A while ago, we posted a list of top robotics research institutions and labs in Poland. In this post today, we will see the top robotics research institutions and labs in Spain.
The Robotic Intelligence Laboratory – Universitat Jaume I (UJI)
The Robotic Intelligence Laboratory at Universitat Jaume I (UJI), established in 1991, researches the science and applications of robotic intelligence, an embodied intelligence in robotic systems in the real world.
The lab works on robotics based on computational models inspired by neuroscience and psychology, supported by sound engineering principles, which result in successful application-oriented projects such as the UJI Librarian Robot, the UJI On-line Robot, the UJI Service Robot or, more recently, the UJI Humanoid Robot Torso.
The RobIn Lab is a PROMETEO Research Group of Excellence funded by the Generalitat Valenciana, and a founding contractual member of EURON, the European Robotics Research Network since 2001. The lab is also well known in Europe for organizing summer schools in robotics.
Some of the industry-oriented focus areas of the team include handling industry solutions based on advanced manipulation, machine vision, force control and haptic sensing, supervision and monitoring of large facilities, installation of teleoperated robotic systems via internet, mobile robot teams in hostile environments, inventory and localization of books in libraries with robot teams etc.
The Institut de Robòtica i Informàtica Industrial
The Institut de Robòtica i Informàtica Industrial is a joint research center of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) and the Spanish Council for Scientific Research (CSIC). Created on November 1995, it is located in the Faculty of Mathematics and Statistics building in the South Campus of UPC in Barcelona.
The institute promotes fundamental research in robotics and applied informatics, cooperates with the community in industrial, technological projects, and offers scientific education through graduate courses.
The Institute’s research activities are organized into four research lines: tackling various aspects of robotics research, including indoor and outdoor human-centered human-safe robotics systems; the design and construction of novel parallel mechanisms; research on energy efficiency in fuel cell research; and management of energy systems.
The Institute hosts six laboratories that provide hands-on support to the various research activities. Four of these laboratories are devoted to build and test robotics systems of all kinds, including indoor challenging robotics applications, novel parallel mechanisms, and outdoor mobile robotic systems. The other two laboratories help the research activities in automatic control for energy management and fuel cell research. Complementary services also include a mechatronics workshop.
Institute of Industrial and Control Engineering (IOC) – Polytechnic University of Catalonia
The IOC is a university research institute of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) with a focus on research, technology transfer, and the teaching of postgraduate courses.
IOC’s research areas are automatics, robotics, automatics, artificial intelligence, computer science, and industrial engineering, with a particular emphasis on the analysis, the design, the management and the control of logistics and goods and services production systems.
The institute has a robotics laboratory, control and electronics laboratory, remote control laboratory and logistics laboratory along with a computer network, equipped with servers, workplaces etc. It also has a specialized library comprising about six thousand volumes and numerous journals.
The Instituto de Automática e Informática Industrial
The Instituto de Automática e Informática Industrial, also known as the Institute ai2, is one of the most critical research organizations at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV). Since its creation in 1999, the institution has been working on robotics, automatization, control, computer vision, and industrial computing. Instituto ai2 develops a multitude of R&D projects seeking to increase the value of the local business and giving more competition, identifying the real needs of companies to provide feasible solutions tailored to their operation.
Its research area includes the study, analysis, and development of basic and applied research to cover aspects of robotics such as control, sensors, planning and teleoperation of robots in several platforms (manipulator robots and mobile robots) for industrial and service applications. Inspection and manipulation of food products, robot dynamic control, active vision, robot planning and navigation, humanoid robots, and aerial robots are other research lines.
The School of Engineering of Elche (EPSE) – University Miguel Hernandez de Elche
The School of Engineering of Elche (EPSE) has a staff of more than 120 lecturers to combine teaching and research on Industrial and Telecommunications engineering. It also participates in degree, masters and doctoral programs.
The Systems Engineering and Automation Department focuses on automation technologies, control, systems engineering, computer vision, robotics, biomedical engineering, and computing sciences. Its research interests include the design and control of new robotic devices, human-robot interaction and multimodal interface for different application fields: industrial and service sectors, medical and surgical robotics and rehabilitation and assistive devices.
Neuroengineering Biomedical Group – Miguel Hernandez University (UMH)
Miguel Hernandez University (UMH) is a dynamic university, equipped with the most modern infrastructures and technological equipment for research and developments in medical technology and health care.
Together with the biomedical groups of the Faculties of Medicine, Engineering, Chemical Technology, and Computer Science, the Biomedical Neuroengineering Research Group constitutes the Bioengineering Institute with over 100 researchers, which has deep expertise in biomedical engineering and multidisciplinary research activities.
