EPFL
EPFL, the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, is a Swiss federal technical university at Écublens beside Lake Geneva. It traces its origins to a private school of 1853 and became a federal institute in 1969, and is led by President Anna Fontcuberta i Morral since 2025. It has 14,072 students and more than 370 professors. In robotics, it is known for Reymond Clavel's Delta robot and for Francesco Mondada's mobile robots. Its Biorobotics Laboratory, headed by Auke Ijspeert, builds animal-inspired machines such as AmphiBot, a snake-like swimming and crawling robot, and Pleurobot, a salamander robot with 27 degrees of freedom modelled on X-ray recordings of Pleurodeles waltl that can walk, crawl and swim. The catalogue entry Cuddle-Fish, a soft floating robot, is credited by its authors to a Keio University team, not EPFL.
💡Notable Achievement: The Delta robot was invented at EPFL by Reymond Clavel.
What Does EPFL Do?
EPFL is the Swiss federal technical university in Lausanne; its Biorobotics Laboratory builds animal-inspired robots such as the salamander-like Pleurobot and the snake-like AmphiBot.
“A leading Swiss university for bio-inspired robots.”
Animal Locomotion
Pleurobot has 27 degrees of freedom and walks, crawls and swims.
Delta Robot
Invented at EPFL by Reymond Clavel.
Big Research Base
14,072 students and 378 professors in 2025.
What Can EPFL Robots Actually Do?
Cross-portfolio operational capabilities, manipulation tasks, and environmental competencies
Research robots inspired by animals.
Salamander Locomotion
Pleurobot studies walking and swimming gaits.
Snake Swimming
AmphiBot swims and crawls like a snake.
EPFL Robots & Robot Hands
Showing 4 of 4 total models
Bimodal Crawling Hand
By: EPFL
Launched: 2026
The Bimodal Crawling Hand from EPFL is a reversible, detachable robotic end-effector with symmetrical architecture supporting up to six identical silicone-tipped fingers. It performs 33 human-like grasping motions, allows any fingers to form opposable thumb pairs, and interchanges palm/back via finger reversal. It detaches from the arm to crawl spider-like, enabling loco-manipulation to grasp/carry objects beyond arm reach, even while holding multiple items on palm or back.
Cuddle-Fish Robot
By: EPFL
Launched: 2025
The Cuddle-Fish Robot is a soft, lighter-than-air flapping-wing floating robot designed for safe, close-proximity human-robot interactions in indoor environments. Inspired by animal movement, it uses a helium-filled soft body and low-frequency flapping wings for propulsion, eliminating risks from propellers, rigid structures, or noise associated with traditional drones. This companion/social robot elicits spontaneous affective behaviors like patting, stroking, hugging, and cheek-touching, fostering positive emotional responses. Key features include touch-safe design, quiet operation, and organic visual presence, making it ideal for therapeutic settings, companionship for isolated individuals, play, and interactive experiences in homes or apartments where conventional flying robots are unsafe.
Pleurobot
By: EPFL
Launched: 2016
Pleurobot is a bio-inspired amphibious robot developed by EPFL's Biorobotics Laboratory to mimic the locomotion of the salamander Pleurodeles waltl, aiding research in vertebrate motion, spinal cord control, and robotics for search and rescue. Featuring 27 motors, 11 spinal segments, 29 joints (including 2 passive in tail), and 3D-printed bones, it replicates walking, crawling, forward/backward/lateral terrestrial movement, turning via spine bending, surface swimming, and slope traversal up to 30 degrees. Used for studying central pattern generators (CPGs), reflexes like leg extension and stumble correction, and multimodal locomotion; potential applications in disaster response terrain navigation and neurorehabilitation insights for paraplegics
AmphiBot (Robot Snake)
By: EPFL
Launched: 2005
AmphiBot is a biologically inspired amphibious snake-like robot developed at EPFL's Biorobotics Laboratory for outdoor robotics tasks, drawing from snakes and elongate fishes like lampreys or eels. It crawls on land and swims in water using undulatory locomotion controlled by central pattern generators (CPGs) to test adaptive controllers and study animal neural networks. Key features include modular segments with DC motors, improved waterproofing, wireless communication, and onboard CPGs. Use cases involve environmental monitoring like pollution detection in lakes (AmphiBot IV), amphibious exploration, and as testbed for locomotion research; latest Amphibot III achieves human-like swimming speeds.
EPFL Timeline & Milestones
Evolutionary history, landmark prototypes, major acquisitions, and commercial roadmap
Pleurobot design published
EPFL's BioRob lab publishes the cineradiography-based approach behind Pleurobot, a 27-degree-of-freedom salamander robot, in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.
