each event gives Members of Friends of Imperial College and their guest's unique access to facilities and research departments with our Behind-the-Scenes events in Imperial and beyond! |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.friendsofimperial.org.uk/events/behind-the-scenes-centre-of-excellence-infrastructure-ro... |
| Description | This heat-resistent drone can find and help people trapped in burning buildings or wildfires |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Current drones used to hoist fire hoses up tall buildings and drop fire retardants are made of plastics and cannot fly near a fire. When it comes to wildfires, Europe is facing potentially one of the worst summers it has seen this year. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), more than 119,000 hectares had already been reduced to cinders across the European Union by June 18. Researchers in Switzerland have successfully developed a heat-resistant drone that could be deployed in burning buildings and forests. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/07/06/this-heat-resistent-drone-can-be-find-and-help-people-trapp... |
| Description | Transforming Infrastructure and Nature with Sustainable Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The global stage is set, environmental challenges are mounting, and infrastructure demands are growing increasingly complex. With the world grappling to balance sustainability with development, robotics has emerged as a critical player in this balancing act. Leading the charge is the DroneHub at NEST (Next Evolution in Sustainable Building Technologies), a pioneering research and innovation centre operated by Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology. This facility is more than just a laboratory-it's a proving ground for cutting-edge bio-inspired drones and robotic technologies designed to live autonomously, gather critical data, and perform restorative actions in the built and natural environments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://highways.today/2024/11/25/nature-robotics/ |
| Description | Ultraleicht, ultrafest und ultraschnell: Java-Gurken als Vorbild - ETH: Treffpunkt Science City |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Ultraleicht, ultrafest und ultraschnell: Java-Gurken als Vorbild - ETH: Treffpunkt Science City Zurich, Switzerland 3rd November 2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://ethz.ch/content/dam/ethz/main/news/veranstaltungen/treffpunkt/Programm%C3%BCbersicht%20Tabel... |
| Description | Workshop: Sustainable Soft Robotics at ICRA 2024 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The "Sustainable Soft Robotics" workshop, held on May 13th in Yokohama, Japan as part of ICRA 2024, was a success, bringing together participants from the soft robotics research community and organized by Mirko Kovac. Workshop Title: Sustainable Soft Robotics: working with the environment ICRA Conference: The workshop was part of the 2024 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), held in Yokohama, Japan. Date: May 13th, 2024. Focus: The workshop focused on sustainable soft robotics research, bringing together a community interested in this area. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |