Najib Metni

École nationale des ponts et chaussées, Notre Dame University – Louaize, University of Notre Dame

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Najib Metni is a robotics researcher whose work spans aerial and legged systems, with a focus on autonomous control and stability. His most cited paper, "Visual Tracking Control of Aerial Robotic Systems with Adaptive Depth Estimation" (2006, 28 citations), introduces a vision-based control law for UAVs performing quasi-stationary flights over planar targets—a key contribution to infrastructure monitoring and bridge maintenance. This work demonstrates how computer vision can guide drones in real-time without relying on GPS, advancing the field of visual servoing for aerial robotics. Metni has also made notable contributions to humanoid robotics, particularly in fall avoidance. His 2016 paper on "Humanoid fall avoidance from randomly directed disturbances" (3 citations) and a related 2014 study (2 citations) explore preemptive strategies—such as ankle and hip actuation or stepping—to prevent robots from falling when pushed. These works introduce the concept of a "decision volume" to predict recovery feasibility, offering a more robust framework for stability in unpredictable environments. Additionally, Metni contributed to snake robot design with a 2016 paper on an autonomous multi-link snake capable of 3D motion, including vertical climbing. His research bridges theory and application, making him a valuable figure in autonomous systems and robot locomotion.