Publications de Max Mirko Polzin

Robotic locomotion through active and passive morphological adaptation in extreme outdoor environments

Josephine Anna Eleanor Hughes, Max Mirko Polzin, Qinghua Guan

Robotic locomotion has shown substantial advancements, yet robots still lack the versatility and agility shown by animals navigating complex terrains. This limits their applicability in complex environments where they could be highly beneficial. Unlike exi ...

AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE2025

(Un)leashed Robots Leverage Environmental Constraints and Compliant Interactions To Explore Extreme Environments

Max Mirko Polzin

Robots operating in extreme outdoor environments face hazardous terrain, unpredictable conditions, and the need for long-term robust operation with minimal human intervention. This thesis proposes a shift from traditional, perception-heavy systems toward r ...

EPFL2025

Into the ice: Exploration and data capturing in glacial moulins by a tethered robot

Josephine Anna Eleanor Hughes, Max Mirko Polzin

Glacial moulins (cylindrical meltwater drainage shafts) provide valuable insights into glacier dynamics, but are inaccessible and hazardous environments for humans to study. Exploring them using passive sensor probes has revealed their complex geometry, wh ...

Wiley2024

Heading for the Abyss: Control Strategies for Exploiting Swinging of a Descending Tethered Aerial Robot

Josephine Anna Eleanor Hughes, Max Mirko Polzin, Frank Centamori

The use of aerial vehicles for exploration and data collection has the potential to significantly aid environmental monitoring in environments which are dangerous and hard to navigate. However, within these environments navigation can often be restricted b ...

2023

Automation in steep terrain agriculture: an optimal controller to prevent tipping and slipping of tethered robots on slopes

Josephine Anna Eleanor Hughes, Max Mirko Polzin

Autonomous robots have the potential to fundamentally transform conventional farming methods, e.g. by enabling economically viable farming of sloped arable land. However, navigation on slopes in harsh conditions is challenging for robots as they must be pr ...

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD2023