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About

Aitor Ibarguren is a prominent robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of human–robot collaboration, industrial automation, and intelligent sensing systems. Based on his publication record, his research has profoundly shaped how humans and robots safely coexist and communicate in real-world industrial environments. Ibarguren's most celebrated contribution, "Human–robot collaboration in industrial applications" (2017), has accumulated over 210 citations, establishing him as a leading voice in factory-of-the-future research. His work consistently tackles the critical challenge of safety in collaborative robotics, developing frameworks that allow humans and robots to share workspaces without compromising either productivity or wellbeing. Complementing this, his research on natural multimodal communication — garnering 90 citations — introduced semantic approaches enabling robots to interpret human instructions through multiple interaction channels, dramatically improving collaboration naturalness in industrial settings. Beyond human–robot interaction, Ibarguren has made meaningful contributions to mobile robotics, including multi-sensor fusion for people tracking and thermal imaging for leak inspection in solar power plants. His applied research spans sectors from footwear manufacturing to large-part manipulation, demonstrating a rare ability to bridge theoretical innovation and industrial deployment. Collectively, his portfolio reflects a researcher dedicated to making intelligent, safe, and communicative robots a practical reality on factory floors worldwide.