Participants: Development of a modular underwater docking system for resident ocean robotics, enabling the deployment of constellations of autonomous underwater vehicles capable of observing and interacting with the ocean over long durations, without ships or human intervention. This innovation aims...
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Funded Projects
Funded Projects
We have the pleasure of announcing the winners in response to Call for Proposals.
We thank all teams who put the effort and time into submitting their applications.
Next deadline: 1 September 2025
CALL 8 - 2025
SoftBot: A General-Purpose Robotic Assistant for Safe and Adaptive Crop Care
Participants: The first soft robotic solution to enable safe, adaptive automation in greenhouses. Using teleoperation and continuous learning, we learn in real time tasks like harvesting and pruning, addressing labor shortages in horticulture. Research Partner : EPFL CREATE Lab The...
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Innovative Robotic Joint Actuators for Humanoid Robots
Participants: Developing next-generation joints for humanoid robots using advanced reducer technology to create high-torque, compact, back-drivable, and transparent actuators that enable safe, smooth, and human-like motion. Research Partner : EPFL – REHAssist The REHAssist research group, led by Dr. Mohamed...
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Tethys 4k Fusion – Autonomous Subsea Mapping for Digital Twin Creation
Participants: Tethys 4K Fusion is a lightweight multi-camera 4K payload for autonomous subsea 3D mapping. With real-time sensor fusion and closed-loop quality control, it enables digital twins, faster inspections, and superior data quality for offshore assets. Research Partner : Autonomous Systems...
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FireDrone Nest – Portable docking station with integrated cooling & cleaning for persistent drone operations
Participants: FireDrone Nest is a mobile, thermally shielded docking station that enables continuous missions for the high-temperature-resistant FireDrone. After each flight, the Nest reconditions the FireDrone to safe operating levels – minimizing downtime and manual intervention. Field validation will take...
Read moreCALL 7 - 2025
Towards Certifiable, Vision-Based Mid-Air Collision Avoidance for Drones
Participants: Development of a 360° camera-based mid-air collision avoidance system for small drones that can be certifiable under current BAZL (Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation) regulations and establish a new standard in airspace safety. Research Partner : Autonomous Systems...
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VISTENT: variable stiffness endoscopes for sinus surgeries in difficult-to-reach areas
Participants: Development of a novel variable stiffness endoscope that enables new types of minimally invasive head and neck surgeries with fewer complications, shorter procedures for doctors, faster recovery for patients, and lower costs for hospitals. Research Partner : The Laboratory...
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Remaining Flight Time & Accurate State of Charge Estimation for Drone Operations in Warehouses
Participants: The aim of the project is to redefine battery performance management for drones by integrating real-time State of Charge (SoC) tracking. Predictive models enhance accuracy, enabling extended flight times, reduced disruptions, and optimized energy usage in inventory automation systems....
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Phygital Robotics Education Platform for Industrial Upskilling
Participants: The progression of the cobotics market for industrial applications requires dedicated teaching programs to upskill the employees and to form new personnel. Current training programs either requires centralized sessions, shared hardware, and/or instructor-led demonstrations. Simulators exist, but they are...
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The Fall Stopper – A lightweight robotic approach to fall prevention
Participants: Building on an existing prototype, the project focuses on developing an enhanced version of an award-winning mobile cable robot for fall prevention. The solution is expected to contribute to reducing the 90,000 fall-related injuries occurring annually in Switzerland. Research...
Read moreCALL 6 - 2024
Motors as Sensors: Anomaly Detection in a Pipetting Robot
Participants: The project aims at leveraging small and medium-sized motors as sensors. Motors are often located close to components being moved, an ideal place for picking up information and running integrated anomaly detection on a machine learning-enabled microcontroller. Research Partner...
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5 Axis Microscope for Automated Optical Inspection
Participants: Development of a microscope which can move in 5 axes, is configurable, programmable, and fast.The project will focus on testing how fast it can scan a manufactured object. The goal is to do this task, at least, as fast...
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Safe and Reliable Interactive Communication Framework for Human-Environment Interaction
Participants: Development of a secure and reliable interactive communication framework for human-environment interaction, designed to create a dynamic, responsive, and safe IoT-based ecosystem. In this ecosystem, smart furniture enhances the built environment to optimize and augment human capabilities. Research Partner...
