About Me
I am Associate Professor of Control and Robotics at the University of Naples Federico II, where I lead the Dynamic Manipulation and Legged Robotics (DynLeg) research line within PRISMA Lab.
My research focuses on model-based control for advanced robotic systems, with applications in dexterous, bimanual and non-prehensile manipulation, aerial robotics, legged robots, whole-body control, and physical human-robot interaction.
I serve as Chair of the IEEE Italy Robotics and Automation Society Chapter and as Editor for the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.
I have secured about 1.5M EUR as local share for European and Italian research projects.
I am Associate Professor of Control and Robotics at the University of Naples Federico II, where I lead the Dynamic Manipulation and Legged Robotics (DynLeg) research line within PRISMA Lab.
My research focuses on model-based control for advanced robotic systems, with applications in dexterous, bimanual and non-prehensile manipulation, aerial robotics, legged robots, whole-body control, and physical human-robot interaction.
I serve as Chair of the IEEE Italy Robotics and Automation Society Chapter and as Editor for the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems.
I have secured about 1.5M EUR as local share for European and Italian research projects.
Vitae
I am Associate Professor of Control and Robotics at the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, University of Naples Federico II, Italy. I hold the Italian National Scientific Qualification as Full Professor in Systems and Control Engineering. Within PRISMA Lab, coordinated by Prof. Bruno Siciliano, I am the reference person for the Dynamic Manipulation and Legged Robotics (DynLeg) research line.
My research focuses on model-based control of robotic systems operating in complex and uncertain environments. My main interests include dexterous, bimanual and non-prehensile robotic manipulation, aerial robotics and aerial manipulation, legged robots, whole-body control, and physical human-robot interaction.
I have co-edited two books and authored more than 35 international journal papers and more than 80 conference papers and book chapters. My scientific activity combines theoretical developments in robot control with experimental validation on advanced robotic platforms, including mobile manipulators, aerial robots, and legged robots.
I have been involved in several European and Italian research projects, serving in roles such as principal investigator, local investigator, workpackage leader, task leader, and doctoral supervisor. My projects address assistive robotics, healthcare robotics, agri-robotics, aerial robotics, and dynamic robotic manipulation. Overall, I have raised about 1.5M EUR as local share for European and Italian research projects.
I actively contribute to the international robotics and control communities through editorial, organizational, and scientific-service activities, and I am a Senior Member of IEEE and of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society.
Projects
In the list below, the projects where I was Principal Investigator or WP leader.
For a complete list, see the CV.
September 2023 - February 2026
ARIEL
Assistive Robotics for Impaired and Elderly peopLe
ARIEL develops safe learning-and-control methods for mobile non-prehensile manipulation in assistive robotics. The project targets mobile manipulators able to operate close to humans, adapt to uncertain environments, and support tasks such as meal delivery and trolley/wheelchair pushing.
September 2023 - February 2026
November 2023 - February 2026
DARC
Dexterous Assistive Robots for Improved Human HealthCare
DARC focuses on autonomous food delivery in hospital wards through mobile robots endowed with tactile-based manipulation skills. The project combines force/tactile and vision sensing with robust whole-body control for bimanual prehensile and non-prehensile manipulation.
October 2022 - September 2025
Cowbot
preCision livestOck farming With collaBorative heterOgeneous roboT teams
COWBOT develops a robotic solution for precision livestock farming based on heterogeneous teams of quadruped robots and drones. The system aims to monitor farming facilities, support daily activities, and safely coexist with animals in smart livestock environments.
October 2022 - September 2025
January 2021 - December 2024
AeroTrain
AErial RObotic TRAINing for the next generation of European infrastructure and asset maintenance technologies
AERO-TRAIN is a Marie Skłodowska-Curie ITN/ETN project on aerial robotic technologies for inspection and maintenance. It trains early-stage researchers while developing aerial manipulation, AI, human-machine interaction, and immersive technologies for infrastructure operations.
January 2021 - June 2024
HARMONY
Enhancing Healthcare with Assistive Robotic Mobile Manipulation
HARMONY develops robotic mobile manipulation technologies to assist staff in hospital environments. The project combines mobility and manipulation in complex human-centred spaces, producing demonstrators and open software modules for healthcare and beyond.
January 2021 - June 2024
August 2019 - August 2022
PRINBOT
Grapevine Recognition and Winter Pruning Automation Based on Innovative Robots
PRINBOT develops and tests robotic mobile manipulation technologies for grapevine winter pruning automation. It integrates multimodal sensing, stereo vision, advanced control, and a robotic manipulator mounted on a legged locomotion platform.
March 2019 - August 2021
WELDON
Walking Robots: A Connection Between Legged Robots and Nonprehensile Manipulation
WELDON investigates the connection between legged locomotion and non-prehensile manipulation. The project aims to exploit similarities among balancing, slow walking gaits, and grasping tasks to improve the autonomy and robustness of legged robots.
