Leonardo Franco
Papers
6
Total Citations
48
H-Index
4
About
Leonardo Franco’s research lies at the intersection of assistive robotics, wearable haptics, and soft manipulation, with a focus on restoring and augmenting human motor capabilities. His major contributions include the development of the Robotic Sixth Finger, a manually actuated supernumerary digit that, combined with a passive exoskeleton in the SoftPro system, helps chronic stroke patients recover grasping functions by enabling the paretic arm to act as one jaw of a gripper. Franco also advanced human–machine interfaces by demonstrating that tactile feedback significantly improves the usability of EMG-based systems for the frontalis muscle, a key step toward more intuitive assistive control. His work on the Double-Scoop Gripper—a tendon-driven soft-rigid end-effector—tackles the delicate task of food handling in constrained spaces, while his integration of soft pneumatic pads into rigid grippers introduces new sensing and actuation capabilities for precise in-hand manipulation. With papers accumulating over 48 citations, Franco’s research has been published in venues like *IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters* and *Wearable Technologies*, reflecting his impact on both rehabilitation robotics and industrial automation.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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