PhD Student (M/F) - Design of Robotic Architectures with Highly Flexible Joints for the Manipulation of Deformable Objects

Job Description

Thesis Subject

Your Mission
This PhD thesis work will be carried out as part of the project DRMI (Dexterous Robotic Manipulation for Industry) of the national research programme “PEPR Robotique”. Your main task will be to contribute to the design of robotic architectures integrating flexible joints to enable advanced manipulation capabilities. Flexible joints are of particular interest in miniaturization applications, such as watchmaking, as well as in the manufacture of monolithic 3D-printed robots, thanks to their ease of fabrication and the possibility of making them biodegradable and biocompatible. The goal is to jointly optimise both the robot architecture and its mechanical joints in order to simultaneously improve the dexterity and precision of robotic manipulators and grippers while allowing relatively large translation and rotation capabilities. The flexible/compliant joints are intended to function as revolute, prismatic, spherical or hybrid joint types, combining high repeatability, accuracy, and adaptability within optimized robotic structures. The objects to be handled are small objects measuring a few millimetres.

The main scientific challenges addressed in this thesis include the co-design of robotic architectures and flexible joints, the development of methodologies for their optimization including the definition of relevant performance indices, and the evaluation of the designed robot performance through the experimental testing of the manipulation of deformable and delicate objects.

Details of the mission.
Establish unified performance indices for the co-design of robotic architectures and flexible joints, including stiffness distribution, isotropy, parasitic motion, and translation–rotation coupling.
Propose modelling and control strategies that address the nonlinear behaviour of flexible joints in complex kinematic chains.
Develop optimization frameworks for the co-design of precise flexible joints and the overall robot architectures.
Investigate suitable materials for use in flexible joints and their impact on joint behaviour and robot-level performance.
Exploit fabrication techniques, such as high-resolution 3D printing, to implement complex optimized geometries compatible with miniaturized robotic systems.
Validate whether locally optimized joints improve the global kinematic fidelity, dexterity, and precision of robotic architectures through prototype implementation and application-specific testing.
Write scientific publications and project reports.
Participate in weekly thesis meetings and “PEPR robotique” meetings.

You will work at LIRMM in Montpellier as part of the DEXTER research team in the robotics department (https://www.lirmm.fr/teams-en/dexter-en/) and in collaboration with the RoMoCo research team of FEMTO-ST laboratory in Besançon (https://www.femto-st.fr/en/Research-departments/AS2M/Research-groups/ROMOCO).

Your Profile
Education: You have a master's degree or engineering degree in robotics, mechanical engineering, mechatronics or a related field.

Skills:
Kinematics and robotics
Mechanical design and modelling
Optimization methods and performance analysis
CAD software and FEA tools
Control of nonlinear systems
Materials science
Interest in experimental validation, prototyping, and multi-physics modelling
Fluency in English for research activities.

Soft Skills:
Rigorous and methodical approach
Team spirit and ability to collaborate
Initiative and the ability to work independently
Curiosity and interest in research.

To apply, please send your CV, a cover letter, and your transcripts from both your Bachelor's and Master's programmes to redwan.dahmouche@femto-st.fr and marc.gouttefarde@lirmm.fr, using PHDDRMIL26 as the email subject.

Keywords: robotics, manipulation, flexible joints, design optimization, deformable/delicate objects.

Your Work Environment

This PhD thesis is part of the project DRMI (Dexterous Robotic Manipulation for Industry) of the national research programme “PEPR Robotique” (https://www.cnrs.fr/en/our-research/france-2030/pepr/robotics). The goal of this programme is to accelerate the removal of scientific and technical bottlenecks at low TRL (1 to 3), with the aim of increasing scientific and technological innovation, and operational deployment. Inside the programme, the project DRMI deals with manipulation abilities, which are essential in many industrial robotic applications. They are extensively employed across various manufacturing industries to automate tasks characterized by repetitiveness, handling heavy loads, or posing risks to human workers. Nevertheless, the use of robots remains constrained across several sectors. Notably, manipulating deformable or delicate objects remains a significant challenge in robotics. Traditional rigid robotic systems often lack the adaptability and compliance necessary for such tasks, especially when precision, dexterity and safety must be considered simultaneously. This limitation is particularly problematic in high-precision applications where interaction with fragile materials or tissues requires accuracy and controlled flexibility.

The thesis will be conducted at the Montpellier Laboratory of Computer Science, Robotics, and Microelectronics (LIRMM), within the DEXTER team in the Robotics Department. The LIRMM is a joint research unit, jointly affiliated with the University of Montpellier (UM) and the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS). It is located on the UM's Saint-Priest Campus in Montpellier. Its research activities firmly position the LIRMM at the heart of information, communication, and systems sciences and technologies. Thus, from information to systems, from technology to humans and applications, LIRMM's research activities focus on: the design and verification of integrated, mobile, and communicating systems; the modeling of complex agent-based systems; and studies in algorithms, bioinformatics, human-machine interactions, robotics, and more.

This thesis will be conducted in collaboration with FEMTO-ST laboratory and its RoMoCo research team. FEMTO-ST is a large, interdisciplinary research institute affiliated with the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research), the University of Franche-Comté (UFC), the National School of Mechanical and Mechanical Engineering (ENSMM) and the University of Technology of Belfort-Montbéliard (UTBM). It employs over 700 researchers. It is organised into multiple departments, including AS2M (Automatic Control and Micro-Mechatronic Systems), a leading group in micro- and nano-robotics. The institute provides access to advanced facilities, including the MIMENTO microfabrication platform and the MICRO-ROBOTEX infrastructure for micro- and nanomanipulation.

The position is in a sector covered by the protection of scientific and technical potential (PPST) program, and therefore, in accordance with regulations, requires that your arrival be authorized by the competent authority at the MESR.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

2300 € gross monthly

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

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