Section: Application Domains

Application Domains

While the methods developed in the project can be used for a very broad set of application domains (for example we have an activity in CO2 emission allowances [32] ), it is clear that the size of the project does not allow us to address all of them. Hence we have decided to focus our applicative activities on mechanism theory, where we focus on optimal design and geometrical modeling of mechanisms. Along the same line our focus is robotics and especially service robotics which includes rescue robotics, rehabilitation and assistive robots for elderly and handicapped people (section  6.2.1.3 ). Although these topics were new for us in 2008 we have spent two years determining priorities and guidelines by conducting about 200 interviews with field experts (end-users, praticians, family and caregivers, institutes), establishing strong collaboration with them (e.g. with the CHU of Nice-Cimiez) and putting together an appropriate experimental setup for testing our solutions (see  6.2.1.4 ). A direct consequence of setting up this research framework is a reduction in our publication and contract activities. But this may be considered as an investment as assistance robotics will constitute the major research axis of the project on the long term (COPRIN will reach its twelve years of existence in 2014 but we intend to propose in 2013 a new project on this topic, code-named HEPHAISTOS).