Philipp Mittendorfer

About

Philipp Mittendorfer is a pioneering robotics researcher whose work has fundamentally advanced the field of artificial tactile sensing and whole-body robot skin. His research sits at the intersection of sensor engineering, humanoid robotics, and human-robot interaction, with a particular focus on enabling robots to perceive and respond to touch the way humans do. Mittendorfer is best known for developing modular, multimodal artificial skin systems for humanoid robots, most notably the HEX-O-SKIN and CellulARSkin platforms, which allow robots to sense touch across their entire body surface. His highly cited 2013 review on tactile skin utilization (413 citations) remains a landmark reference in the field, while his 2011 paper on humanoid tactile modules (306 citations) demonstrated practical breakthroughs in multi-sensory robotic perception. His 2019 comprehensive treatment of robot skin engineering (192 citations) further cemented his reputation as a leading voice in this domain. Beyond sensor design, Mittendorfer tackled critical challenges in 3D surface reconstruction, spatial self-organization, event-based data processing, and robot self-calibration — making large-scale skin systems computationally feasible. His TOMM dual-arm mobile manipulator showcased how tactile sensing can be integrated into practical robotic platforms. Together, his contributions have shaped how researchers envision robots that can safely and intelligently interact with the physical world through touch.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Directions Toward Effective Utilization of Tactile Skin: A Review

   413 citations · 2013
2. 2
   Humanoid Multimodal Tactile-Sensing Modules

   306 citations · 2011
3. 3
   A Comprehensive Realization of Robot Skin: Sensors, Sensing, Control, and Applications

   192 citations · 2019
4. 4
   Realizing whole-body tactile interactions with a self-organizing, multi-modal artificial skin on a humanoid robot

   122 citations · 2015
5. 5
   3D surface reconstruction for robotic body parts with artificial skins

   50 citations · 2012
6. 6
   TOMM: Tactile omnidirectional mobile manipulator

   47 citations · 2017
7. 7
   Event-based signaling for reducing required data rates and processing power in a large-scale artificial robotic skin

   32 citations · 2015
8. 8
   3D spatial self-organization of a modular artificial skin

   23 citations · 2014
9. 9
   Open-loop self-calibration of articulated robots with artificial skins

   22 citations · 2012
10. 10
    A general tactile approach for grasping unknown objects with a humanoid robot

    14 citations · 2013

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links