FlipBot: A Lizard Inspired Stunt Robot
Fisher, C., and A. Patel. "Preparation of papers for ifac conferences & symposia: Flipbot: A lizard inspired stunt robot." IFAC Proceedings Volumes 47.3 (2014): 4837-4842.
CV
Education
- B.Sc. in Mechatronics, University of Cape Town, 2013
- M.Sc in Electrical Engineering, University of Cape Town, 2015, Dissertation link
- Ph.D in Electrical Engineering, University of Cape Town, 2021, Dissertation link
Work experience
- Part-time lecturing: 2017-2018
- University of Cape Town
- Lectured Mechatronics design and Intros to Micros
- Supervised 4th year projects
- Lecturer: 2019 to present
- Stellenbosch University
- Promoted to Senior Lecturer in January 2022
Awarded Funding Grants
- Rehana Malgas-Enus Award (2024)
- Strategic Fund (2024)
- Grant to hire a lecturer for three years
- FINLO grant (2023-2024)
- Rehana Malgas-Enus Award (2023)
- AHG Health project funding (2022-2023)
- NRF Thuthuka Funding (2021-2023)
- Sub-Comm B funding (2020)
- NRF scarce skills extension funding for PhD Research (2019)
- IEEE/RSJ travel grant to attend IROS (2017)
- NRF scarce skills funding for PhD Research (2016-2018)
- IEEE/RSJ travel grant to attend IROS (2015)
- NRF scarce skills funding for MSc Research (2014-2015)
Publications
A spider-inspired dragline enables aerial pitch righting in a mobile robot
S. Shield, C. Fisher and A. Patel, "A spider-inspired dragline enables aerial pitch righting in a mobile robot," 2015 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Hamburg, Germany, 2015, pp. 319-324, doi: 10.1109/IROS.2015.7353392.
Quasi-Steady State Aerodynamics of the Cheetah Tail
Patel, A., Boje, E., Fisher, C., Louis, L. and Lane, E., 2016. Quasi-steady state aerodynamics of the cheetah tail. Biology open, 5(8), pp.1072-1076.
Tracking the Cheetah Tail using Animal-Borne Cameras, GPS and an IMU
A. Patel, B. Stocks, C. Fisher, F. Nicolls and E. Boje, "Tracking the Cheetah Tail Using Animal-Borne Cameras, GPS, and an IMU," in IEEE Sensors Letters, vol. 1, no. 4, pp. 1-4, Aug. 2017, Art no. 6000504, doi: 10.1109/LSENS.2017.2716618.
The Effect of Spine Morphology on Rapid Acceleration in Quadruped Robots
C. Fisher, S. Shield and A. Patel, "The effect of spine morphology on rapid acceleration in quadruped robots," 2017 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Vancouver, BC, Canada, 2017, pp. 2121-2127, doi: 10.1109/IROS.2017.8206028.
Do Intermediate Gaits Matter When Rapidly Accelerating?
C. Fisher, C. Hubicki and A. Patel, "Do Intermediate Gaits Matter When Rapidly Accelerating?," in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 3418-3424, Oct. 2019, doi: 10.1109/LRA.2019.2927952.
Effects of Limb Morphology on Transient Locomotion in Quadruped Robots
L. Raw, C. Fisher and A. Patel, "Effects of Limb Morphology on Transient Locomotion in Quadruped Robots," 2019 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), Macau, China, 2019, pp. 3349-3356, doi: 10.1109/IROS40897.2019.8968206.
Baleka: A Bipedal Robot for Studying Rapid Maneuverability
Fisher, Callen, Alexander Blom, and Amir Patel. "Baleka: A bipedal robot for studying rapid maneuverability." Frontiers in Mechanical Engineering 6 (2020): 54.
On the Optimal Spine Morphology of Rapidly Accelerating Quadrupeds
C. Fisher and A. Patel, "On the optimal spine morphology of rapidly accelerating quadrupeds," in SAIEE Africa Research Journal, vol. 112, no. 3, pp. 126-133, Sept. 2021, doi: 10.23919/SAIEE.2021.9513626.
Optimization-Inspired Controller Design for Transient Legged Locomotion
C. Fisher, J. Van Zyl, R. Govender and A. Patel, "Optimization-Inspired Controller Design for Transient Legged Locomotion," 2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), China, 2021, pp. 8345-8351, doi: 10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9560759.
Prototype of an Ultra-Low-Cost 2D Force Sensor for Robotic Applications
J. S. Schulze and C. Fisher, "Prototype of an Ultralow-Cost 2-D Force Sensor for Robotic Applications," in IEEE Sensors Letters, vol. 5, no. 6, pp. 1-4, June 2021, Art no. 2500404, doi: 10.1109/LSENS.2021.3074064.
A novel method for computing the 3D friction cone using complimentary constraints
D. Pretorius and C. Fisher, "A novel method for computing the 3D friction cone using complimentary constraints," 2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), China, 2021, pp. 5000-5006, doi: 10.1109/ICRA48506.2021.9561800.
Controlling a Low Cost Bang Bang Pneumatic Monopod
C. Fisher and J. Meyer, "Controlling a low cost bang bang pneumatic monopod," in SAIEE Africa Research Journal, vol. 113, no. 4, pp. 165-170, Dec. 2022, doi: 10.23919/SAIEE.2022.9945866.
Development of a self-contained robotic hand with dexterous grasping capabilities for research applications
S. Woods and C. Fisher, "Development of a self-contained robotic hand with dexterous grasping capabilities for research applications," in SAIEE Africa Research Journal, vol. 114, no. 3, pp. 87-92, Sept. 2023, doi: 10.23919/SAIEE.2023.10214228.
Initial Investigation into Bipedal Turning: A Simulation Study
C. Fisher, D. Pretorius and N. Weiss, "Initial investigation into bipedal turning: A trajectory optimization study," in SAIEE Africa Research Journal, vol. 114, no. 3, pp. 80-86, Sept. 2023, doi: 10.23919/SAIEE.2023.10214227.
Investigation of Real-Time Control of Finger Movements Utilising Surface EMG Signals
L. Nieuwoudt and C. Fisher, "Investigation of Real-Time Control of Finger Movements Utilizing Surface EMG Signals," in IEEE Sensors Journal, vol. 23, no. 18, pp. 21989-21997, 15 Sept.15, 2023, doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2023.3299384.
Patents
Postgraduate Students (Graduated)
Dean Pretorius
Studied at Stellenbosch University, MEng
Jacques Meyer
Studied at Stellenbosch University, MEng
Devlon Erasmus
Studied at Stellenbosch University, MEng
Nathan Weiss
Studied at Stellenbosch University, MEng
Lorelei Nieuwoudt
Studied at Stellenbosch University, MEng
Raynhard Van Zyl
Studied at Stellenbosch University, MEng
Modules Taught
Service, Committees and Leadership
- Volunteer Wildfire Services
- Assistant crew leader
- Member since 2018
- Training Manager in 2022
- Management Committee for EE Engineering, Stellenbosch University
- Rotating member for 2023 and 2024
- SACAC (South African Council for Automation and Control)
- EXCO member since 2023
- Safety rep in the Mechanical Engineering department, Stellenbosch University
- Social impact committee member, Stellenbosch University
- Level 3 first aid