Challenge: Control robotic dexterous hand during dynamic movements
Change: Leverage high-resolution tactile sensors to handle contacts
Impact: Autonomous grasping and manipulation
Dexterous manipulation represents one of robotics' most fundamental unsolved problems. While robots excel at precise positioning and heavy lifting, they fail at tasks humans perform unconsciously – sliding a glass without spilling, rotating a screwdriver with proper torque, or coordinating fingers to tie shoelaces. This gap has profound implications for manufacturing, healthcare, domestic assistance, and applications where robots must interact delicately with the physical world.
Current robotic systems rely primarily on vision and force sensors, missing the rich tactile information that enables human dexterity. Our lab pioneered a new tactile sensor technology that offers unprecedented spatial resolution and sensitivity, providing robots with meaningful tactile sensing. This position offers the opportunity to leverage that rich tactile information for dexterous manipulation.
Your role and impact: as a postdoctoral researcher you will lead research on using our tactile sensor technology to control grippers and multi‑finger hands. Your primary mission is to develop control strategies that enable robots to perform complex manipulation through tactile feedback, focusing on sliding motion control, precise tool rotation, and multi‑finger coordination.
Responsibilities include blending theoretical approaches with hands‑on experimentation, collaborating with PhD candidates, designing experiments on our robotic platform, analyzing tactile data patterns, implementing real‑time control algorithms, and validating performance across diverse scenarios. You will be part of the Tactile Machines Lab, a dynamic interdisciplinary group of researchers.
Job requirements
- PhD in Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
- Strong background in robotic and control systems
- Experience with dexterous manipulation, tactile sensing or haptic systems
- Proficiency in programming (Python, C++, MATLAB, or similar)
- Experience with robotic platforms and hardware
- Knowledge of machine learning and signal processing techniques
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English
- Strong analytical and problem‑solving abilities
- Publication record in robotics, sensing, or related fields
Conditions of employment
- Duration of contract: 1.5 years (temporary)
- 36–40 hours per week
- Salary and benefits in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities
- Excellent pension scheme via the ABP
- Individual employment package every year
- Health insurer discounts on supplemental packages
- 232 leave hours per year (at 38 hours); additional leave hours can be bought or sold through an individual choice budget
- Opportunities for education, training, and courses
- Partially paid parental leave
- Work‑healthy and energetically program via the vitality program
€40000 - €70000 monthly