The Robotics and Automation theme focuses on the design, development, and analysis of robotic and automation systems and underlying technologies, for a wide range of applications in the service and industrial sectors ranging from artificial hands and prosthetics to the development of new mechatronic testing and fabrication techniques. Key, and internationally recognised competences have been developed in the following areas:
- Analysis of human and artificial dexterous hands
- The study and quantification of manual dexterity
- The development of a prosthetic hand for transradial upper limb amputees
- The design and development of dexterous artificial hands, and of glove input devices for the remote manipulation of these hands
- The concept of a robot-inclusive space, and the development of a domestic robot that can function in such an environment.
- The analysis and improvement of the actuation approach and of the simplicity, dexterity and usability (SDU) of compact multi degree-of-freedom (CMDOF) mechatronic devices
- The development of innovative sensors and actuators; and the study and development of reconfigurable automation systems
- The design, development and commissioning of automatic experimental data gathering testing systems used to validate numerical models and various innovative conceptual innovative fabrication techniques, systems and components
- Development of new automatic fabrication techniques to complement the needs of the future industrial requirements.
Other research under this theme has included various automation projects in partnership with industry, particularly in the plastics and medical devices manufacturing industry, and the study of reconfigurable automated manufacturing systems.
Funded projects
Industrially partnered projects
Funded by: industrial partners
Date: 2002 to date
Principal Investigator: Michael A. Saliba
Co-investigators: various
Project Partners: W.E.T. Automotive Systems (Malta); Methode Electronics Malta Ltd.; Baxter (Malta) Ltd.; Toly (Malta) Ltd.; Portughes Laundry and Dry Cleaning; Lufthansa Technik Malta; Abertax Technologies; Playmobil Malta; Trelleborg Sealing Solutions Malta.
Development of the mechanical and control framework for a minimal anthropomorphic prosthetic hand – MAProHand
Funded by: MCST Fusion Technology Development Programme R&I-2017-028T
Date: Mar 2019 to date
Principal Investigator: Michael A. Saliba
Co-investigators: Kenneth P. Camilleri, Jesmond Attard, Alexiei Dingli
Industrial collaborators: Orthopaedic Centre Malta
Advanced Revolutionary Manufacturing Solutions and Development of GFRP Composite Pole – ARM-D-COP
Funded by: MCST Fusion Technology Development Programme R&I-2017-039T
Date: Nov 2018 to date
Principal Investigator: Duncan Camilleri
Co-investigator: Martin Muscat
Industrial collaborators: SilverCraft Products Ltd
MARIS - Mobile Assistive Robot in an Inclusive Space
Funded by: University of Malta Research Excellence Fund
Date: May 2020 to date
Principal Investigator: Michael A. Saliba
Co-investigator: Simon Fabri
DEXAPP - Application of Manual Dexterity Studies to Prosthetics and Service Robotics
Funded by: University of Malta
Date: 2017 to 2018
Principal Investigator: Michael A. Saliba
DEXTERITY - Studies on minimalism versus anthropomorphism in robot hand dexterity Funded by: University of Malta
Date: 2013 to 2016
Principal Investigator: Michael A. Saliba
HAND - Development of a dexterous robotic hand for manufacturing, prosthetic, and general research applications
Funded by: University of Malta
Date: 2006 to 2010
Principal Investigator: Michael A. Saliba
Co-investigators: Simon Fabri, Conrad Pace.
AUTOMATE - A rationalisation of industrial automation requirements and service provision in Malta, with a focus on the development of new modular reconfigurable industrial automation systems
Funded by: Malta Council for Science and Technology, R&I-2006-045
Date: 2007 to 2010
Principal Investigator: Michael A. Saliba
Co-investigator: Conrad Pace
Project Partners: University of Malta; Cheops (Malta) Ltd.; Prominent Group of Companies (Malta); Toly Products Ltd.; Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry.
Force Control in Robotic Grasping
Funded by: University of Malta
Date: 2001 to 2005
Principal Investigator: Michael A. Saliba
Selected publications
- Aquilina, Y., Saliba, M.A., and Fabri, S.G. 2019, ‘Mobile Assistive Robot in an Inclusive Space: An Introduction to the MARIS Project’, in Lecture Notes in Computer Science 11876, Social Robotics: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference, ICSR 2019, Madrid, Spain, November 26–29, 2019, ed. M. Salichs et al., Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019, pp. 538-547.
- Saliba, M.A., Azzopardi, S., Pace, C. and Zammit, D. 2019, ‘A heuristic approach to module synthesis in the design of reconfigurable manufacturing systems’, International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology. Vol. 102, 4337-4359.
- Saliba, M.A., Zammit, D. & Azzopardi, S. 2017, 'A study on the use of advanced manufacturing technologies by manufacturing firms in a small, geographically isolated, developed economy: the case of Malta', International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, vol. 89, pp. 3691-3707.
- Dalli, D. & Saliba, M.A. 2016, 'Addressing Simplicity, Dexterity and Usability of Compact, Multi-Degree-of-Freedom Mechatronic Devices', IEEE International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics, July 2016, pp. 1357.
- Saliba, M.A. & de Silva, C.W., 2016, 'Quasi-dynamic analysis, design optimization, and evaluation of a two-finger underactuated hand', Mechatronics, vol. 33, pp. 93-107.
- M.A. Saliba and C. Ellul, 'Dexterous actuation', Mechanism and Machine Theory, Vol. 70 (2013), 45-61.
- Saliba, M.A., Chetcuti, A. & Farrugia, M.J. 2013, 'Towards the rationalization of robot hand design: Extracting knowledge from constrained human manual dexterity testing', International Journal of Humanoid Robotics, vol. 10, no. 02, pp. 1350001.
- Ellul, B. and Camilleri, D., 2015, 'The Influence of Manufacturing Variances on the Progressive Failure of Filament Wound Cylindrical Pressure Vessels,' 133, 853-862 Composite Structures, Elsevier. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.compstruct.2015.07.059
- Saliba, M.A., Camilleri, D., Farrugia, M.J., 2005, Development of an Anthropomorphic Robot Hand and Wrist for Teleoperation Applications, Proc. of the Int. Conf. on Information and Automation, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
- Farrugia, Mario; 'Integration of Force Sensing for Robotic Generic Assembly', Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Mechatronics –Mechatronika 2014, 3-5 December 2014 BRNO Czech Republic, pp: 352-358, DOI: 10.1109/MECHATRONIKA.2014.7018283, IEEE Conference Publications.
Theme members
Prof. Duncan Camilleri
Prof. Mario Farrugia
Prof. Michael A. Saliba
