image: David Saldaña is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Lehigh University. He leads the SwarmsLab and contributes to the Autonomous and Intelligent Robotics (AIR) Lab. His research focuses on multi-robot systems, swarm robotics, and aerial manipulation, with applications in environmental monitoring, disaster response, and construction. Saldaña’s work aims to develop resilient, adaptive robotic systems capable of operating in dynamic and unpredictable environments.
Credit: Christa Neu/Lehigh University
Inspiration can hit anytime, anywhere—and come from just about anything.
“I was walking my dog and watching a squirrel jump from tree branch to tree branch,” says David Saldaña, an assistant professor of computer science and engineering at Lehigh University. “I started thinking about how quickly the animal has to adapt to the different properties of each branch and to the forces generated by their movement. And that’s when the idea hit me—how could we get robots, especially aerial robots, to adapt like that?”
Saldaña, who leads the SwarmsLab, recently received nearly $600,000 in funding through the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program to answer that question. His research will explore how to expand the capabilities of aerial robots so they can manipulate and transport flexible objects such as cables, rods, hoses, and plastic sheets. Potential applications could range from construction and disaster response to industrial automation.
The prestigious NSF CAREER award is given annually to junior faculty members across the U.S. who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research. Each award provides stable support for a five-year period.
Currently, aerial robots are limited to manipulating rigid objects, like boxes, because the dynamic and unpredictable forces associated with flexible materials present unique challenges.
“For example, if you want to grab an apple from a tree branch, the branch will generate a force against you,” says Saldaña. “As humans, we’re naturally able to respond to those forces, but it’s still a big problem for robots. We want them to learn how to adapt to and compensate for them.”
To do that, Saldaña and his team are developing a novel methodology that integrates control systems and reinforcement learning to maintain stability, enable fast learning, and ensure time-critical recovery.
“This integration and the ability to learn quickly means that the robot won’t need to do something thousands of times before it can move one of these flexible objects,” he says. “And the more pieces it moves, the more efficient it becomes.”
The project begins with the design of an adaptive controller that ensures stability and provides real-time compensation for external forces without prior knowledge of an object’s material properties. The controller establishes a baseline for reinforcement learning, which enables aerial robots to explore and optimize control strategies through interaction. By integrating adaptive control with reinforcement learning, the framework combines the reliability of baseline stability with the agility and efficiency of learned strategies.
“This type of integration has never been done before,” says Saldaña.
The main area of potential application, he says, is the construction industry, especially when it comes to skyscrapers and other high-rise buildings. Drones could deliver and position cables and rods that are currently handled by humans, which could reduce costs and increase worker safety. Other applications include assembling plastic sheeting over rooftops during hurricanes and manipulating fire hoses in emergency situations.
But before drones can help humans, their developers must solve the challenges of real-time adaptation in a world of constant actions and reactions—a world in which so many creatures operate instinctively.
“I’m excited to solve new problems,” he says, “and see what squirrel capabilities we can give to aerial robots.”
About David Saldaña
David Saldaña is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Lehigh University. He leads the SwarmsLab and contributes to the Autonomous and Intelligent Robotics (AIR) Lab. His research focuses on multi-robot systems, swarm robotics, and aerial manipulation, with applications in environmental monitoring, disaster response, and construction. Saldaña’s work aims to develop resilient, adaptive robotic systems capable of operating in dynamic and unpredictable environments.
Before joining Lehigh’s P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science in 2019, Saldaña was a postdoctoral researcher at the GRASP Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his PhD in artificial intelligence and robotics from the Federal University of Minas Gerais in Brazil in 2017, and holds both M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in systems engineering from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. His innovative research has been recognized with support from the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research, including a prestigious NSF CAREER award to advance aerial robotics capable of manipulating flexible materials and adapting to shifting forces in real time.
Related Links
- Rossin College Faculty Profile: David Saldaña
- Lehigh University: SwarmsLab
- NSF Award Abstract (# 2442475) CAREER: Bending and Manipulating Objects in Midair Using Cooperative Robots