Felix Becker

About

Felix Becker is a robotics researcher whose work spans vibration-driven locomotion, microrobotics, and mobile robotic systems. He is perhaps best known for his extensive contributions to the study of bristle-bots — small, vibration-propelled robots that use asymmetric bristle friction to achieve directed movement. His foundational analytical and numerical models of bristle-bot mechanics, developed across several influential papers between 2013 and 2017, have helped establish a rigorous theoretical framework for this class of robots, earning over 33 citations for his core mechanics paper alone. Becker has also advanced the practical application of these systems, including pipeline inspection robots and swarm robotics platforms, demonstrating their real-world versatility. His work on piezoelectric actuators enabled the development of amphibious microrobots capable of operating across both solid and liquid environments, a notably challenging engineering feat. Beyond vibration-driven systems, Becker has contributed to capsule robot dynamics, screw-driven burrowing robots for sandy terrain, and Mecanum-wheeled vehicles for assistive mobility applications. With a cumulative citation count exceeding 170 across his top works, Becker has established himself as a productive and wide-ranging contributor to the field of small-scale and specialty mobile robotics.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Dynamics and motion control of a capsule robot with an opposing spring

   41 citations · 2019
2. 2
   On the Mechanics of Bristle-Bots - Modeling, Simulation and Experiments

   33 citations · 2014
3. 3
   An amphibious vibration-driven microrobot with a piezoelectric actuator

   22 citations · 2013
4. 4
   SPY BRISTLE BOT - A VIBRATION-DRIVEN ROBOT FOR THE INSPECTION OF PIPELINES

   13 citations · 2014
5. 5
   An Approach to the Dynamics of Vibration-driven Robots with Bristles

   12 citations · 2015
6. 6
   A DESCRIPTION OF THE DYNAMICS OF A FOUR-WHEEL MECANUM MOBILE SYSTEM AS A BASIS FOR A PLATFORM CONCEPT FOR SPECIAL PURPOSE VEHICLES FOR DISABLED PERSONS

   12 citations · 2014
7. 7
   Enabling Autonomous Locomotion into Sand - A Mobile and Modular Drilling Robot

   11 citations · 2016
8. 8
   Bristle-bots in swarm robotics - approaches on agent development and locomotion

   10 citations · 2017
9. 9
   Single Piezo Actuator Driven Micro Robot for 2-Dimensional Locomotion

   10 citations · 2011
10. 10
    Piezo-driven Micro Robots for Different Environments: Prototypes and Experiments

    8 citations · 2012

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links