ABSTRACT: Mathematical models are indispensable for system design. Until recently, one could argue that this was also true for robot control design. Recent advances in AI are calling this basic assumption into question: Why not learn a control strategy directly on a physical system, without any prior knowledge provided by mathematical models, just like we do? Or less ambitiously, only use mathematical models for simulating physical systems, but otherwise do control design directly on a robot, either real or simulated. In this talk, I will present my first-hand experiences in model-based control design, ranging from soccer playing robots to fleets of autonomous mobile robots in warehouses to acrobatic flying robots. I will conclude by introducing CyberRunner, an opensource ML platform developed at ETH based on the popular “Labyrinth” dexterity game in which a ball is guided through a maze and has to avoid traps. CyberRunner learns through experience and is able to beat any human with only 1 hour of training and without any priors.

BIO: Raffaello (Raff) D’Andrea is a professor, engineer, artist, and entrepreneur. He earned his PhD from Caltech and began his career at Cornell, where he co-founded the Systems Engineering program and led the
Robot Soccer Team to four RoboCup world championships. In 2003, he co-founded Kiva Systems, which revolutionized warehouse automation before its acquisition by Amazon, later rebranded as Amazon Robotics. In 2008, Raff joined ETH Zurich, where his research team develops pioneering robotics platforms, including Cubli, the Flying Machine Arena, and CyberRunner. In 2014, he co-founded Verity, a company specializing in AI-powered, drone-enabled inventory tracking systems and mobile intelligence. Verity’s technology is now deployed in over 100 warehouses worldwide with clients such as IKEA, Maersk, and UPS. Raff’s artistic
contributions include drone choreographies for Cirque du Soleil, Céline Dion and Metallica, with his works featured at the Venice Biennale and in the National Gallery of Canada. Raff is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and the Logistics Hall of Fame. He has received the Engelberger Robotics Award and the IEEE Robotics and Automation Award and is named as an inventor on over 100 patents.