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About

Markku Suomalainen is a robotics researcher whose work spans two compelling and increasingly relevant domains: contact-rich robot manipulation and immersive telepresence. His most impactful contribution is a comprehensive survey on robot manipulation in contact (2022, 137 citations), which has rapidly become a key reference for researchers tackling the challenge of robots that must sense and control physical interaction with their environment. Building on this foundation, Suomalainen has made significant strides in learning from demonstration, developing methods that enable robots to imitate human search and assembly strategies, addressing the persistent problem of positional uncertainty in unstructured manufacturing environments — work particularly valuable for small and medium-sized enterprises beyond traditional factory settings. Equally notable is Suomalainen's pioneering research into human-centered immersive telepresence, where he investigates how autonomous robot motion planning can be optimized for user comfort and reduced VR sickness. His innovations, including rotation-unwinding techniques and leaning-based robot control, reflect a rare interdisciplinary sensitivity to human perception. Across his career, Suomalainen has demonstrated a consistent commitment to making robots more adaptable, learnable, and human-friendly — qualities essential for the next generation of real-world robotics applications.