Two PhD positions currently available, please contact me if you'd like to know more. One in 'machine learning and biomimetic flight: https://bit.ly/LearningFlight , and another in robotic ecosystem monitoring: https://bit.ly/RoboticEcologist
I'm an aerospace engineer and roboticist with an enthusiasm for unconventional mechatronics, who is interested in understanding the mechanics of animal locomotion for the benefit of synthetic locomotion, particularly flight. I received my Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Cambridge and my PhD in Aeronautics from Imperial College London, where my thesis on Aerial-Aquatic locomotion won the ‘Best UK PhD in Robotics Award’. Before moving to Surrey I worked at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany, where I studied the arboreal acrobatics of rainforest-dwelling reptiles. I have also been the engineering lead in an ESA-funded startup, where I helped develop a unique agricultural robot.
My research spans a range of mechanical, aeronautical and biological disciplines, but it will more often then not involve something that flies. I'm particularly interested in multimodal locomotion, and understanding movement at the limits of performance. Some highlight videos are below, and more can be found here
I'm currently guest editing a special issue of Nature Scientific Reports on Bioinspired Robot Locomotion, details can be found here
2021 Communications Biology, ’Tails stabilize landing of gliding geckos crashing head-first into tree trunks’, Robert Siddall, Gregory Byrnes, Robert J Full and Ardian Jusufi (link)
2021 Integrative and Comparative Biology, ’The Role of the Tail in Self Righting During Arboreal Falls in Squirrels: From Behavior to Robotics’, Toshihiko Fukushima, Robert Siddall, Fabian Schwab Séverine Toussaint, Gregory Byrnes, John A. Nyakatura and Ardian Jusufi (link)
2021 Integrative and Comparative Biology, ’Mechanisms for mid-air reorientation using tail rotation in gliding geckos’, Robert Siddall, Gregory Byrnes, Robert J Full and Ardian Jusufi (link)
2021 Advanced Robotics, 'Compliance, mass distribution and contact forces in cursorial and scansorial locomotion with biorobotic physical models' R Siddall, T Fukushima, D Bardhi, B Perteshoni, A Morina, E Hasimja, et al. (link)
2021 Advanced Intelligent Systems 'Modeling and Control of a Soft Robotic Fish with Integrated Soft Sensing' YH Lin, R Siddall, F Schwab, T Fukushima, H Banerjee, Y Baek, D Vogt, et al. (link)
2019 Science Robotics, 'Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel', R Zufferey, A Ortega Ancel, A Farinha, R Siddall, SF Armanini, M Nasr, RV Brahmal, G Kennedy, M Kovac (link)
2019 Robotics and Automation Letters, 'SailMAV: Design and Implementation of a Novel Multi-Modal Flying Sailing Robot', Raphael Zufferey, Alejandro Ortega Ancel, Celia Raposo, Sophie Franziska Armanini, Andre Farinha, Robert Siddall, Ion Berasaluce, Haijun Zhu, Mirko Kovac (link)
2017 Royal Society Interface Focus, 'Wind and water tunnel testing of a morphing aquatic micro air vehicle', Robert Siddall, Alejandro Ortega Ancel and Mirko Kovac (link)
2017 Robotics and Automation Letters, 'Efficient Aerial-Aquatic Locomotion with a Single Propulsion System', Yu Herng Tan, Robert Siddall and Mirko Kovac (link)
2016 ASME/IEEE Transactions on Mechatronics, 'Fast Aquatic Escape with a Jet Thruster', Robert Siddall and Mirko Kovac (link)
2014 Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, 'Launching the AquaMAV: Bioinspired Design For Aerial Aquatic Robotic Platforms', Robert Siddall and Mirko Kovac (link)
Conferences
2020 Society for Comparative and Integrative Biology Annual Meeting, 'Modulation of Cranio-Caudal mass distribution facilitates obstacle traversal in a cursorial biorobotic model', Robert Siddall and Ardian Jusufi
2019 International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), 'A Passively Adaptive Microspine Grapple for Robust, Controllable Perching', Hai-Nguyen Nguyen, Robert Siddall, Brett Stephens, Alberto Navarro-Rubio and Mirko Kovac (link)
2019 Living Machines, 'Heads or Tails? Cranio-Caudal Mass Distribution for Robust Locomotion with Biorobotic Appendages Composed of 3D-Printed Soft Materials', Robert Siddall, Fabian Schwab, Jenny Michel, James Weaver and Ardian Jusufi (link)
2019 AIAA Aviation 2019 Forum, 'Modelling and simulation of a bioinspired aquatic micro aerial vehicle', Sophie F Armanini, Robert Siddall and Mirko Kovac (link)
2017 International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), 'Spidermav: Perching and stabilizing micro aerial vehicles with bio-inspired tensile anchoring systems', Ketao Zhang, Pisak Chermprayong, Talib Al-Hinai, Robert Siddall and Mirko Kovac (link)
2016 Soft Robotics: Trends, Applications and Challenges, 'Bio-inspired Soft Aerial Robots: Adaptive Morphology for High-Performance Flight', Sina Sareh, Robert Siddall, Talib Al-Hinai and Mirko Kovac (link)
2015 International Symposium on Robotics Research, 'Explosive Propulsion Strategies for Aquatic Take-off in Robotics', Robert Siddall, Grant Kennedy and Mirko Kovac (link)
2015 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 'A Water Jet Thruster for an Aquatic Micro Air Vehicle', Robert Siddall and Mirko Kovac (link)
2015 International Symposium on Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines, 'Bioinspired Aerial-Aquatic Mobility for Miniature Robots', Robert Siddall and Mirko Kovac
2012 Suspension Processing & Suspension Engineering Rheology 'Velocity of sliding flow of a dense granular suspension down an inclined plane’, Digby Symons and Robert Siddall
Patents
2019 GB1717137.2 and PCT:408549GB/DJW/ELH, 'Device for Remote Monitoring and Activity', HayBeeSee Ltd.
2016 GB1701052.1, 'An electronic fluency device', Jordi Fernandez Oromi, Rowan Brackston, Van Dimitri Immerseel, Juan Marcos Garcia de la Cruz, Robert Siddall and James Bird
Thesis
Aerial-Aquatic Locomotion with Miniature Robots, Doctoral Thesis Imperial College London (link)
Sliding Wet Granular Flow, Master's Thesis, University of Cambridge
