Daniela Maffiodo

About

Daniela Maffiodo is a robotics researcher whose work bridges soft actuation, medical rehabilitation, and mobile robotics. Her key research areas include hybrid mobile robots, shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators, pneumatic systems, and human-robot interaction for therapy. Her most cited work, the Epi.q-1 hybrid mobile robot (2009, 39 citations), introduced an innovative small-scale platform capable of navigating flat, steep, and uneven terrain while climbing obstacles—a notable contribution to field robotics. Maffiodo has also advanced soft robotics through flexible fingers actuated by SMA wires (2019, 16 citations), designing modular, reconfigurable grippers that adapt to diverse tasks. Her impact extends to medical applications: she developed a robotic device for cardio-circulatory rehabilitation (2015, 8 citations) and a hand rehabilitation device powered by pneumatic muscles (2018, 6 citations), addressing critical needs in physical therapy. Her work on intermittent pneumatic compression devices (2014, 7 citations) and postural response perturbators (2019, 7 citations) further demonstrates her focus on human-centered robotics. With over 100 citations across her portfolio, Maffiodo’s contributions are shaping the future of adaptive, compliant robotic systems for both industrial and clinical settings.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   The Epi.q-1 Hybrid Mobile Robot

   39 citations · 2009
2. 2
   Flexible Fingers Based on Shape Memory Alloy Actuated Modules

   16 citations · 2019
3. 3
   Simulation and Control of a Robotic Device for Cardio-Circulatory Rehabilitation

   8 citations · 2015
4. 4
   Identification of Physical Parameters in a Robotized IPC Device Interacting with Human

   7 citations · 2014
5. 5
   Pneumo-tronic Perturbator for the Study of Human Postural Responses

   7 citations · 2019
6. 6
   Design and realization of a flexible finger actuated by shape memory alloy (SMA) wires

   6 citations · 2017
7. 7
   Hand Rehabilitation Device Actuated by a Pneumatic Muscle

   6 citations · 2018
8. 8
   Dynamic Modeling and Experimental Validation of a Haptic Finger Based on a McKibben Muscle

   4 citations · 2018
9. 9
   Kinematic analysis, workspace definition, and self-collision avoidance of a quasi-spherical parallel manipulator

   3 citations · 2024
10. 10
    Epi.q-1.2, a new hybrid mobile mini robot

    3 citations · 2008

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links