Alistair C. McConnell
University of Edinburgh, National Microelectronics Institute, Heriot-Watt University
Papers
10
Total Citations
207
H-Index
6
About
Alistair C. McConnell is a robotics researcher whose work spans rehabilitation engineering, autonomous systems, and the societal dimensions of robotics and artificial intelligence. He is perhaps best known for his contributions to post-stroke hand rehabilitation, where his highly cited 2017 review of robotic devices and brain-machine interfaces (86 citations) helped map the state of the art in personalized, at-home physiotherapy. His development of SOPHIA — a soft robotic exoskeleton integrated with a brain-machine interface — exemplifies his ability to translate this vision into working assistive technology, building on earlier exoskeleton prototypes dating to 2014. Beyond rehabilitation, McConnell has contributed to offshore robotics through the Limpet multi-sensing platform, designed to protect workers by enabling robotic inspection of hazardous oil and gas infrastructure. His interests extend to public engagement with robotics and AI, exploring how perception shapes policy and adoption, and more recently to applying autonomous systems for environmental biodiversity monitoring and diabetes care management. With a growing citation record reflecting diverse and socially motivated research, McConnell stands out as a researcher committed to deploying robotics where it can meaningfully reduce human risk and improve quality of life.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2SOPHIA: Soft Orthotic Physiotherapy Hand Interactive Aid39 citations · 2017
- 3The Limpet: A ROS-Enabled Multi-Sensing Platform for the ORCA Hub26 citations · 2018
- 4Robots in the Danger Zone15 citations · 2020
- 5
- 6A novel robotic assistive device for stroke-rehabilitation9 citations · 2014
- 7
- 8The Limpet: A ROS-Enabled Multi-Sensing Platform for the ORCA Hub6 citations · 2018
- 9
- 10