Locating body contact from tendon measurements
A new preprint combines known obstacle geometry with moving horizon estimation to infer contact location and force in a two-section continuum-robot simulation.
arXivRead update ↗
OPENRUWEI · ROBOTICS IN CONSTRAINED SPACES
Small spaces.
Wider possibilities.
OpenRuwei is an open community for robotics in constrained spaces, connecting maintenance, medical intervention, rescue, infrastructure inspection and orbital servicing.
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LATEST / 2026.11.09
All updates ↗What’s new in the field?
NEURA, E.ON and enviaM partner on grid robotics
The partners will train robots for inspection and asset monitoring, with initial practical grid experience at MITNETZ STROM expected in 2027.
NEURA RoboticsRead update ↗
Coordinating a mobile base and continuum arm around obstacles
A unified framework combines long-horizon planning with local geometric refinement for coordinated base–arm motion in cluttered spaces.
arXivRead update ↗
SCRUB controls a body-mounted tool on a quadruped
An armless quadruped estimates surface direction from force and velocity cues while sliding a body-mounted tool along near-vertical surfaces.
arXivRead update ↗
How do robots reach the target?
How do they carry out the task?
Engine inspection ports, small body passages and rubble gaps constrain a robot’s size and motion. Industrial facilities and spacecraft also require deliberate approaches to access, contact and remote operation. These research and field cases document paths, locomotion, inspection and manipulation.
01 / FIELD
Maintenance
Access equipment through inspection ports for internal inspection and local repair.
02 / FIELD
Medical intervention
Navigate vessels and airways to support examination and intervention.
03 / FIELD
Rescue & exploration
Enter rubble, caves and ice crevasses to observe the interior.
04 / FIELD
Infrastructure
Inspect pipes, tanks and industrial facilities to monitor asset condition.
05 / FIELD
Orbital servicing
Access spacecraft surfaces and interfaces for inspection, maintenance and refuelling tests.
IN MOTION
Watch robots at work.
Engine surfaces, a cerebral-vessel model, and snow and ice reveal three different approaches to robot locomotion.
1080pHAMR-E: electroadhesive crawling on engine walls
A centimetre-scale tethered robot uses electroadhesive feet to crawl on vertical, inverted and curved conductive surfaces.
Tethered climbing experimentsRead case
4KMagnetically steered thread in a cerebral-vessel model
A magnetic field steers a slender thread, with a hydrogel coating to reduce friction.
Vascular-model experimentsRead case
1080pEELS: a snake robot for passages through ice
A segmented robot combines rotating screw propulsion with environmental mapping in ground tests on ice, snow, sand and glacier passages.
Ground prototypes and glacier testsRead case
PAPERS & FIELD RECORDS
Find the research behind each case.
Each case links to papers, institutional reports or field records for mechanism design, test conditions and results.
FROM THE JOURNAL
Explore an experiment.
Find the next question.
Field-record notePerception & localisation
The next move beneath the ice
EELS brings locomotion, mapping and risk assessment into a single exploration task.
Methods discussionHumanoid robotics
What can we learn from humanoid robotics?
Start with control, perception and data, then examine access to a specific space.
RESEARCH DIRECTIONS
Research directions & topics
Browse by technical question, or start with a robot and its task.
TECHNICAL DIRECTIONS
01Mechanisms & actuation
Structure, actuation and load transmission.
Perception & localisation
Observe the environment and estimate shape, position and contact.
Planning & control
Choose feasible paths, coordinate motion and respond to feedback.
Contact & manipulation
Adhesion, friction, force feedback and tool interaction.
Learning & adaptation
Learn from data and interaction, and test policies in new conditions.
ROBOTS & TASKS
TASK FOCUS
Crawling & climbing
Adhesion, locomotion and tools on engine walls and spacecraft surfaces.
TASK FOCUS
Snake & continuum
Navigate winding paths to observe and manipulate within limited space.
TASK FOCUS
Quadrupeds & inspection
Cross stairs, grating and equipment passages to inspect industrial assets.
TASK FOCUS
Humanoid robotics
From open hardware and whole-body control to bimanual manipulation and action models.
LEARNING & SIMULATION
METHODS FOCUS
Embodied intelligence & physical AI
Study how robots learn from demonstrations, language and interaction, alongside the data and code.
A PLACE TO WORK TOGETHERYour question can
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become a project.
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Send papers, experiment videos, open projects or application needs. Include a source link or describe the problem you are working on.