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PRESSMAP – PRESSure MAPping for real-time evaluation of forefoot instability
Participants: Hallux valgus is a foot disorder usually evaluated through manual examination. The proposal will use robotic devices to reduce uncertainties. The goal of the current project is to enhance an existing prototype by implementing metatarsal dynamic pressure distribution measurement....
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Plate Explorer – Mobile robotic microscope for cell culture inspection in incubators
Participants: The proof-of-concept project will study the development of a compact mobile fluorescence microscope to inspect cell cultures directly inside manual incubators and robotic incubators with cell culture microplate carousel. The cell culture imaging directly inside incubators enables the reduction...
Read moreCALL 5 - 2024
RoboPrint: Robotic arm assisted 5D bioprinter
Participants: RoboPrint will develop a novel printing method that follows stress curves, enhancing structural strength and eliminating the need for supports. This innovation will be pivotal in treating bone and organ-related diseases. Research partner: ARSL – ETHZ The Acoustic Robotics...
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AITHON Robotics – Access solution for hazardous tasks
Participants: AITHON is an aerial robotics project developing a drone capable of performing forceintensive tasks at heights. Our modular drone will allow customers in the constructionindustry to reduce their operating costs and extend the life of their structures throughtargeted deployments....
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Improving the outcomes of Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension (SIH) interventions.
Participants: The treatment of spontaneous intracranial hypotension (SIH) is a poorly addressed clinical challenge. This project’s goal is to provide technological solutions to improve the outcomes of SIH interventions. Research partner: Neuro Robotics Group ARTORG Center, University of Bern Robotics...
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Visual SLAM Technology for Guiding Cleaning Carts in Shopping Centers
Participants: The project integrates advanced Visual SLAM technology into mall carts for autonomous navigation, transforming research into practical use. Robolem handles project management and construction. Key partners are ILT, OST, and Shoppi Tivoli for testing. Research partner: ILT – OST...
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Inveel Robotic Skin – Empowering robots with the feeling of touch
Participants: The project aims to create a sensor-rich skin for robotic hands using Inveel’s nanoelectrode printing, achieving unprecedented resolution in force and proximity sensing. This advanced skin mimics human tactile sensitivity, enabling precise perception and superhuman abilities like proximity detection,...
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Autonomous Drone System for Precise Localization of Avalanche Victim
Participants: The autonomous HT-100 helicopter system from ANAVIA, together with an innovative path planning algorithm, enables avalanche victims to be located as quickly as possible. Thanks to its high robustness and flight speed, the system is ideally suited for daily...
Read moreCALL 4 - 2023
AI-powered directional light unit for intelligent dentist chairs
Participants: Development of a robotized directional light unit for dentist chair, by providing AI capability to automatically assess the situation and the position/orientation of a patient’s face and features, to automatize the positioning and the activation of the light, without...
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Active perturbation for sensorimotor therapy
Participants: Balance training is crucial for a variety of patients. There are hardly any options for perturbation training outside of inpatient rehabilitation. We are exploring therapeutically meaningful perturbation training in outpatient settings with a compact robotic module. Research partner: The...
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Design, manufacturing and testing of a self-stressed protective shell and its integration into an industrial inspection drone
Participants: The aim of this project consists in the development, integration and testing of a new self-stressed protective envelope specifically designed and optimized for integration on ASIO drone, currently produced and marketed by the company Flybotix. Research partner: The Haute...
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VIRAS: Visually Impaired Robot-Assisted Shopping
Participants: VIRAS encompasses an autonomous shopping cart designed for the blind and visually impaired. It enables them to conduct their purchases independently. The self-driving cart navigates to products and acoustically guides the user’s hand to his desired items. Research partner:...
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Soft Sensor patch for assessment of product texture
Participants: Designing consumer products involving body contact requires assessing ‘skin feel’ or ‘mouth feel.’ Human skin’s sensory receptors detect pressure, temperature, and pain, influencing texture perception. Texture is crucial in product acceptance, from the mouth free of food, the feeling...
Read moreCALL 3 - 2023
Design study of an autonomous mobile robot for surface finishing tasks
Participants: The project aims to design an autonomous construction robot for plastering tasks, focusing on whole-body motion control and innovative hardware design to overcome existing solution limitations. Research partner: ETH Zürich, Gramazio Kohler Research specializes in the integration of digital...
