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About

Michele Cocco is a pioneering figure in the fields of microrobotics and underwater robotics, with a career that bridges foundational theory and applied archaeological technology. His seminal 1992 work, "Microactuators for microrobots: a critical survey," with 140 citations, remains a cornerstone reference that defined the emerging domain of microrobotics by critically evaluating candidate technologies for microactuators and establishing key concepts and definitions for the field. This early contribution laid essential groundwork for the development of miniature robotic systems. Later, Cocco shifted his focus to underwater robotics, leading the ARROWS (ARchaeological RObot systems for the World's Seas) EU Project. This ambitious initiative, documented in his 2015 paper (75 citations) and a 2018 follow-up (18 citations), adapted low-cost autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) technologies to revolutionize underwater archaeology. By significantly reducing operational costs and covering the full extent of archaeological campaigns, Cocco’s work has made deep-sea heritage exploration more accessible and efficient. His career exemplifies a rare ability to drive innovation from fundamental microactuator science to impactful, real-world robotic applications.