Biorobotics Laboratory BioRob
Project Database
This page contains the database of possible research projects for master and bachelor students in the Biorobotics Laboratory (BioRob). Visiting students are also welcome to join BioRob, but it should be noted that no funding is offered for those projects. To enroll for a project, please directly contact one of the assistants (directly in his/her office, by phone or by mail). Spontaneous propositions for projects are also welcome, if they are related to the research topics of BioRob, see the BioRob Research pages and the results of previous student projects.
Search filter: only projects matching the keyword Quadruped Locomotion are shown here. Remove filter
Amphibious robotics
Computational Neuroscience
Dynamical systems
Human-exoskeleton dynamics and control
Humanoid robotics
Miscellaneous
Mobile robotics
Modular robotics
Neuro-muscular modelling
Quadruped robotics
Amphibious robotics
| 724 – Control of a salamander robot using a CPG controller with virtual muscles |
| Category: | semester project, master project (full-time) | |
| Keywords: | C, C++, Control, Embedded Systems, Firmware, Linux, Locomotion, Muscle modeling, Programming, Quadruped Locomotion, Robotics | |
| Type: | 10% theory, 20% hardware, 70% software | |
| Responsibles: |
(MED 1 1611, phone: 36620)
(MED 1 1626, phone: 38676) | |
| Description: | The spinal cord in many vertebrates contains a central pattern generator (CPG) that can control the physical body to interact with the environment and produce diverse rhythmic motor patterns, such as walking and swimming. The salamander is a great model organism to study the transition between different motor patterns because it is the closest extant representative of the first tetrapods that transitioned from aquatic to terrestrial environments. To understand the mechanism of such pattern generation and transition, our lab has been developing numerical models of the neuromechanical system for decades. We have also developed multiple salamander robots to verify these models against the real-world environment, the physics of which can not be fully captured by numerical simulations. This project will focus on implementing new CPG controllers on a salamander robot with 27 degrees of freedom (https://www.epfl.ch/labs/biorob/research/amphibious/pleurobot/). The controller will run on a single-board Linux computer (Ordroid) to communicate with the motors through serial communication and with the operator's computer through Wi-Fi. A student who plans to use this project for a master's thesis additionally needs to implement virtual muscles in the controller to reflect the biomechanical properties of the body. To do so, the student will need to characterize the dynamic response of the servo motors and consider them in the controller. With sufficient time, the student will perform systematic experiments to study the performance of these controllers. Students who have taken the Computational Motion Control course are preferred. Students who are interested in this project could send CV, transcripts, and materials that can demonstrate project experience (videos, slides, reports, etc.), if possible, to astha.gupta@epfl.ch and qiyuan.fu@epfl.ch. Last edited: 05/12/2023 | |
Quadruped robotics
A small excerpt of possible projects is listed here. Highly interested students may also propose projects, or continue an existing topic.
| 697 – Teaching a Robot Dog New Tricks |
| Category: | semester project, master project (full-time), internship | |
| Keywords: | C++, Computer Science, Control, Learning, Programming, Python, Quadruped Locomotion, Vision | |
| Type: | 20% theory, 20% hardware, 60% software | |
| Responsible: | (MED 1 1024, phone: 37506) | |
| Description: | As robots become more prevalent in human society, the number of interactions will increase and good communication will be critical for successful human-machine collaboration. In this project, the student will develop a framework for human-robot interaction using both visual and audio feedback. Given a set of user-defined "tricks" (i.e. lie down, turn around, move left), how can we instruct the robot to perform a particular task? Can we also teach the robot a new task it currently does not know how to do? Communication will be done using both a camera mounted on the robot, as well as with a microphone. The three important tasks are 1) developing the motion library, 2) developing the visual interface to human activity recognition software to map to the motion library, 3) developing the voice command interface. To apply, please email Guillaume with your motivation, CV, and briefly describe your relevant experience (i.e. with machine learning, software engineering, etc.). Last edited: 04/12/2023 | |
2 projects found.