Adel Mhiri

Please tell us about your research project.

During my stay at Oxford I will be working with Engineer at the Oxford Robotic Institute. My research project is entitled « Design, construction and analysis of a high-performance, high-payload-to-weight-ratio manipulation arm for quadruped robot ». It aims at increasing the ability of current robot arms to carry out manipulation in industrial environments such as opening heavy doors or turning stuck valves requires the ability to apply large forces. Here, deploying a legged robot with a force controlled manipulator offers the opportunity to remove humans from the vicinity of dangerous tasks while providing tactile, haptic feedback to the operator.
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Could you please tell us a bit more about your scholarship/exchange programme?

I study at the engineering school CentraleSupélec, completing the Master “Control Engineering”. The Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford was offering 3 to 6 fully funded 6-month research internships to final year students of my school. The internships  are  aimed at strengthening  the  relationship  between  the  French  engineering  schools  (“Grandes Ecoles”) and the University of Oxford.
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First impressions of Oxford/the University?

I haven’t seen much of Oxford yet because of quarantine, but Oxford seems to be a quiet and charming place. It provides a great setting for studying and researching. And the cookies I tasted were just amazing.