Cardiff University · School of Computer Science and InformaticsPrifysgol Caerdydd · Ysgol Cyfrifiadureg a Gwybodeg

Computational Robotics GroupGrŵp Roboteg Gyfrifiadurol

We are a robotics research group in the School of Computer Science and Informatics at Cardiff University. Our research addresses how autonomous robots perceive their environment, plan and execute motion, manipulate objects, and operate safely among people — developed and evaluated on real robot platforms.Rydym yn grŵp ymchwil roboteg yn Ysgol Cyfrifiadureg a Gwybodeg ym Mhrifysgol Caerdydd. Mae ein hymchwil yn mynd i'r afael â sut mae robotiaid ymreolaethol yn canfod eu hamgylchedd, yn cynllunio ac yn gweithredu symudiad, yn trin gwrthrychau, ac yn gweithredu'n ddiogel ymhlith pobl — wedi'i ddatblygu a'i werthuso ar lwyfannau robot go iawn.

Cardiff University Computational Robotics team group photograph, 2025
The CUCR team, 2025Tîm CUCR, 2025

ResearchYmchwil

Research areasMeysydd ymchwil

The group's work falls into four connected areas.Mae gwaith y grŵp yn perthyn i bedwar maes cysylltiedig.

Task and Motion PlanningCynllunio Tasgau a Symud

Integrating high-level task planning with sampling- and learning-based motion planning for mobile robots and manipulators.Cyfuno cynllunio tasgau lefel-uchel â chynllunio symud ar sail samplu a dysgu ar gyfer robotiaid symudol a thrinwyr.

Perception & AICanfyddiad a Deallusrwydd Artiffisial

Robot perception, 3D world representation, and embodied AI that let autonomous systems understand real, dynamic environments.Canfyddiad robotiaid, cynrychioli'r byd mewn 3D, a deallusrwydd artiffisial ymgorfforedig sy'n galluogi systemau ymreolaethol i ddeall amgylcheddau go iawn.

Human-Robot CollaborationCydweithio Rhwng Dynol a Robot

Social robot navigation, shared autonomy, supervisory control, and immersive teleoperation interfaces.Llywio robotiaid cymdeithasol, ymreolaeth a rennir, rheolaeth oruchwyliol, a rhyngwynebau teleweithredu trochol.

Robot ManipulationTrin Robotig

Object manipulation and reconstruction for long-horizon tasks in constrained, cluttered workspaces.Trin ac ailadeiladu gwrthrychau ar gyfer tasgau hirdymor mewn gweithleoedd cyfyng, llawn dop.

EventsDigwyddiadau

Upcoming eventDigwyddiad sydd ar ddod

PublicationsCyhoeddiadau

Recent publicationsCyhoeddiadau diweddar

The three most recent papers from the group.Y tri phapur diweddaraf gan y grŵp.

2026 IEEE International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering (CASE 2026) To appear

Learning-Informed Motion Planning Toward Workspace Goal Regions for Object Manipulation in Constrained Environments

F. Duman, J. J. Patiño, V. Romero-Cano, J. D. Hernández

This work treats pick-and-place manipulation as start-to-goal-region motion planning, where valid grasps and placements define multiple workspace goals. It introduces a transformer-guided sampling-based tree planner that uses start and goal configurations plus visual observations to improve planning in constrained shelf environments. Simulated and real-world Franka Emika tests show faster planning, higher success rates, and effective transfer from simulation to robot execution.

2026 IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L) To appear

Social Robot Navigation Under Kinodynamic Constraints Using Learning-Informed Sampling for Indoor Environments

S. Silva, V. Romero-Cano, J. D. Hernández

Presents a social robot navigation framework for socially acceptable, kinodynamically feasible motion in dynamic indoor spaces. The approach combines world representation, multilayered path planning, and path-following control. A CNN-driven informed sampling strategy improves planner performance for online navigation. Benchmarks against state-of-the-art methods and real-world Reachy robot tests demonstrate the framework’s feasibility.

2026 International Conference on Social Robotics (ICSR)

Supervisory Control via AR for Teleoperation under Communication Delays: An In-Space Assembly Use Case

I. M. Stavropoulos, A. Kucukyilmaz, C. Martinez, D. J. Finnegan, J. D. Hernández

Presents an AR-supported supervisory control system for in-space assembly under communication delays. Operators define goals in a 3D AR interface, while behaviour trees handle execution and recovery. In a user study, the approach reduced completion time, effort, and workload compared with shared control under 0s and 2s latency.

All publicationsPob cyhoeddiad

ContactCysylltu

PhD applications, collaboration, and visitsCeisiadau PhD, cydweithio, ac ymweliadau

Enquiries from prospective PhD students and from academic or industry partners are welcome. The lab is not open to the public; if you would like to visit, please contact us in advance.Croesewir ymholiadau gan ddarpar fyfyrwyr PhD a chan bartneriaid academaidd neu ddiwydiannol. Nid yw'r labordy ar agor i'r cyhoedd; os hoffech ymweld, cysylltwch â ni ymlaen llaw.