Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Matthew Piccoli is a robotics researcher whose work spans tactile sensing, motor control, modular robotics, and rapid fabrication — a portfolio that reflects both theoretical depth and practical engineering ingenuity. He is perhaps best known for his pioneering contributions to tactile perception in mobile manipulation, with his 2011 paper "Tactile Sensing for Mobile Manipulation" accumulating 117 citations and establishing a foundational framework for robots to infer object properties beyond what visual sensors can detect. His follow-up work in 2010 further cemented this line of research with 52 citations, demonstrating a generalizable tactile feature-extraction strategy applicable across robotic platforms. Piccoli also made significant strides in motor control, particularly in addressing torque ripple in direct-drive systems. His research on anticogging and cogging torque minimization — together earning over 50 citations — offers cost-effective solutions critical for haptics and precision force control. Beyond these areas, he contributed to urban search-and-rescue robotics through the H.E.R.A.L.D hybrid air-land robot (33 citations), modular robotic connectors, foldable quadrotor design, and co-design tools for rapid robot fabrication. Across these diverse domains, Piccoli consistently bridges innovation in sensing, actuation, and accessibility in robotic system design.