ETAPE: Embodiment- and Task-Aware Parameter Embeddings for Robotic Foundation Models

Super-sized neural networks with billions of parameters, capable of human-level conversation and complex task solving, have received much attention in recent years. This development has also reached robotics. Many robotics researchers are now working on robust fundamental models: large neural networks that can solve many different tasks and function on different robotic bodies.

In this project,our team will explore new ways for such fundamental models to more reliably identify the robot’s embodiment and current task, so that they can generate tailored robot control policies. They aim to achieve this by modularizing and internally structuring robust fundamental models. In doing so, we aim to not only make these models more explainable, more applicable to different robotic devices and more rapidly deployable, but also to potentially reduce the energy consumption for (re)training such large models as new data becomes available.

By the end of this research project, we hope to have achieved initial results and launched a research program that can expand the application areas of large neural networks in robotics, address their current problematic energy inefficiency, and provide researchers and citizens with a better understanding of the internal workings of a robust fundamental model.

Project Runtime

2025 - 2026

Funding Agency

The Dutch Research Council (NWO)

About this call

This call is geared towards ideas and initiatives which tackle one or more of the challenges of the national AI research agenda AIREA-NL and collaborate with one or more European collaborative partner organization based outside of the Netherlands. The proposed research is ground‐breaking and involves a real risk of failure. What counts is that all results, be they positive or negative, must contribute to the advancement of science. This is “blue‐sky thinking”. All proposals are anonymous, to ensure that the assessments are based purely on the research ideas they contain.

About the National Growth Fund programme AiNed </h2>

This Call for proposals is part of the National Growth Fund programme AiNed. This programme promotes the development and application of artificial intelligence (AI) in Dutch businesses and governments, and was developed by the Netherlands AI Coalition. Bringing the Netherlands into the leading group of AI countries for prosperity and well-being. That is the joint goal of the Dutch AI Coalition and the AiNed programme. Through a collaboration of public and private parties taking essential steps in developing and applying AI in various sectors and for important economic and societal challenges. In 2021, the AiNed proposal received a grant of € 204.5 million from the National Growth Fund.

National Growth Fund programmes </h2>

NWO runs thematic programmes for research, knowledge development and innovation funded by the National Growth Fund. The results are used in innovations and organisations, thus contributing to the sustainable earning capacity and broad welfare of the Netherlands. The programmes bring together parties from the entire knowledge chain, both public and private.