Alexandre Girard
Université de Sherbrooke, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Papers
19
Total Citations
354
H-Index
8
About
Alexandre Girard is a robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of wearable robotics, novel actuation systems, and human augmentation. He is best known for pioneering contributions to supernumerary robotic limbs (SRLs) — wearable extra limbs designed to extend human physical capabilities in industrial and domestic settings. His 2020 papers on a multifunctional 3-DOF robotic arm (103 citations) and a supernumerary robotic leg (71 citations) stand as landmark contributions to this emerging field, demonstrating how magnetorheological clutches and hydrostatic transmission lines can deliver lightweight, force-controllable wearable systems. Beyond SRLs, Girard has made significant advances in actuator design, developing two-speed robotic actuators that elegantly balance speed and load-bearing capacity, and variable gear-ratio systems that exploit natural load dynamics for more efficient motion. His modular magnetorheological actuator work further addresses safety and performance trade-offs critical to collaborative robotics. Early in his career, he contributed to soft robotics sensing and MRI-compatible surgical robotics, reflecting impressive breadth across the field. With over 300 cumulative citations, Girard's research consistently tackles the fundamental challenge of making robots stronger, safer, and more intimately integrated with human users — work of growing importance as human-robot collaboration becomes central to modern industry and healthcare.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 5A two-speed actuator for robotics with fast seamless gear shifting24 citations · 2015
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- 7Leveraging Natural Load Dynamics With Variable Gear-Ratio Actuators15 citations · 2017
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- 9Low-Level Force-Control of MR-Hydrostatic Actuators7 citations · 2021
- 10A practical optimal control approach for two-speed actuators6 citations · 2016