Raphael Zufferey

About

Raphael Zufferey is a leading researcher in bio-inspired robotics, specializing in flapping-wing aerial-aquatic locomotion and insect-scale autonomous systems. His work bridges the gap between biological principles and engineering, creating robots capable of multimodal movement across air and water. Zufferey’s most impactful contribution is the development of a biologically inspired, flapping-wing hybrid aerial-aquatic microrobot (286 citations), which demonstrated unprecedented versatility by reconciling the conflicting propulsion requirements of air and water. He also pioneered power and control autonomy in insect-scale legged robots with the HAMR-F platform (187 citations), achieving high-speed locomotion at 17.2 cm/s with onboard battery and microcontrollers. His innovative use of water-reactive fuel for consecutive aquatic jump-gliding (119 citations) and the design of the high-payload flapping-wing robot E-Flap (97 citations) further showcase his ability to push the boundaries of small-scale robotics. Zufferey has also advanced autonomous perching for ornithopters (86 citations) and developed multi-environment robots like SailMAV and MEDUSA for aerial-aquatic sample acquisition. His work has garnered over 1,000 citations, reflecting its profound impact on the field of multimodal robotics and its potential for environmental monitoring, search-and-rescue, and exploration in cluttered or hazardous environments.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   A biologically inspired, flapping-wing, hybrid aerial-aquatic microrobot

   286 citations · 2017
2. 2
   Power and Control Autonomy for High-Speed Locomotion With an Insect-Scale Legged Robot

   187 citations · 2018
3. 3
   Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel

   119 citations · 2019
4. 4
   Design of the High-Payload Flapping Wing Robot E-Flap

   97 citations · 2021
5. 5
   How ornithopters can perch autonomously on a branch

   86 citations · 2022
6. 6
   Unmanned Aerial Sensor Placement for Cluttered Environments

   53 citations · 2020
7. 7
   SailMAV: Design and Implementation of a Novel Multi-Modal Flying Sailing Robot

   47 citations · 2019
8. 8
   MEDUSA: A Multi-Environment Dual-Robot for Underwater Sample Acquisition

   45 citations · 2020
9. 9
   Design and comparison of tails for bird-scale flapping-wing robots

   24 citations · 2021
10. 10
    Between Sea and Sky: Aerial Aquatic Locomotion in Miniature Robots

    22 citations · 2022

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links