Aikaterini Smyrli
Papers
5
Total Citations
69
H-Index
5
About
Aikaterini Smyrli is a robotics researcher specializing in the biomechanics and dynamics of passive bipedal walking—robots that move with minimal actuation, relying on gravity and mechanical design. Her work bridges theoretical modeling, simulation, and experimental validation to create more human-like, energy-efficient walking machines. Smyrli’s major contributions include developing a methodology for incorporating arbitrarily-shaped feet into passive walking dynamics, enabling the study of how foot geometry—such as semielliptical rollover shapes—affects gait efficiency and stability. She also created a digital twin of a passive biped robot, integrating multibody simulation with experimental data to improve model fidelity. Her research on stabilizing zero-slope walking by following fixed-point trajectories offers a practical control strategy for underactuated bipeds with compliant legs. More recently, she has extended her models to include knees and biomimetic feet, capturing the viscoelastic behavior of kneecaps and the complex kinematics of human-like feet. With her most-cited paper garnering 31 citations, Smyrli’s work is foundational for researchers developing low-power, humanoid robots and prosthetics that emulate natural gait.
Research Focus
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Top Papers
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