FAQ

Can I have my group work on part of my dissertation/thesis?

No. The project can be tangentially related to your research interests but needs to be beneficial for all group members. It should not be directly part of your dissertation. Your individual contribution can be related to your dissertation, but only with written permission from myself and your adviser. It must make sense within the context of the project hypothesis.

Can my group use an existing robot in my PIs lab?

Maybe. If you work in a lab and want to use resources from there you will need to discuss this with me and receive written permission from the lab PI (in email). But remember you must build something.

Can my project be something other than “a robot copy of X animal”?

Absolutely, and it has to be! The project should not just be a copy of an animal. You need to test a specific research question or hypothesis. The robot to test that hypothesis may be a subsystem, inspired by a concept from the organism, etc.