Legged robots for planetary exploration
Walking and jumping robots for low gravity and for steep, sandy slopes. We built the hardware, trained the controllers and tested them in Mars and Moon analogue sites and on parabolic flights.
Research
I work on robots for rough terrain: on the Moon and Mars, in sewers and in industrial plants. Usually this covers the whole system, from mechanics and sensing to control, and ends with tests in the field.
Topics
Haptic sensing
Using the feet of a robot as sensors, for example to classify soil or to find damaged concrete in sewers.
Robot teams in the field
Several specialised robots that explore together, supervised by an operator. We also worked on how to measure the performance of such teams in field tests.
AI for recycling
Cameras and AI to detect waste in rivers, robot arms that sort it, and quality measurement of paper for recycling in industrial plants.
Projects
Since 2023
LunarLeaper
Initiator. Mission concept to explore a lunar lava tube at the Marius Hills pit with a small legged robot. lunarleaper.space
2022 to 2025
PLATE
Principal investigator of a passive wheel abrasion experiment for MBRSC’s Rashid-1 lunar rover.
2021 to 2024
SpaceHopper
A small three-legged robot for hopping on asteroids and small moons, with learned in-flight reorientation.
2021 to 2023
GLIMPSE
Principal investigator. Won the ESA and ESRIC Space Resources Challenge out of 12 teams, using a team of ANYmal robots.
2021 to 2023
LEAP
Principal investigator of the ESA Topical Team on legged exploration of the Aristarchus Plateau on the Moon.
2021 to 2022
Lunar ISRU demo plant
Systems engineering for a lunar resource utilisation demonstrator within an Airbus-led consortium.
2018 to 2020
THING
Horizon 2020 project on haptic sensing for legged robots, including sewer inspection with ANYmal in Zurich.
2017 to 2020
SpaceBok
A legged robot that jumps in low gravity. I supervised the ETH focus project and tested the robot at ESA in Noordwijk.
2014 to 2016
Orbital robotics at ESA
Set up ESA’s orbital robotics lab with air-bearing robots, and worked on debris removal studies including ENVISAT.