engineering

Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems

Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems is a engineering topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems rather than just read about it. In short: The Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems (IRIS) is part of the ETH Zurich, Switzerland. It replaced the existing Institute of Robotics, of the ETH Zurich in October 2002, when Prof.

Key takeaways

Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems belongs to engineering; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems (IRIS) is part of the ETH Zurich, Switzerland. It replaced the existing Institute of Robotics, of the ETH Zurich in October 2002, when Prof. Bradley J. Nelson moved from the University of Minnesota, United States, to ETH Zurich, and succeeded the Prof. Dr. Gerhard Schweitzer.

History

Institute of Robotics (1990-2002)

The Institute of Robotics was part of the ETH Zurich in Switzerland. It emerged from the Institute of Mechanics in January 1990. The new institute was led by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Schweitzer and participated in the interdisciplinary Mechatronics Group of the ETH. Within the scope of mechatronics its members performed research on the dynamics of controlled mechanical systems. Typical research areas included robotics and magnetic bearings. For representing the activities in magnetic bearings, the ETH research group International Center for Magnetic Bearings (ICMB) was founded in 1990. The spinoff company MECOS Traxler, specializing in the industrial application of magnetic bearings, was founded in 1988. In October 1995, Prof. Dr. Andreas Stemmer joined the Institute of Robotics, focusing on research at the nanometer scale. As of February 2001, Prof. Stemmer's nanotechnology group became an independent unit within the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering.

Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems (2002-2007) Prof. Brad Nelson, the successor of Prof. Schweitzer, started in October 2002. The Institute of Robotics became the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems (IRIS). IRIS started with a clear focus on the emerging field of micro- and nano-robotics, developing tools that allow the fabrication of devices at those scales, and conducting research to enable the utilization of micro- and nano-robotics for biomedicine. Until 2007, IRIS was composed of one single laboratory, the MultiScale Robotics Lab, headed by Prof. Bradley Nelson.

Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems (2007-present) In 2007 the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems expanded to include the Autonomous Systems Lab (ASL) headed by Prof. Roland Siegwart, in an effort to establish a powerful institution conducting research in multiple fronts in robotics. Prof. Bradley Nelson now heads the Robotics Laboratory (MRSL), where the main focus of research continues to be robotics at smaller scales. Since 2007 IRIS is constantly expanding with the inclusion of new independent laboratories.

Laboratories Currently, seven laboratories are part of IRIS. Prof. Bradley Nelson is the leader of the MultiScale Robotics Lab (MSRL). Prof. Roland Siegwart leads the Autonomous Systems Lab (ASL). The Sensory-Motor Systems Lab (SMS) is led by Prof. Robert Riener, and the Rehabilitation Engineering Lab (RE Lab) is led by Prof. Roger Gassert. The Bio-Inspired Robotics Laboratory is headed by Prof. Fumiya Iida Bio-Inspired Robotics Lab (BIRL), the Agile and Dexterous Robotics Lab (ADRL) is led by Prof. Dr. Jonas Buchli and IRIS's newest robotics lab, the Mobile Health Systems Lab (MHSL) is led by Prof. Dr. Walter Karlen. The laboratories of IRIS are independent entities that conduct research in areas ranging from nanodevices for biomedicine, to systems for rehabilitation and autonomous aerial vehicles.

Multiscale Robotics Lab The Multiscale Robotics Lab (MSRL) was founded in 2007, due to the inclusion of additional laboratories to the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems. MSRL pursues a dynamic research program that maintains a strong robotics research focus on several emerging areas of science and technology, emphasizing in the areas of Microrobotics and Nanorobotics. MSRL research develops the tools and processes required to fabricate and assemble micrometre sized robots and nanometer scale robotic components. Many of these systems are used for robotic exploration within biological domains, such as in the investigation of molecular structures, cellular systems, and complex organism behavior, an emerging field the laboratory refers to as BioMicroRobotics. BioMicroRobots can be used for minimally invasive surgeries as for example for ophthalmic surgeries, for repairing human arteries, or for endolluminal surgeries.

Sensory-Motor Systems Lab The Sensory-Motor Systems Lab (SMS Lab) was founded in 2006 and joined IRIS in 2007. The research of the Sensory-Motor Systems Lab focuses on the study of human sensory-motor control, the design of novel mechatronic devices, and the investigation and optimisation of human-machine interaction. The main application area is the field of rehabilitation. Further applications are within sports, fitness, and medical education. Example projects include the arm therapy robot, ARMin, and the M3 Lab.

Autonomous Systems Lab The Autonomous Systems Lab (ASL), led by Prof. Roland Siegwart resulted of a merger of the Center for Product Design at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich) and the Autonomous Systems Lab at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) in the year 2006. The ASL focuses on the research on intelligent products and systems with special emphasis on autonomous mobile robots. The research efforts of the ASL are dedicated to making tangible contributions along three closely linked scientific directions, which includes:

The design of robotic and mechatronic systems that best adapt to their environment. This includes investigations towards the integrated mechatronic design of intelligent systems, environment perception and embedded control. The main focus is in integrated systems design, in order to realize intelligent autonomous systems that are able to cope with highly complex tasks and environments. Navigation and mapping in highly dynamic environments. This research direction mainly addresses the scientific questions related to mobile robot localization and map-building, obstacle avoidance in human “cluttered” environments and human–robot interaction. Product design methodologies and innovation. We investigate the fundamentals of creativity and innovation, and develop methods and tools for effective and efficient product innovation. We believe that the innovativeness of industry can and should be enhanced through the implementation of new processes, methods and tools.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In engineering, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems

In research: Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems appears in engineering research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2002 establishments in Switzerland, ETH Zurich, Organizations established in 2002, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems in simple terms?

The Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems (IRIS) is part of the ETH Zurich, Switzerland. It replaced the existing Institute of Robotics, of the ETH Zurich in October 2002, when Prof.

Why does Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems matter?

Because it connects several engineering ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems.