Intelligence does not live in algorithms alone. It emerges from bodies, brains, and interaction with the physical world.

At the NEAR Lab, we study how intelligent behavior arises from the tight coupling of neural systems, data-driven control, and physical embodiment in robotic systems. By integrating bio-inspired morphology, neurorobotics, and lifelong learning, we aim to build robots that learn, adapt, and evolve through real physical interaction.

Our Approach

Rather than treating perception, learning, and control as separate modules, NEAR takes an embodied perspective on intelligence. We design robotic systems in which the body shapes computation, learning unfolds over time, and behavior emerges through interaction with the environment.

Our work spans robot design, modeling, control, and learning, with a particular emphasis on dynamic and underactuated systems, such as flapping-wing robots. We believe that understanding how animals fly, sense, learn, and adapt offers essential principles for the next generation of autonomous robots.

Research

Our research focuses on bio-inspired robotics and embodied intelligence, including:

• flapping-wing and morphologically adaptive robots
• neuro-embodied and neuromorphic systems
• adaptation and lifelong learning in physical agents
• modeling, dynamics, and control of complex robotic systems

See the Research page for details.

Join Us

We welcome students and collaborators interested in bio-inspired robots that learn and adapt through real-world interaction. For more information and contact details, please visit our People page — we’d be happy to hear from you.

NEAR Lab
Where intelligence takes physical form.