Robotics : spotlight on ERC projects

The idea of automated machines that can perform tasks autonomously dates back to ancient times but robotics is a relatively new research domain - less than 60 years old. Today, this broad, interdisciplinary scientific field combines mechanical and electrical engineering, computational studies, communication engineering, but also neurosciences and cognitive sciences. From the big industrial robots that assist production in factories, to the robotic sensors in navigation systems and the nanorobots that might be injected in our cells for therapeutic purposes, researchers in robotics do not have to look too far for a scientific challenge or room for progress. The European Research Council (ERC) aims at supporting top researchers with these challenges by funding their best scientific ideas. Around 60 robotics-related projects have been funded by the ERC since its creation, representing more than €104 million invested in research areas such as human-robot interactions, robot tasks and abilities with various industrial or service applications (e.g. health, care, safety and domestic). This brochure showcases a few examples of these projects.