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
hybrid reasoning
Our application domains...
are illustrated by our portfolio of projects. They include:
elderly care and independent living (Excite, RobotEra, Giraf+)
monitoring through olfaction (MedNose, PollutedPeace)
In our work toward applications, we insist on the combination of sound
theoretical investigation and careful empirical evaluation, especially
when our systems interact with humans.