Mobile Robotics Lab

The Mobile Robotics Lab is part of the Cognitive Robotics Department  of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (ME) at TU Delft and managed by the Learning and Autonomous Control team. It is a dedicated space of 11 m x 7 m x 7 m for experiments with mobile ground robots and drones located in the F-wing of the ME building. The focus of this lab is to serve as a testing area where researchers can conduct realistic experiments and validate their control, planning, coordination or perception methods. 

The space can accommodate various robotics systems, from drones to mobile manipulators, from little RC cars to large quadrupeds. Different scenarios and use cases can be simulated by placing obstacles around the lab, where humans can also interact with the robots. With the help of this lab, researchers can fast track the development and testing of algorithms for their robots while also ensuring the safety of everyone involved.

To facilitate testing and deployment, the lab has various cutting edge features such as a Vicon motion capture system that can track robots and other objects with a high accuracy. A video recording system with 3 fixed and 2 movable cameras along with a video mixing setup has been installed so that high quality recordings can be made. Dedicated workplaces with monitors and a local network have been set up from where researchers can communicate with the robots. Finally, to ensure safety, nets are placed around the entire test space of the lab.