Cognitive Robotic Systems Lab

Group information

Cognitive Robotic Systems are robotic systems, that is, systems able to sense the environment and to act upon it; but they are also cognitive systems, that is, systems able to reason about what they sense and about what actions to perform. Examples of such systems include autonomous robots able to provide services to humans in a domestic or industrial setting, smart homes able to increase the comfort and safety of elderly people, or distributed systems of robots and sensors able to monitor the pollution of the environment.

The aim of our group is to perform basic and applied research on cognitive robotic systems. We address in particular the crucial problem of the integration of higher-level cognitive processes into physically embedded systems, like robots. Our approach relies on the combination of techniques from computer science and artificial intelligence with the use of real robots and sensors.

We are internationally recognized for our work in key scientific areas which are pivotal to the creation of cognitive robotic systems. These include: planning and scheduling, cognitive sensor systems, robot ecologies, and hybrid reasoning.

We insist on the combination of sound theoretical investigation and careful empirical evaluation, especially when our systems interact with humans. Our application domains are illustrated by our portfolio of projects.