The gm²R Lab (Geometric Mechanics and Mechatronics in Robotics) is based in Cardiff University’s School of Engineering and led by Dr Seyed Amir Tafrishi (Lecturer in Robotics and Autonomous Systems). We build the next generation of robots by combining geometric mechanics (how shape and contact geometry govern motion) with hands-on mechatronics (actuators, mechanisms, sensing, and control).

Our research focuses on robots that don’t just “move”—they adapt: rolling and contact-rich machines, shape-transforming (origami-inspired) platforms, and systems that exploit underactuation and compliance to do more with less actuation. We develop the full stack—from mechanism design to motion planning and control, including rolling-contact planning, dynamic/non-prehensile manipulation, and energy-based control for variable-impedance actuation. We work closely with industry and university partners across Europe and Japan, and we are open to new industrial and global academic collaborations in robotics, embodied intelligence, mechatronics, motion planning, and control.