Biomechatronics is a multidisciplinary field that combines principles of biology and mechatronics (electrical, electronics, and mechanical engineering). It also encompasses the fields of robotics and neuroscience. This discipline aims at designing and controlling advanced robotic systems that interact with the human body. This field includes a wide range of applications, including the design and control of wearable and implantable devices, prosthetics, exoskeletons, and assistive robots.
Collaborative Robotics is a branch of Biomechatronics that explores the interaction and collaboration between humans and robots. This includes the design of robotic systems that can work alongside humans in shared environments, as well as the study of human-robot interaction and the development of new control strategies to enable effective collaboration. The evolution of the field may be seen as a gradual approach to human-robot interaction, human-robot cooperation, and human-robot teaming. Human-robot interaction is the study of how humans and robots interact, as well as how to develop robots that can adapt to human behavior. Human-robot cooperation expands on this by creating new approaches and technologies that allow robots to collaborate with people in shared environments. The field of human-robot teaming goes one step further, by studying how to create teams of humans and robots that can work together effectively and efficiently to achieve common goals.
Research focus
This research group focuses on the intersection of Biomechatronics and Collaborative Robotics. The objective is to develop advanced technologies that enhance human capabilities and enable more efficient and effective collaboration between humans and robots. Haptics, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR), and Extended Reality (ER) technologies are integrated to create immersive and interactive experiences for human-robot collaboration to enhance human capabilities and improve the efficiency of tasks.
Combining Biomechatronics and Collaborative Robotics can provide several benefits for society:
- improving the quality of life for people with impairments through developing advanced technologies such wearable and implantable devices, prosthetics, exoskeletons, and assistive robots that can augment human capacities and mobility;
- increasing efficiency and production in a wide range of industries by allowing robots to collaborate with people in shared environments and developing new control mechanisms to facilitate efficient cooperation;
- new developments in the realm of human-robot interaction, such as the formation of teams of humans and robots capable of collaborating successfully and efficiently to achieve common goals;
- development of novel applications and solutions that can benefit a variety of industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, construction, transportation, and entertainment;
- novel developments in haptics technology that can improve human-robot interaction and make it more realistic and intuitive;
- enhancing athletic performance and training in sports through the use of Biomechatronics and Collaborative Robotics, such as the development of wearable devices that provide real-time feedback to athletes, robots that can assist with training exercises, and haptic technology that simulates the sensation of different surfaces and terrain.
The convergence of Biomechatronics and Collaborative Robotics has the potential to contribute to the advancement of innovative technology and solutions that benefit society and improve the quality of life for people.