Philippe Lutz

About

Philippe Lutz is a prominent robotics and microsystems researcher whose work has fundamentally advanced the fields of robotic microassembly, micromanipulation, and microfabrication. Based at FEMTO-ST Institute in France, Lutz has dedicated his career to solving one of engineering's most demanding challenges: the precise handling and assembly of submillimetric objects where conventional robotics principles break down. Lutz's most influential contributions center on developing intelligent control strategies and novel microrobotic architectures for micro-assembly tasks. His work on active force control and impedance-based force tracking addresses the unique physical phenomena at the microscale — particularly surface adhesion forces — that dominate over gravity and complicate reliable manipulation. His development of the DiMiBo, a bistable-module-based digital microrobot enabling open-loop micropositioning, demonstrated an elegant approach to precision without complex feedback systems. He has also pioneered photo-robotic techniques for assembling photonic devices with exceptional accuracy, reflecting his growing focus on optical microsystems integration. With over 300 cumulative citations across his top works, Lutz's research has shaped both academic understanding and practical implementation of microfactory systems and MOEMS assembly. His interdisciplinary contributions — spanning control theory, microfabrication, and optical engineering — make him an essential reference for researchers entering the rapidly expanding world of microrobotics and precision automation.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Robotic microassembly and micromanipulation at FEMTO-ST

   80 citations · 2013
2. 2
   Modular architecture of the microfactories for automatic micro-assembly

   32 citations · 2009
3. 3
   A Microfabricated Planar Digital Microrobot for Precise Positioning Based on Bistable Modules

   31 citations · 2013
4. 4
   Active force control for robotic micro-assembly: Application to guiding tasks

   30 citations · 2010
5. 5
   Measurement of pull-off force for planar contact at the microscale

   27 citations · 2009
6. 6
   Force tracking impedance control with unknown environment at the microscale

   25 citations · 2014
7. 7
   Force-Position Photo-Robotic Approach for the High-Accurate Micro-Assembly of Photonic Devices

   23 citations · 2020
8. 8
   Precise Motion Control of a Piezoelectric Microgripper for Microspectrometer Assembly

   23 citations · 2009
9. 9
   Noise characterization in millimeter sized micromanipulation systems

   22 citations · 2011
10. 10
    Photo-Robotic Extrinsic Parameters Calibration of 6-DOF Robot for High Positioning Accuracy

    17 citations · 2020

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links