Source: epfl.ch
EPFL Competitors by Category
Direct industry rivals grouped by specific robotics domain
What Makes EPFL Different?
Editorial AnalysisOrigin of Bots objective strategic assessment, engineering moats, and commercial hurdles
Key Strengths & Moats
- ✓World-class robotics research, including the Delta robot.
- ✓Bio-inspired platforms that inform biomechanics and neuroscience.
Core Strategic Focus
Academic robotics research rather than products.
Road Ahead & Challenges
- •Robots are research platforms, not commercial products.
- •Catalogue lists Cuddle-Fish, which is credited to Keio University.
EPFL vs Key Competitors
Strategic capability matrix across platform categories, commercial readiness, and target markets
Category / Focus
- EPFL Pleurobot
- Salamander research robot
- EPFL AmphiBot
- Amphibious snake robot
- ETH Magnecko
- Magnetic climbing quadruped
Primary Use
- EPFL Pleurobot
- Search and rescue terrain
- EPFL AmphiBot
- Not listed
- ETH Magnecko
- Industrial inspection
Weight
- EPFL Pleurobot
- 2.3 kg
- EPFL AmphiBot
- Approximately 1.1 kg (Total weight for a standard 7-segment assembly)
- ETH Magnecko
- 11.3 kg
Release Year
- EPFL Pleurobot
- 2016
- EPFL AmphiBot
- 2005
- ETH Magnecko
- 2024
| Strategic Dimension | EPFL Pleurobot | EPFL AmphiBot | ETH Magnecko |
|---|---|---|---|
| Category / Focus | Salamander research robot | Amphibious snake robot | Magnetic climbing quadruped |
| Primary Use | Search and rescue terrain | Not listed | Industrial inspection |
| Weight | 2.3 kg | Approximately 1.1 kg (Total weight for a standard 7-segment assembly) | 11.3 kg |
| Release Year | 2016 | 2005 | 2024 |
Corporate Ecosystem & Ownership Structure
Parent company relationships, historical acquisitions, and global operating facilities
Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology Domain
EPFL operates within the ETH Domain of Swiss federal universities.
Ownership & Acquisition History
EPFL operates within the ETH Domain of Swiss federal universities.
Global Facilities & Operating Hubs
EPFL Headquarters
HQLausanne, Switzerland
Articles & Industry News
Showing 3 recent articles and news updates about EPFL
Cuddle-Fish Robot Elicits Hugs in Therapeutic Indoor Demos
News about Cuddle-Fish Robot
Pleurobot Masters 30-Degree Slopes, Swimming in 2026 Trials
News about Pleurobot
AmphiBot IV Deploys Pollution Sensors in Lakes 2026
News about AmphiBot (Robot Snake)
Frequently Asked Questions
8 AnswersVerified answers, company specifications, and deployment details about EPFL
What is EPFL?
EPFL is the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, a Swiss federal technical university near Lake Geneva that traces its origins to 1853 and became a federal institute in 1969.
What is the Pleurobot?
Pleurobot is a salamander-like robot from EPFL's BioRob lab. It has 27 degrees of freedom and can walk on land, walk underwater and swim, and is used to study animal locomotion.
What is AmphiBot?
AmphiBot is an amphibious snake-like robot from EPFL's Biorobotics Laboratory. It is listed alongside Pleurobot as part of research on amphibious robots that swim and crawl.
Who leads EPFL's Biorobotics Laboratory?
Auke Ijspeert is the full professor who heads EPFL's Biorobotics Laboratory, whose work joins robotics, computational neuroscience and machine learning.
Which EPFL people are known in robotics?
Reymond Clavel invented the Delta robot at EPFL, and Francesco Mondada is known for mobile robotics research, according to EPFL's Wikipedia profile.
Is Cuddle-Fish an EPFL robot?
No. The Cuddle-Fish paper is by a team at Keio University in Tokyo with collaborators including the MIT Media Lab, so its EPFL attribution in older catalogue data is wrong.
How big is EPFL?
As of 2025 EPFL had 14,072 students from over 130 countries, 378 professors and 3,697 additional academic staff, making it one of the leading technical universities in Europe.
Who is the president of EPFL?
Anna Fontcuberta i Morral has been president of EPFL since 2025, according to its Wikipedia profile. She leads the university, which sits in Écublens near Lausanne.
Verified Data & Editorial Assurance
Compiled from verified corporate filings, official EPFL datasheets, and robotics engineering registries. Information has been verified against official manufacturer documentation. For commercial procurement or proprietary integrations, contact the manufacturer directly.