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Seminar: A Holistic Approach to Robot Development: From Components to Solutions, Prof. Darwin G Caldwell from the Italian Institute of Technology

Date
Date
Thursday 23 February 2023, 14.00 - 15.00
Location
*On-campus* Mechanical Engineering LT B (2.37)

Abstract: The development of robots represents a complex blending of many different engineering and basic scientific disciplines (electronic and mechanical engineering, control, computer science, mathematics, physics etc) and often “spills’ over into other domains: civil engineering, transport, medicine, psychology, physiology, agriculture, food science, social science, astrophysics etc. The ever-growing scope of robotics means that a full understanding of the development, potential and limitations of robots can be an important asset.

The Dept. of Advanced Robotics (ADVR) at the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) takes a holistic (full, all-inclusive, universal, whole) approach to the development of these new generations of robots. This starts with the engineering of not just the robots, but often the core components, and includes all aspects of the mechanical and electronic design, progressing through the low and high level software, control, and user interface systems development, to full user and environmental trials and even on occasions involving fabrication, construction and assembly. Development of these robots has spanned TRLs from basic principles and concept development to full implementations on operational sites.

This presentation will consider the whole systems development of a wide range of robots that cross many sectors from humanoids and quadrupeds to medical and rehabilitation robots, exoskeletons and wearable robots, inspection and maintenance robots to new generation of advanced robotics systems applied in industrial contexts. To show the whole systems approach I shall consider robots developed at IIT including; the HyQ quadruped family (HyQ, Hyq2real, HyQMax), humanoids such as iCub, cCub, COMAN, WALKMAN, and COMAN+, the centaur robot PHOLUS, exoskeletons (XoTrunk, XoSoft, XoShoulder, XoElbow), medical and rehabilitation robots (CALM, Cathbot, SVEI, Arbot) and continuum and small space investigation robots.

Bio: Darwin G Caldwell is Founding Director of the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Genoa Italy, and Director of the Dept. of Advanced Robotics (ADVR) at IIT. He has pioneered developments in compliant and variable impedance actuation, Soft and Human Friendly Robotics and the creation of 'softer', safer robots, that draw on developments in materials, mechanisms, sensing, actuation and software. These developments have been fundamental to advances in humanoids, quadrupeds, medical robotics and exoskeletons. Key robots developed by his team include: iCub, a child-sized humanoid robot; COMAN, a controllably compliant humanoid designed to safely interact with people and have more natural (loco)motion; WALK-MAN, a 1.85m tall, 120kg humanoid that competed in the DARPA Robotics Challenge; the HyQ series (HyQ, HyQ2Max, HyQ-Real) of high performance hydraulic quadrupedal robots; and PHOLUS/Centauro, a human-robot symbiotic system capable of robust locomotion and dexterous manipulation in rough terrain and harsh environments. In addition to his research in legged robots, Prof. Caldwell also works extensively to develop wearable and haptic systems including whole body exoskeletons such as the XoSoft, XoTrunk, XoShoulder and XoElbow and in surgical and rehabilitation robotics where his team have developed systems such as the CALM (Computer Aided Laser Microsurgery) systems, the Cathbot, Cathbot-Pro and SVEI (for catherization and tissue type detection) and the Arbot (Ankle rehabilitation robot).

Caldwell is or has been an Honorary professor at the Universities of Manchester, Sheffield, Bangor and King's College London in the UK, and Tianjin University in China. He has published over 700 papers, has over 25 patents and has received over 50 awards/nominations at international conferences and events. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the IEEE.