March 2019 - August 2021
June 2013 - May 2019
RoDyMan
Robotic Dynamic Manipulation
RoDyMan develops a unified framework for dynamic manipulation, explicitly addressing mobile robotic systems and non-prehensile manipulation of non-rigid or deformable objects. The project uses an advanced mobile dual-arm platform and a pizza-making demonstrator.
Research Summary
My research focuses on the modelling, planning, and control of robotic systems that physically interact with the environment and with humans. Across different platforms, my goal is to design control architectures that combine solid theoretical foundations with experimental validation on real robots. I have worked on manipulation, aerial robotics, legged robotics, human-robot interaction, assistive robotics, and agri-robotics. A common thread of my work is the use of model-based control, enriched when needed by learning and adaptation, to make robots robust, safe, and effective in complex real-world scenarios.
01
Model-Based Control, Passivity, and Underactuated Robotic Systems
A core part of my research concerns model-based control of nonlinear, underactuated, and contact-rich robotic systems. I have worked on passivity-based control, port-Hamiltonian methods, impedance control, disturbance estimation, and robust control strategies. These methods provide the theoretical backbone for several applications, from dynamic manipulation to aerial robots and legged locomotion. The common objective is to exploit the structure of the robot dynamics to obtain stable, reliable, and experimentally validated behaviours.
02
Dexterous, Bimanual, and Non-Prehensile Manipulation
Non-prehensile manipulation is one of my main research lines. I study tasks in which objects are not firmly grasped, but are manipulated through rolling, pushing, sliding, balancing, batting, throwing, or tray transportation. My work also includes dexterous and bimanual manipulation, grasp planning for unknown objects, and coordinated control of multi-contact robotic systems. The long-term goal is to move beyond classical grasping and enable robots to manipulate objects with the same flexibility and adaptability that humans use in everyday tasks.
03
Aerial Robotics, Aerial Manipulation, and Inspection
I have worked extensively on unmanned aerial vehicles, including aerial robots equipped with small robotic arms and systems designed for physical interaction with the environment. My contributions include control of aerial manipulators, external wrench estimation, impedance control, fault-tolerant control, and aerial inspection of industrial infrastructures. This research addresses the challenge of making aerial robots not only fly autonomously, but also interact safely and robustly with objects, surfaces, and structures.
04
Legged Robotics and Whole-Body Control
My recent research includes legged robots, with particular attention to quadrupeds, whole-body control, disturbance rejection, and interaction with challenging environments. I am interested in the connection between legged locomotion and dynamic manipulation, since both require balancing, contact management, and robust control under unilateral constraints. This line of work aims to enable legged robots to move, adapt, and physically interact in environments where wheeled robots or fixed manipulators are not suitable.
05
Agricultural, Livestock, and Field Robotics
Another application domain of my research is robotics for agriculture and livestock farming. I have worked on robotic systems for grapevine recognition and pruning, precision livestock farming, monitoring, and heterogeneous robot teams involving legged robots and aerial vehicles. These activities transfer advanced control, perception, and interaction methods to field environments that are unstructured, variable, and difficult to model. The objective is to support sustainable, efficient, and safe robotic operations in agri-food scenarios.
06
Learning for Control and Adaptive Robotics
More recently, my research has focused on integrating model-based control with learning methods, including reinforcement learning, adaptive control, and data-driven strategies. I am particularly interested in approaches where learning improves performance, adaptation, and personalization without sacrificing safety, robustness, and interpretability. This perspective is relevant across several of my research topics, including legged locomotion, assistive robotics, mobile manipulation, and interaction with uncertain environments.
07
Physical Human-Robot Interaction, Shared Control, and Assistive Robotics
I study control and interaction strategies for robots that operate close to humans and physically collaborate with them. This includes shared-control architectures, teleoperation, co-manipulation, compliant control, and safe physical human-robot interaction. In assistive and healthcare robotics, I focus on mobile manipulators able to support caregivers and impaired or elderly people in tasks such as tray handling, meal delivery, trolley pushing, and other daily activities. The goal is to design robots that are not only autonomous, but also safe, intuitive, and socially useful.
Teaching
Teaching is an integral part of my academic activity. I teach courses in systems theory, field and service robotics, and robotic control, with the aim of connecting rigorous methodological foundations with modern robotic applications.
I also supervise Bachelor, Master, and PhD students working on robot control, manipulation, aerial robotics, legged robots, human-robot interaction, and assistive robotics.
Didactic
Updated information on my teaching activities, course material, schedules, and official notices is available on my official University of Naples Federico II teaching page.
Theses
Students interested in Master thesis topics in robotics can consult the PRISMA Lab thesis opportunities page. Selected topics may involve non-prehensile manipulation, aerial manipulation, and legged robots.