Daniel Raunhardt

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Daniel Raunhardt is a researcher whose work sits at the intersection of computer graphics, robotics, and biomechanics, with a particular focus on realistic human motion simulation. His most notable contribution is the development of the "Progressive Clamping" method, introduced in his 2007 paper of the same name. This technique addresses a critical challenge in animating virtual mannequins and robots: accurately modeling the kinematic anisotropy of joint limits. Unlike earlier methods that simply prevented joints from exceeding their range, Progressive Clamping intelligently damps only the component of a joint's variation that moves toward its limit, while allowing free movement in other directions. This dynamic approach yields significantly more natural and fluid motion, bridging the gap between rigid constraint systems and organic human articulation. While his citation count reflects a specialized, technical audience—with his seminal work garnering 25 citations—the impact of his ideas is evident in subsequent research on character animation and robotic motion planning. Raunhardt’s work remains a foundational reference for anyone seeking to create virtual agents that move with human-like grace and constraint-awareness.