Prof. Dr. Robert Katzschmann
Area of Research
Description of Research Interest
My research focuses on creating life-like robots by combining soft materials, musculoskeletal architectures, and biological integration. I develop compliant robotic systems that integrate soft actuators, vision-controlled inkjet printing, and xolographic biofabrication for the high-resolution fabrication of structures designed for safe interaction with humans and complex environments. A major area is musculoskeletal robotics, where electrically driven artificial muscles, tendons, and joints enable expressive, efficient, and adaptive movement. I also work on biohybrid robots that integrate living cells or tissues to support sensing, actuation, regeneration, and environmental adaptation. In underwater robotics, I design autonomous soft robotic swimmers for ecological monitoring and biodiversity studies. Finally, I advance dexterous robotic manipulation through musculoskeletal design principles and AI-driven control, enabling robots to interact with the physical world with higher precision, robustness, and intelligence.
Special Expertise
- Musculoskeletal robot design, artificial muscles, and tendon–joint actuation
- Soft robotics, soft sensing, and continuum system control
- Biohybrid robots integrating living cells or tissues
- Underwater soft robotics and autonomous aquatic systems
- Data-driven modeling, reinforcement learning, and sim-to-real pipelines
- High-precision additive manufacturing and biofabrication for robotic systems
- Embedded control, perception, and real-time robotic experimentation
Shareable Platforms, Services, Equipment & Infrastructure
- Soft Robotics Lab fabrication facilities for silicone molding, soft actuators, and artificial muscles
- High-resolution inkjet and multimaterial printing platforms for robotics
- Biohybrid robotics prototyping and cell-integrated device development workflows
- Underwater robotic testbeds including aquatic arenas and tracking systems
- Motion-capture and force-sensing systems for dynamic muscle and robot evaluation
- Custom sensing and embedded control hardware developed in-house
- Open-source musculoskeletal simulation and soft-robotics software stacks
Member of Collaborative/interdisciplinary Research Consortia
- SNSF Sinergia Consortium on Bioxolography
- ETH RobotX - Robotics Center
- ETH AI Center (collaborative research activities and joint projects)
- Interdisciplinary collaborations with UZH and University Hospital Zurich (UMZH network)
