Papers
8
Total Citations
310
H-Index
7
About
Levi Rupert is a robotics researcher whose work centers on soft robotics, inflatable robotic systems, and advanced control methodologies for human-safe robotic platforms. His research addresses one of the field's most pressing challenges: enabling robots to operate safely and effectively in close proximity to people, moving beyond the caged, rigid systems that have dominated industrial applications for decades. Rupert's most influential contribution, "A New Soft Robot Control Method: Using Model Predictive Control for a Pneumatically Actuated Humanoid" (2016, 119 citations), pioneered the application of model predictive control (MPC) to pneumatically actuated soft robots, establishing a foundation that his subsequent work has continued to build upon. His research on configuration estimation (2018, 54 citations) and comparative control methods for inflatable robots (2020, 47 citations) has systematically addressed the complex challenges of accurately sensing and controlling compliant, low-inertia systems. Beyond inflatable robotics, Rupert has made meaningful contributions to continuum manipulator kinematics, proposing a singularity-free closed-form solution that improves computational efficiency. With over 310 total citations across his published work, his research has meaningfully shaped how the robotics community approaches the design, modeling, and control of next-generation human-collaborative robotic systems.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4Closed-Form Non-Singular Constant-Curvature Continuum Manipulator Kinematics27 citations · 2020
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8Performance Metrics for Fluidic Soft Robot Rotational Actuators6 citations · 2021