Designing robots that fly and swim

Q: Your work combines insights from biology and robotics. How did you first come up with the idea of robots that can both fly and go underwater?

Prof. Zufferey: The idea happened shortly after my PhD, where my work was really on aero-aquatic robots.

We looked at how propellers can be used to go between water and air. I then spent some time doing research in Spain working on flapping technology and on how flapping wings could propel a robot in flight. And that is when I decided to merge those two subfields of robotics and try to look at how flapping wings can support flight in water and in air.

Some research had been done on this already, but mostly with simulation and in bench tests. So nothing had really been proposed in terms of fully autonomous and freely moving robots: and that was really my starting point.

Q: Your interest clearly goes back much further than this project. How did robotics first become your passion?

Prof. Zufferey: It always has been to some extent.

I studied micro engineering at EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), which really gave me some elements of mechanical engineering, some elements of electrical engineering, some programming, and robotics naturally emerged from this.

I then did my master thesis with Rob Wood at Harvard for six months, where I saw that research can actually be really fun and that we can spend time working on the hardest problems in the world. And that is what got me very excited to start a PhD and then eventually a postdoc and a faculty career.

Q: Your MSCA project has already led to major breakthroughs. Where do you hope to take this research next?

Prof. Zufferey: I really see my MSCA fellowship as a starting point for the lab that I am building now at MIT. My results are more of a proof of concept in terms of robotics, and we are taking them to now create something that can operate in our oceans, that can be used by biologists, physicists, any scientists that study the ocean and need data.

We are really hoping to create those new tools for other scientists.

Q: Looking back on your MSCA fellowship, what do you value most about the experience?

Prof. Zufferey: With my MSCA project, I really had the freedom to explore the research the way I wanted to do it. There was no pressure from my professors or from my peers to work on other projects.

So I really could focus 100% on the research. And I think this is one of the reasons that this project worked out so well.

Q: Many early-career researchers aspire to follow a similar path. What advice would you give to someone considering applying for an MSCA fellowship?

Prof. Zufferey: Try to start early and have people read your application. Give it to your friends, give it to even your parents, give it to everyone that you can to have a read. Because there will be some feedback every time, even if it is just about an image that is out of place, you always get feedback.

And just apply, right? I did not think, just apply. I did not think that my ideas were good enough back then, and this has really been the start of my academic career.

Q: Your career shows the importance of pursuing ambitious ideas. What would you say to young researchers who are thinking about taking a similar leap and pursuing their own passion projects?

Prof. Zufferey: Academia involves taking some risks, right? If you are doing a research project that does not carry any risks, then the research will likely not be very impactful or very interesting. So taking the right amount of risk is something to think about. And I think in this project, I did take some risks.

We did not know ahead of time whether such robots could actually work. But because of that, and because of the MSCA funding that allowed me to take this risk, I was able to get some breakthroughs, and now that has led to my faculty career at MIT.

MSCA 30th anniversary webpage - a dedicated page structured around the symbolic theme of Radium (in reference to Marie Skłodowska-Curie's discovery), showcasing stories, milestones and highlights from 30 years of MSCA

Get to know MSCA - learn more about the programme, its objectives and its impact on research careers

Video interview with Prof. Dr. Hélène Langevin-Joliot - granddaughter of Marie Skłodowska-Curie, sharing insights on her legacy and its relevance today

Events across Europe and beyond - a selection of events organised by MSCA networks to mark the anniversary

Communication toolkit - ready-to-use visuals, key messages and materials to help partners and stakeholders share and promote the celebrations