Human talent

The Robotics, Vision and Control Laboratory (GRVC) is a large laboratory consisting of more than 50 members, including 10 professors from the Universities of Seville and Pablo de Olavide, researchers and engineers. GRVC plays a relevant international role in robotics, and particularly in aerial robotics and unmanned aerial systems. GRVC combines scientific research with technology development, technology transfer to companies and applications in collaboration with these companies.

The GRVC head, Anibal Ollero, has recently obtained the European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant GRIFFIN (General compliant aerial Robotic manipulation system Integrating Fixed and Flapping wings to INcrease range and safety) on new aerial robotic systems with unprecedented flying, perching and manipulation capabilities.

In the last 5 years the GRVC members of the Group have authored more than 170 publications, including about 60 papers in SCR Journals. Moreover, the members of the Group have authored or edited 20 books.Its researchers have been distinguished with 18 national and international awards. In the last 10 years the GRVC has presented 16 Thesis that have obtained 6 awards up to now.

 

Anibal Ollero

Research Lines

 

Aerial Robotics and Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAVs, RPAS)

  • Aerial Robotics Manipulation.
  • Multi-UAV Systems.
  • Human Computer Interaction.
  • Control, Planning and Perception functionalities.

Robotics and Autonomous Systems

  • UGVs and Unmanned Marine Vehicles.
  • Industrial Robotics.
  • Service Robotics.
  • Social Robotics.

Distributed Systems

  • Multi-robot Systems.
  • Distributed Sensing and Perception.
 

Projects and achievements

Moreover, in the last 5 years,  GRVC has had more than 55 research projects and contracts obtaining an external funding of more than 12 million euros of funding from the Eurpean Commission, companies, the Spanish Research Programme and Regional Research Programme in the topics:

 
  • Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) and aerial robotics.
  • Autonomous systems for aerial, ground and marine vehicles.
  • Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV).
  • Distributed systems and wireless sensors and actuator networks.
  • Robotics for aircraft manufacturing and other manufacturing applications.
  • Social robotics.

The GRVC Robotics Lab also coordinates and develops the Aerial-Core and Griffin projects, both in collaboration with other international researchers. Griffin focuses on the application of robotics and manipulation, mounted on flapping wing robots or multirotor drones, while the Aerial-Core initiative applies robotics technology (aerial robotics) for inspection of power lines. GRVC is very active in the Framework Programmes of the European Commission. In the last 5 years have led/participated or is leading/participating in the following  projects of the seven Framework Programme (FP7) and Horizon 2020 (H2020):

 
  • H2020 AEROARMS on aerial robots with multiple arms for inspection and maintenance (coordination of the project).
  • H2020 MULTIDRONE on the design of a multi-drone platform for media production to cover outdoor events.
  • H2020 GAUSS on Galileo-EGNOS as an Asset for unmanned air system traffic management (UTM) Safety and Security.
  • H2020 HYFLIERS on the design and development of a Hybrid Flying-Rolling  with snake arm robot for contact inspection.
  • H2020 RESIST to increase the resilience of seamless transport operation to natural and man-made extreme events, protect the users of the European transport infrastructure.
  • H2020 SAFEDRONE to acquire practical experience in Very Low Level (VLL) operations where general aviation, state aviation and optionally piloted aircrafts and drones will share the airspace.
  • H2020 AEROTWIN to decrease networking gaps and deficiencies between UNIZG-FER and internationally leading counterparts in EU.
  • H2020 TerriNET on the creation of a facilities network between the countries of the UE.
  • H2020 International Training Network  MARINE UAS on unmanned aerial systems for marine and coastal monitoring.
  • FP7 large scale integrated project ARCAS aerial robots for cooperative assembly (the principal investigator of GRVC is the coordinator of the project).
  • FP7 large scale integrated project EC-SAFEMOBIL on the coordination and control of high mobility systems and particularly unmanned aerial systems (the principal investigator of GRVC is the coordinator of the project).
  • FP7 People MUAC-IREN on Multi-UAV cooperation for long endurance missions.
  • FP7 large scale  integrated project PLANET on networked cooperating systems, and particularly unmanned aerial systems cooperating with unmanned ground systems and wireless sensor networks (the principal investigator of GRVC was the associated coordinator of the project).
  • FP7 excellence network CONET on networked cooperating systems ((the principal investigator of GRVC was the associated coordinator of the project).
  • FP7 FROG on robotic outdoor guide.
  • FP7 TERESA on telepresence robot for helping people.

More accomplishments

Moreover, GRVC led and participated in many projects of the five and sixth Framework Programmes, leading the projects FP5 COMETS on the coordination and control of multiple unmanned aerial vehicles with application to forest fire fighting,  and FP6 AWARE on the integration of unmanned aerial systems with sensor and actuator networks by including the deployment of the network and the load transportation by one and several autonomous helicopters. GRVC also participated on the project URUS on urban robotics in  the projects INFLAME and SPREAD dealing with forest fire fighting, in the project DEDICS devoted to distributed detection systems for environmental application and in the project FAMIMO devoted to multi-variable fuzzy control.

In Spain GRVC has also a long list of successful projects funded by companies and the Spanish Research Programmes including the participation in CENIT, INNPRONTA, CIEN e INNTERCONECTA projects. Thus, the Spanish project CLEAR developed technologies for long-endurance multi-UAV missions, the project ROBAIR produced results on the reliability and safety of aerial robots and unmanned aerial systems and the project AEROSENS developed methods for the integration of unmanned aerial systems with wireless sensor networks and the project CROMAT for the cooperation of aerial and ground robots. Currently the projects AEROMAIN deals with turbine generators using aerial robots and the project SAVIER, funded by AIRBUS DS, is researching on situational awareness and interfaces for multiple unmanned aerial systems.

In the year 2018 GRVC started to collaborate in several national projects as ARM-Extend for the development of the first aerial robotic manipulation with aerial and ground abbilities for locomation in a industrial environment and AEROCROS. Also, GRVC currently participate in the INSPECTOR project for the spanish CIEN programme. INSPECTOR proposes the practical transference to industry of several technologies, tools and research regarding to the automation of inspection processes and industrial maintenance. Lastly, GRVC develops in conjuction with EMASESA an aerial robotic GNSS system for enclosed spaces inside the SAAIC project and collaborates with ELIMCO in the IDRON project.