PhD Position F/M High-Speed Manipulation Using Compliant and Flexible Robots

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Contract type : Fixed-term contract

Level of qualifications required : Graduate degree or equivalent

Fonction : PhD Position

About the research centre or Inria department

Created in 2008, the Inria center at the University of Lille employs 360 people, including 305 scientists in 16 research teams. Recognized for its strong involvement in the socio-economic development of the Hauts-De-France region, the Inria center at the University of Lille maintains a close relationship with large companies and SMEs. By fostering synergies between researchers and industry, Inria contributes to the transfer of skills and expertise in the field of digital technologies, and provides access to the best of European and international research for the benefit of innovation and businesses, particularly in the region.

For over 10 years, the Inria center at the University of Lille has been at the heart of Lille's university and scientific ecosystem, as well as at the heart of Frenchtech, with a technology showroom based on avenue de Bretagne in Lille, on the EuraTechnologies site of economic excellence dedicated to information and communication technologies (ICT).

Context

Working with deformable and soft materials is becoming an increasingly important research direction in robotics. Although compliant and flexible robots offer significant advantages, including safer interaction and inherent compliance, their use in high-speed manipulation remains largely unexplored.

This PhD project aims to develop robotic solutions that exploit compliant and flexible robots for rapid manipulation tasks, with experimental validation in a waste-sorting application, supported by PEPR Robotique Acceleration program. 

The PhD candidate will benefit from a rich scientific environment offered through the collaboration between INRIA (Lille) and LIRMM (Montpellier), two French research groups with worldwide recognition in compliant robotics and high-speed manipulation. The thesis will be co-supervised by researchers from both institutes, with the student spending substantial time at each site to leverage their complementary experimental platforms and expertise.

Assignment

The PhD candidate will focus on developing novel control and modeling approaches for high-speed manipulation using compliant robotic systems.

The research objectives include:

  • Developing computationally efficient dynamic models suitable for control.
  • Designing and implementing nonlinear optimal control algorithms.
  • Experimentally validating the proposed methods on a waste-sorting robotic platform.
  • Contributing to mechanical and mechatronic design choices whenever they influence system dynamics and performance.

Main activities

1. Dynamic Modeling

  • Develop computationally efficient dynamic models for compliant and flexible robotic systems.
  • Model robot behavior for high-speed manipulation and control applications.

2. Control

  • Design nonlinear optimal control algorithms.
  • Investigate advanced control strategies for compliant robotic manipulation.

3. Experimental Validation

  • Validate the developed models and controllers experimentally.
  • Implement and evaluate solutions in a waste-sorting scenario.

4. Mechanical Contributions

  • Participate in mechanical and mechatronic design decisions affecting dynamic performance.

Skills

Applicants should have:

  • MSc degree in Robotics or a related discipline.
  • Strong background in state-space modeling and control theory.
  • Strong programming skills in C++, Python and/or MATLAB.
  • Interest in both theoretical research and experimental validation.
  • Good written and spoken English.

Preferred qualifications include experience with:

  • Optimal Control and/or Model Predictive Control (MPC).
  • Modeling of deformable parts.
  • Real-time numerical optimization.

Benefits package

  • Subsidized meals
  • Partial reimbursement of public transport costs
  • Leave: 7 weeks of annual leave + 10 extra days off due to RTT (statutory reduction in working hours) + possibility of exceptional leave (sick children, moving home, etc.)
  • Possibility of teleworking and flexible organization of working hours
  • Professional equipment available (videoconferencing, loan of computer equipment, etc.)
  • Social, cultural and sports events and activities
  • Access to vocational training
  • Social security coverage

Remuneration

2 300 € Monthly Gross Salary