A quadcopter drone in flight at M-Air testing facility

Research focus areas

Michigan Robotics research spans foundational methods and real-world applications.

Core areas advance the underlying science of robotics, while application areas bring these capabilities to specific domains and challenges. Many projects draw on multiple core areas and often include an application area. This interconnected research is what makes the field of robotics so dynamic and open to aspiring experts in multiple domains.

Core research areas

Foundational science and methods behind intelligent robotic systems.

Design & Soft Robotics

Comprehensive consideration of design, materials, and biologically-inspired approaches. Covers soft robotics, mechatronics, and mechanism design.

Human-Robot Interaction & Teaming

Cognitive HRI, physical human-robot interaction, multi-agent human-robot teaming, human-robot decision making, and human-security robot interaction.

Motion Planning & Control

Robot planning and control, path planning for multiple agents, model-based control, and trajectory optimization.

Robot Learning & Foundational Models

Machine learning, deep learning, foundational models for robotic decision-making, and learning for control.

Robot Perception & Computer Vision

Robot vision, computer vision applications, sensor-based control, and perception for manipulation tasks.

Robotic Manipulation & Grasping

Robotic manipulation, mobile manipulation, affordances for perception and manipulation, and grasping technologies.

Safe Autonomy & Robot Safety

Ethics and safety in autonomous systems, safeguards for AI, robot safety, and controls-oriented safety approaches.

Application research areas

Robotics research applied to specific domains and real-world challenges.

Autonomous Vehicles & Intelligent Transportation

Self-driving vehicles, connected transportation systems, and autonomous vehicle safety and control.

Legged Robotics

Legged robots, locomotion, biomechanics, and feedback control of legged systems.

Manufacturing Robotics

Intelligent and flexible manufacturing systems, smart manufacturing, industrial automation, digital twins, and human-robot collaboration.

Medical Robotics

Advancing the quality, effectiveness, delivery, and accessibility of health care. Includes surgical robots, AI-assisted surgery, micro-robotics for medicine, and image-guided robotic health care.

Multi-Robot Systems & Swarms

Multi-robot coordination, swarm robotics, and distributed robotic systems.

Rehabilitation Robotics & Wearables

Exoskeletons, prosthetics, wearable robotics, and human performance enhancement systems.