Empa and EPFL establish a joint research lab
Joint professorship for robotics between EPFL and Empa
Empa researcher Mirko Kovac has been Professor of Sustainability Robotics at EPFL's School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering since September 1. The professorship and the associated Laboratory of Sustainability Robotics, which are jointly funded by EPFL and Empa, combine Empa's expertise in materials, engineering and testing infrastructures – including the DroneHub currently under construction at NEST on the Empa campus in Dübendorf – and EPFL's expertise in environmental sensing. This new cooperation thus gives researchers and students the opportunity to work at both institutions depending on the issue at hand.
Mirko Kovac has headed the Laboratory of Sustainability Robotics at Empa, which is run jointly with Imperial College London, since the end of 2018. He has already been Adjunct Professor at EPFL since September 2023 and Full Professor at Imperial College London, where he heads the Aerial Robotics Lab and the Center of Excellence in Infrastructure Robotics Ecosystems. With his teams in London and Dübendorf – and henceforth also in Lausanne – he is developing next-generation drones that interact with the environment outside of lab conditions in a constantly changing environment. For example, by placing sensors in treetops or collecting water samples from various depths in the world's oceans and lakes. This is important data for analyzing the health of these ecosystems in order to better protect them.
A new field of robotics is emerging
Sustainability Robotics is the name of this new discipline. The autonomous systems are inspired by the natural world, for example insects. In future, drones could not only open up new fields for environmental sciences, but they could also have the potential to revolutionize the construction industry, for example by printing 3D materials for the construction or repair of buildings while flying (termed Aerial Additive Manufacturing, or AAM), and even protect human lives. The latter, for instance, by providing an overview of the situation before the fire department enters the sea of flames.
Mirko Kovac currently has his hands full, as construction work for the DroneHub in the NEST experimental building on the Empa campus in Dübendorf is in full swing. Thanks to a cage that shields the research platform from the outside world, the "aviary" for his drones enables Kovac's team to carry out unrestricted test runs with robots and drones in open air. The open-air laboratory serves as a bridge between indoor and outdoor spaces and between the built and natural environment. Here, Kovac's international team will not only research the extent to which drones and other robots can take on tasks in the field of building inspection, maintenance and repair that are either too dangerous or cumbersome for humans, but also develop a diverse portfolio of robots and drones to collect environmental data in forests and wetlands.
An aviary for drone research
A unique feature of the DroneHub is the so-called AAM wall, which allows researchers to install and flexibly exchange a wide variety of surface materials in order to simulate a whole range of scenarios. Special climbing and flying robots will be able to detect any damage to these surfaces and repair them independently. A unique feature about this setting is that the flying robots not only scan the surfaces, they are also able to detect maintenance and construction work directly from the air. The researchers see these and similar robots as the future of building maintenance. Other areas of application will include measurements and data collection in natural environments. To this end, objects such as artificial and natural trees will be added to the DroneHub to enable tests on the interaction between measuring drones and the biosphere. The DroneHub is due to open in November.
Prof. Dr. Mirko Kovac
Sustainability Robotics / Imperial College London
Phone +41 58 765 46 89
mirko.kovac@empa.ch
Dr. Michael Hagmann
Communications
Phone +41 58 765 4592
redaktion@empa.ch
Construction for DroneHub gets off the ground
Empowering aerial innovation for a sustainable future
Starting in early July, the latest NEST Unit at the Empa and Eawag research and innovation building, the DroneHub, has begun to take shape. Its cage, separating the research facility from the environment, is already finished. It enables unrestricted deployment of robots and drones under an open sky. During August, the laboratory facility will be added, which completes phase one of DroneHub's development.
The first steps on the path to a brand new research platform for autonomous robots are taken: The DroneHub can already be recognized, thanks to its characteristic façade. After mounting the scaffolding, the support structure, which forms the cage for the aviary, was installed within a week. This steel ribcage consists of almost 30 individually shaped beams. Following its completion, a steel mesh was mounted. It separates the open-air research facility from the outside world. Although the outer layer of construction seems almost finished, there is still vast potential for the DroneHub: every research topic requires very specific infrastructure. Thus, the possibilities for potential research applications inside the DroneHub will continue to grow, even after the NEST Unit is opened up.
As a bespoke research facility for the Laboratory of Sustainability Robotics of Empa, EPFL and Imperial College London, the DroneHub represents a further investment in research and development of aerial innovation. The open-air laboratory serves as a bridge between indoor and outdoor research facilities as well as between built and natural environment. Here, the international team, led by Mirko Kovac, wants to explore not only the extent to which robots can take on tasks in the field of infrastructure inspection, maintenance and repairs that are either dangerous or challenging for humans, but also a diverse portfolio of aerial robotic development for environmental sensing in forests and wetlands.
Aerial maintenance and repair work
Therefore, as a unique feature, the AAM wall, short for Aerial Additive Manufacturing wall, is a crucial installation inside the DroneHub. It enables researchers, for instance, to install various surfaces to create flexibility in the representation of vast amounts of different scenarios. Special maintenance drones are then tested to detect any damage on the panels and repair them autonomously, using aerial 3D printing technology. According to the research team, robots such as these should carry out most of the maintenance work on our buildings in the near future.
Additionally, the team plans to further increase the research infrastructure over time. In order to enable projects concerned with environmental sensing and application of biodegradable robots, for instance, a small-scale biosphere inside the research facility is already on the horizon. Potential industry partners are also welcome, as the Laboratory of Sustainability Robotics aims for a wide spectrum of suitable applications for their research. The official opening ceremony of the DroneHub will be in November 2024.
Enrico Marchesi
Innovation Manager NEST
Phone +41 58 765 4705
enrico.marchesi@empa.ch
