Publications

2016

Aerodynamic evaluation of wing shape and wing orientation in four butterfly species using numerical simulations and a low-speed wind tunnel, and its implications for the design of flying micro-robots, A. Ortega, R. Eastwood, D. Vogt, C. Ithier, M. Smith, R.J. Wood and M. Kovac. Journal of the Royal Society Interface Focus, 2016‌.
Wind and Water Tunnel Testing of a Morphing Aquatic Micro Air Vehicle, R. Siddall, A. Ortega and M. Kovac. Journal of the Royal Society Interface Focus, 2016‌.
Fast Aquatic Escape with a Jet Thruster, R. Siddall and M. Kovac. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, pp. 1-12, October, 2016‌.
Bio-inspired Soft Aerial Robots: Adaptive Morphology for High-Performance Flight, S. Sareh, R. Siddall, T. Alhinai, and M. Kovac. Soft Robotics: Trends, Applications and Challenges, vol. 17 of Biosystems & Biorobotics, pp. 65-74, September, 2016‌.
Learning from nature how to land aerial robots‌, M. Kovac, Science, Vol. 352, Issue 6288, pp. 895-896, May, 2016‌.

Tensile Web Construction and Perching with Nano Aerial Vehicles‌‌, A. Braithwaite*, T. Alhinai*, M. Haas-Heger, E. McFarlane, and M. Kovac, Int. Symposium on Robotics Research, Sestri Levante, Italy, September, 2015.
High-Power Propulsion Strategies for Aquatic Take-off in Robotics‌, R. Siddall*, G. Kennedy*, and M. Kovac, Int. Symposium on Robotics Research, Sestri Levante, Italy, September, 2015.‌
A Water Jet Thruster for an Aquatic Micro Air Vehicle‌‌, R. Siddall and M. Kovac, Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), Seattle, USA, May, 2015.
Performance analysis of jump-gliding locomotion for miniature robotics, A. Vidyasagar, J.-C. Zufferey, D. Floreano, M. Kovac, Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 1-12, 2015.
Perspectives on biologically inspired hybrid and multi-modal locomotion, K.H. Low, T. Hu, S. Mohammed, J. Tagorra and M. Kovac, Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 1-12, 2015.

3D Printing with Flying Robots, G. Hunt, F. Mitzalis, T. Alhinai, P. Hooper, and M. Kovac, Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, Hong Kong, May, 2014.
Launching the AquaMAV: bioinspired design for aerial–aquatic robotic platforms, R. Siddall and M. Kovac, Bioinspiration and Biomimetics, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 1-15, 2014.

The Bioinspiration Design Paradigm: A Perspective for Soft Robotics, M. Kovac, Soft Robotics, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 28-37, 2013.
Shaping up: Aerodynamics and evolution of butterfly wing planform, J.D. Crall, M. Kovac, M. Cornwall, R.J. Wood, N.E. Pierce, S.E. Combes, Annual Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology , San Franciso, California, Jan., 2013.
Hydrodynamics of Self-propelling Flexible Synthetic Shark Skin Membranes, L. Wen, G.V. Lauder, J.C. Weaver, M. Kovac, and R.J. Wood, Annual Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology , San Francisco, California, Jan., 2013.

Aerodynamic evaluation of four butterfly species for the design of flapping-gliding robotic insects, M. Kovac, D. Vogt, D. Ithier, M. Smith, and R.J. Wood, IEEE/RSJ Int. Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Vilamoura, Portugal, Sep., 2012.
Multi stage micro rockets for robotic insects, M. Kovac, M. Smith, M. Bendana, and R.J. Wood, Robotics: Science and Systems, Sydney, Australia, July, 2012.
Runner-up best presentation award
Fabrication Methods for Artificial Butterfly Scales and Shark Ribs for Micro Aerial Vehicles, M. Kovac, G. Roulet, M. Smith, and R.J. Wood, 4th Int. Conf. on Smart Materials, Structures and Systems, Rome, Italy, June, 2012.
Biologically Inspired Wing Optimization for Aerial Micro Robots, M. Kovac, D. Vogt, G. Roulet, M. Smith, and R.J. Wood, 4th Int. Conf. on Smart Materials, Structures and Systems, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Jan., 2012.
Aerodynamic Performance of Forewing Orientation in Butterﬂies, M. Kovac, D. Vogt, M. Smith, and R.J. Wood, Annual Meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology , Charleston, South Carolina, Jan., 2012.

The EPFL Jumpglider: A Hybrid Jump-gliding robot, M. Kovac, W. Hraiz, O. Fauria, J.-C. Zuffrey, and D. Floreano, IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Biomimetics, Phuket, Thailand, Dec., 2011.
Winner: Best paper
The Locomotion Capabilities of the ‘EPFL Jumpglider’: A Hybrid Jump-gliding Robot (Video contribution) , M. Kovac, W. Hraiz, O. Fauria, J.-C. Zuffrey, and D. Floreano, IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Biomimetics, Phuket, Thailand, Dec., 2011.
Biologically Inspired Intermittent Flight for Aerial Micro Robots, M. Kovac, D. Vogt, G. Roulet, M. Smith, and R.J. Wood, 3rd Annual Harvard Wyss Institute Retreat, Boston, Massachusetts, Nov., 2011.
Aerial Locomotion in Cluttered Environments, D. Floreano, J.-C. Zuffrey, A. Klaptocz, J. Germann, and M. Kovac, 15th Int. Symposium on Robotics Research, Flagstaff, Arizona, Aug., 2011.
Biologically Inspired Intermittent Flap-gliding Flight for Aerial Micro Robots, M. Kovac, D. Vogt, G. Roulet, M. Venkadesan, M. Smith, and R.J. Wood, Bio-mimetic and Hybrid Approaches to Robotics Workshop at IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, Shanghai, China, May, 2011.

Steerable Miniature Jumping Robot, M. Kovac, M. Schlegel, J.-C. Zufferey, and D. Floreano, Autonomous Robots, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 295-306, 2010.
Cover article
A Perching Mechanism for Micro Aerial Vehicles, M. Kovac, J. Germann, C. Hürzeler, R.Y. Siegwart, and D. Floreano, Journal of Micro an d Nanomec hatronics, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 77-91, 2010.

Towards a Self-Deploying and Gliding Robot, M. Kovac, J.-C. Zufferey, and D. Floreano, Flying Insects and Robots, pp. 271-284, Berlin: Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2009.
A miniature jumping robot with self-recovery capabilities, M. Kovac, M. Schlegel, J.-C. Zufferey, and D. Floreano, IEEE/RSJ Int. Co nf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems, St. Louis, Missouri, Oct., 2009.
Winner: JTCF Novel Technology Paper Award

Towards the Self Deploying Microglider, a Biomimetic Jumping and Gliding Robot, M. Kovac, J.-C. Zufferey, and D. Floreano, 4th International Symposium on Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines, pp. 41-42, Cleveland, Ohio, June, 2008.
A Miniature 7g Jumping Robot, M. Kovac, M. Fuchs, A . Guignard, J.-C. Zufferey, and D. Floreano, IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, Pasadena, California, May, 2008.

Towards the Self Deploying Microglider; Gliding Flight and Bioinspired Wing Folding Mechanism, M. Kovac, G. Savioz, J.-C. Zufferey, and D. Floreano, International Symposium on Flying Insects and Robots, pp. 61-62, Monte Verita, Switzerland, Aug., 2007.
A 1.5g SMA-actuated microglider looking for the light, M. Kovac, A. Guignard, J.-D. Nicoud, J.-C. Zufferey, and D. Floreano, IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation, Rome, Italy, April, 2007.