Reymond Clavel receives Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Award

In a press release, the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) announced that Clavel, an EPFL alumnus who previously led the Laboratory of Robotics Systems in the School of Engineering, was selected for the prestigious award in recognition of “his pioneering role in the invention of the Delta robot concept.” He was named alongside fellow alumnus Marc-Olivier Demaurex, former CEO of the company Demaurex Robotics, which first industrialized the robot.

A3 representative Roy Fraser presented Clavel with the honor at a campus award ceremony, attended by EPFL president Martin Vetterli, on June 13.

Reymond Clavel is best known for his invention of the Delta robot and the author of around 30 patents. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering from EPFL in 1973, and obtained his PhD in robotics in 1991. He was a professor at EPFL from 1981-2013, and his research in the Laboratory of Robotics Systems focused on parallel robotics, high speed and high precision robotics, and medical and surgical robotics applications.

In 1985, Clavel led the research team that invented the parallel Delta robot, which revolutionized the packaging world with its three arms and its gripping device. Originally conceived to manipulate small, light objects such as chocolates, the highly dynamic tool has been used for many other applications over the years. In 1987, the robot was licensed to Swiss company Demaurex, founded by Clavel’s EPFL classmate, for the production of robots for the packaging industry.

“I’m beyond proud that we were able to create a real solution to a problem that so many dealt with as they looked to automate complex piece picking applications and the influence these parallel robots have on today’s robots,” Clavel said in the A3 press release.

The Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards are named after pioneering industrial roboticist Joseph F. Engelberger. Since 1977, these awards have been given to 139 robotics leaders from around the world for excellence in technology development, application, education and leadership.