The research paper titled "Remote Grasping with a Tethered Unmanned Aerial Vehicle" , authored by Jakob Domislovic, Antun Ivanovic, Frano Petric, and Matko Orsag, has been accepted for presentation at the 2025 International Conference on Ubiquitous Robots . The paper presents innovative advancements in aerial manipulation using tethered UAV systems, with a specific focus on improving remote grasping capabilities in complex and constrained environments. This achievement highlights the team's continued contributions to the field of robotics and intelligent systems. For more information about the conference, visit the official website: https://2025.ubiquitousrobots.org Citation: Domislovic, J., Ivanovic, A., Petric, F., & Orsag, M. (2025). Remote grasping with a tethered unmanned aerial vehicle . Accepted for publication at the 2025 International Conference on Ubiquitous Robots.

Congratulations to Antonella Barišić Kulaš on winning the prestigious #LOréalUNESCO "For Women in Science" award. Among 68 candidates, Antonella was recognized for her contribution in the field of natural and interdisciplinary sciences, making her an inspiration to young women in STEM. This award not only acknowledges her work so far but also encourages the continued development of her scientific career. As a representative of FER and LARICS , Antonella contributes to technological advancement through her research and dedication, while also challenging stereotypes about the role of women in technical sciences.

On May 15th, Robert Milijaš delivered an invited lecture on the Croatian Robotics Conference in Čakovec, Croatia. The lecture was titled “Datasets for LIDAR SLAM parameter sensitivity analysis on aerial vehicles” (in croatian “Skupovi podataka za analizu osjetljivosti parametara LiDAR SLAM algoritama na letjelicama”) and presented Robert’s work supported by the AeroSTREAM project. Milijaš provided technical insights into fieldwork on recording UAV-based SLAM datasets, and gave an overview of available aerial SLAM datasets which he encountered during his research.  

The Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER) at the University of Zagreb proudly represented Croatia at EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan. As part of Croatia’s official participation, a team of FER researchers participated in an engaging two-day program (May 13–14) at the CS2 and EU pavilions, showcasing the latest breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, robotics, and sustainable technologies to an international audience. FER’s experts — Vinko Lešić, Tamara Petrović, Đula Nađ, and Hrvoje Novak — demonstrated through multiple presentations why FER has long been recognized as a regional leader in innovation . The event was also attended by the Minister of Science, Education and Youth, Prof. Dr. sc. Radovan Fuchs , who expressed strong support for the Croatian scientific and academic community on the global stage. Tamara Petrović’s presentation showcased smart bio-hybrid organisms — an innovative system that transforms plants into living environmental sensors for real-time ecological monitoring. This technology is part of the EU-funded WatchPlant project , where the LARICS Laboratory is one of the partners, exemplifying how FER combines artificial intelligence, robotics, and sustainability in cutting-edge research. More details: link .

The first Croatian Robotics Conference (CRC 2025) was held on May 15–16, 2025 , in Čakovec, organized by the Association for Robotics DoF . The event gathered PhD students, researchers, industry professionals, and the public to explore the latest developments in robotics through lectures, discussions, and interactive exhibitions. Day 1: Expert Lectures & Panel Discussion Day 2: Public Robotics Exhibition & Demonstrations The conference was supported by PhD students from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing (FER) and the University of Zagreb, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture (FSB) . Among the many partners was LARICS , with Jakob Domislović , a PhD student from LARICS, serving on the organizing committee. We are glad to have been part of this important initiative, which offered a unique opportunity to connect with leading researchers, industry professionals, and robotics enthusiasts. 🔗 More information: https://dof-crc.hr

Four research papers have been accepted for the 2025 International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems ( ICUAS Association, Inc ), scheduled for May 14–17, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. 1. Power Line Following Using Magnetic Field Measurements Authors: Goran Vasiljevic , Dr.-Ing. Dean M. , Stjepan Bogdan 2. Aerial Maritime Vessel Detection and Identification Authors: Antonella Barišić Kulaš , Frano Petric , Stjepan Bogdan Overview: A fully autonomous UAV-based system for maritime surveillance using YOLOv8 for object detection, feature matching, and hue histogram analysis to identify and localize vessels in GNSS-denied environments. 3. Graph-Based Decentralized Exploration and Semantic Inspection for Multi-Robot Systems Authors: Nada E. Abbas, Tamara Petrović 4. ρLiRLo: LiDAR-Based Relative Localization with Retro-reflective Markers Authors: Jakob Domislovic , Robert Milijaš , Antun Ivanovic , Marko Car , Goran Vasiljević, Barbara Arbanas, Frano Petric, Matko Orsag , Stjepan Bogdan

The ICUAS 2025 UAV Competition is currently in full swing in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, as part of the International Conference on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (ICUAS), taking place from May 14–17, 2025. Now in its fourth edition, the competition brings together top university teams from around the world to test their aerial robotics solutions in a demanding, communication-constrained scenario. Teams are deploying swarms of Bitcraze Crazyflies in a mock indoor urban environment to autonomously locate targets, maintain continuous connectivity with a central base station, and manage battery usage through coordinated recharging. This year, the competition attracted 26 teams from 15 countries. Following a proof-of-concept submission round, 15 teams advanced to the simulation phase. The competition is organized by the LARICS laboratory at the University of Zagreb, which developed the simulation environment and scoring system. The LARICS team — Frano Petric , Marijana Peti , and Marko Kozlik — is currently on-site in Charlotte, supporting the execution of the live finals. Khawaja Ghulam Alamdar also made a key contribution during the simulation phase, helping to set up the virtual environment and prepare technical documentation. While FER’s UAV Competition team focused on the simulation and judging process, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, led by Artur Wolek, was responsible for preparing the physical competition arena at the conference venue. 🏆 Finalist Teams Competing in Charlotte: AIRo Lab – The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (China) CSIE – Center for Scientific Innovation and Education (Armenia) Aerial Robotics IITK – Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (India) AGH AVADER – AGH University of Krakow (Poland) KNU ARRF – Kyungpook National University (South Korea) The competition is proudly supported by Platinum Sponsors: Bitcraze – providing Crazyflie drones and the Loco Positioning System NaturalPoint – enabling precise tracking with the OptiTrack motion capture system Congratulations to all the finalists — and good luck to everyone competing this week in Charlotte! 📎 More info: ICUAS 2025 UAV Competition 📎 Conference site: ICUAS 2025

On May 5, as part of the ICSE Science Factory project, Mate Blažina Secondary School in Labin welcomed prof. dr. sc. Matko Orsag , who delivered an engaging and interactive lecture on the topic of Soft Robotics. Students from various classes had the opportunity not only to learn about this advanced and emerging field of robotics but also to take part in a hands-on workshop. Working in groups, they created their own soft universal grippers using everyday materials such as coffee grounds, balloons, and coffee filters, bringing science and innovation directly into the classroom.