Modular testbed for evaluating soft robot's controllers
SHORT SUMMARY
Alongside the advancements in soft robot technology, there is also a need for a standardized hardware platform that can enable benchmarking of various control methods developed for soft-bodied robots. This modular testbed contributes to the state-of-the-art by allowing the researchers to evaluate their control methods on standardized and open-source platform that that features exemplary tendon-driven soft-bodied robots with integrated closed-loop tip position and tendon position and force control.
HOSTING INSTITUTION AND PI INFO
| Name of Host Organization | University of Belgrade – School of Electrical Engineering |
| Department or Lab | ETF Laboratory for robotics |
| Name of Building | Palace of Science |
| Physical Address | Kralja Milana 11, Belgrade, Serbia |
| Website Links | https://robot.etf.bg.ac.rs |
| Institutional contact name | Kosta Jovanovic |
| Institutional contact email | kostaj@etf.rs |
APPLICATION CASES
| Application case: | Short description: |
| Benchmarking soft-robot control methods | The TestBed is intended as a reproducible hardware platform for comparing control methods for tendon-driven soft continuum robots, including model-based and learning-based approaches. |
| Education and student projects | Suitable for teaching mechatronics, embedded systems, soft robotics, CAD, PCB design, sensor calibration, control engineering and experimental data analysis. |
| SME/startup support and rapid prototyping | The TestBed can support early proof-of-concept work for compliant manipulators, soft grippers, safe human-robot interaction devices and low-cost robotic actuation modules. |
POTENTIAL STAKEHOLDERS
Non-academic stakeholders
Startups, SMEs
Academic stakeholders
Undergraduate students, PhD students, MSc students, Researchers