It has two research units: Virtual Reality and Robotics Lab and Neuroprosthesis and Neuroengineering Lab to focus on medical and surgical robotics, rehabilitation and assistive devices, medical image, human-robot interaction, human-robot interfaces, computer vision, development of devices capable of two-way communication with the nervous system (recording and stimulation), in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility studies, neuroimaging and brain plasticity.
Automatic Control, Electronics, and Robotics R&D Group – University of Almeria
The Automatic Control, Electronics, and Robotics research group at the University of Almeria are composed of a multidisciplinary team of researchers. Some of the research lines include the design and development of mobile robots for agriculture, interactive tools aimed at facilitating the understanding of algorithms and techniques involved in solving mobile robotics problems, virtual and remote laboratories of parallel robots for teaching purpose, assistant mobile robots for guided-visits, telerobotics applies to mini-mobile robots for teaching purposes, dynamical modelling and control of biped robot, dynamical modelling and tracking robust control of tracked vehicle, autonomous guidance of electric vehicles with optimal energy management etc.
The Robotics and Artificial Vision Laboratory (RoboLab) – University of Extremadura
The Robotics and Artificial Vision Laboratory (RoboLab) is located at the University of Extremadura, was founded in 2000 and is devoted to conducting research in intelligent mobile robotics and computer vision. Since its beginnings, the researchers have built several robots of increasing complexity that culminate with the two-armed AMM named Loki, which incorporates the expressive head Muecas designed for HRI. Along with robot design and construction, RoboLab has created the robotics framework RoboComp, a distributed, component-oriented framework that relies on model-based software engineering technologies to provide communications middleware independence and automated system code generation.
Group of Robotics, Automation and Computer Vision – University of Jaén
The research Group of Robotics, Automation and Computer Vision at the University of Jaén focuses on Industrial Robotics Systems (Plant Modeling, Application of advanced control techniques and Design of control hardware architecture), Process Control (Sensor Fusion and Open software architectures) and Machine vision for quality control (Image processing, Sensor planning and Lighting systems). Within these lines, the group has developed several researching projects (funded by national and local grants) and applied technological projects.
Higher Technical School of Telecommunications Engineering – University of Malaga
The Higher Technical School of Telecommunications Engineering at the University of Malaga has a team of researchers in search and rescue robotics, surgical robotics, telerobotics, computer vision, and automation. It has participated in national and international research projects such as CROMAT, ALACRANE, RAMBLER or CISOBOT, in which the group has developed several mobile robots and manipulators, making considerable contributions to kinematics for tracked mobile robots, automation of climbing maneuvers for the mobile manipulator, power analysis for skid-steered tracked mobile robots, etc. The department has several research laboratories equipped with wheeled and tracked mobile robots, unmanned aerial vehicles, industrial manipulators, aerial transportation systems, prototyping systems, etc.
Applied Engineering Research Group (GIIA) – University of Murcia
The Applied Engineering Research Group (GIIA) at the University of Murcia is multidisciplinary, with members coming from different areas of knowledge (Informatics, electronics, telecommunications, physics, and mathematics).
It tackles different projects related to robotics and automation. In addition, the group has a high capability to apply results in technology transfer projects with companies. The group participated in more than 20 contracts with companies for technology transfer.
Multisensor Systems and Robotics Laboratory (SIMUR) – University of Oviedo
The Multisensor Systems and Robotics Laboratory (SIMUR) is a unit of the Department of Electrical, Electronics, Computers, and Systems Engineering (DIEECS) of the University of Oviedo. The SIMUR focuses on research and education in human-centered robotics, which implies that natural human-robot coexistence happens because machines are able to adapt to humans.
For this, the robot must be able to move safely in unstructured human-inhabited environments and understand and anticipate the ongoing human activity. To approach this vision, the lab works in two research themes: 1. Automatic human activity recognition and motion monitoring. 2. Robot motion in unstructured human-inhabited environments (sensor-based robot motion). The lab’s interest also includes the sensor systems (multisensor integration, computer vision) required to support the reliable/fault-tolerance perception needed in both problems.
Systems, Robotics and Vision Group (SRV) – University of the Balearic Islands
The Systems, Robotics and Vision (SRV) at the University of the Balearic Islands focuses on the development of scientific and engineering hardware/software solutions for real-world problems in industrial and mobile robotics.
They develop the land, underwater and autonomous aerial vehicles, novel hybrid reactive/deliberative control architectures for mobile robots focusing on real-time, collaborative and learning capabilities and simulation environments for mobile robots specifically oriented to training and testing.
