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About

Annette Hagengruber is a robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of assistive technology, human-robot interaction, and electromyography (EMG)-based control systems. Her research focuses on restoring autonomy and quality of life for people living with motor disabilities, neuromuscular diseases, and severe physical impairments by developing intelligent robotic assistants and intuitive control interfaces. Among her most significant contributions is the development of shared control frameworks for assistive robotic manipulators, which guide users through complex manipulation tasks even when control input is severely limited — her 2020 paper on this topic has accumulated 54 citations. She has also been a key contributor to EDAN, an EMG-controlled robotic daily assistant designed for people with physical disabilities (46 citations), and has pioneered sEMG-based interfaces that allow individuals with severe muscular atrophy to operate assistive devices independently. Her work extends beyond clinical settings, with research exploring EMG-based teleoperation for astronauts in weightlessness, demonstrating the versatility of her approaches. More recently, she has investigated virtual compliance models to make robots safer and more adaptive in dynamic environments. With a growing body of work exceeding 230 cumulative citations, Hagengruber's research is making a meaningful and measurable difference in both rehabilitation robotics and human-robot collaboration.