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Collaborative robotic surgery assistant: Intuitive one hand-guided endoscopic tool holder
Participants: The project aims to develop an Intuitive one hand guided endoscopic tool holder manipulation assistant based on a Stäubli TX2-60L with a native implementation of real-time communication/external commands using an external Beckhoff TwinCAT3 controller via EtherCAT protocol. Research partner:...
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RoboBrush
Participants: Research partner: CSEM, an internationally recognized innovation specialist developing disruptive technologies with a high societal impact in the fields of precision manufacturing, digitalization, ultra-low-power electronics, optical elements, AI, and sustainable energy. Implementation partner: URECH, is the go-to store in...
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Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) mounted passive water sampling system for autonomous environmental DNA collection
Participants: This project develops a system to collect and passively filter water based environmental DNA samples autonomously from a UAV. This enables precise sample collection from remote areas and mapping of biodiversity data on species distributions over large areas and...
Read moreCALL 2 - 2022
FireDrone
Participants: Research partner: Materials and Technology Centre of Robotics The general guiding theme and vision of the new Empa Laboratory of Sustainability Robotics is to develop novel soft robotic systems for infrastructure maintenance and environmental monitoring. The main research method of the...
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Ascento – Automated Security Patrolling on large outdoor properties
Participants: Research partner name: Autonomous Systems Lab – ETH Zurich – ASL is a robotics research laboratory whose mission and dedication is to create robots and intelligent systems that are able to autonomously operate in complex and diverse environments. Implementation partner:...
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EMG-controlled hand exoskeleton for assistance and rehabilitation in motor-impaired patients
Participants: Research partner: EPFL Translational Neural Engineering Lab – Development of neurotechnologies to restore sensorimotor function in people affected by disabilities Implementation partner: Emovo Care SA– Affordable medical devices to bring motor therapy and assistance directly at home Project description:...
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Investigating robot-assisted thermal ablation of complex liver malignancies in a perfused ex-vivo model
Participants: Research partner: ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research – Multidisciplinary research team bridging the gap between university, clinical and industry knowledge Implementation partner: CASCINATION AG – Medical device development expert and pioneer in stereotactic image-guidance and robotic surgery Project description: Current...
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Flexible Pick and Place for Transparent Micro-devices
Participants: Research partner: HuCE cpvrLab– Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH). Our research aims at bringing human flexibility into automation efficiency. We leverage technologies such as 6D-tracked tools and augmented reality to develop context-aware systems that aim at simplifying human-machine interaction...
Read moreCALL 1 - 2022
SEEZER – Compliant gripper for motor assembly automation
Participants: Research partner: EPFL The Reconfigurable Robotics Lab (RRL), EPFL has over a decade of experience in developing unique reconfigurable robotic systems in medical, space and communication fields. RRL’s various folding robotic designs have demonstrated their efficacy under diverse geometric and functional applications...
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Robot intelligence for parcel logistics
Participants: Research partner name: Computational Robotics Lab – We develop theoretical foundations to shape the way future generations of robots are made, how they operate in complex environments, and how they interact with us. In brief, we formalize advanced simulation models...
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Autonomous Wind Turbine LPS Measurement
Participants: Research partner name: Autonomous Systems Lab / ETH Zurich – ASL is a robotics research laboratory whose mission and dedication is to create robots and intelligent systems that are able to autonomously operate in complex and diverse environments. Implementation partner: Voliro...
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SEEZER – The eye in hand grasper for precise micro assembly tasks
Participants: Research partner name: BIROMED-Lab, DBE, University of BaselExpertise: Medical robotics, Complete functional prototype design, Real-time control Implementation partner: Brütsch Elektronik AGExpertise: Miniature Cameras, Industrial Automation, MedTech Project description: The project will develop an eye-in-hand grasper, i.e. a robotic grasper/tweezer...
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Walk’n’roll – Hybrid walking-rolling wheel for mobile field robotics
Participants: Nom du partenaire de recherche : HEPIA – Institut des sciences et technologies industrielles Partenaire de mise en œuvre : Autonomyo Description of the project : Standard wheels are extremely energy efficient on flat terrains while legs are more...
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