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About

Samuel Agus Setiawan is a robotics researcher whose work has made significant contributions to the field of bipedal humanoid robotics, with a particular focus on locomotion control, physical human-robot interaction, and motion stability. His research centers on enabling humanoid robots to operate effectively alongside humans in everyday environments — a challenge that demands sophisticated mechanical design and advanced control algorithms. Setiawan is perhaps best known for his involvement in the development of WABIAN (Waseda Bipedal Humanoid), a landmark platform in humanoid robotics research. His 1999 paper on human-follow walking, which has garnered nearly 100 citations, established foundational principles for physical human-robot interaction and biped motion control. Building on this, his work on balance and impedance control — cited over 50 times — introduced elegant solutions for compensating dynamic forces during walking cycles, using trunk and waist motion to maintain stability. His later research on position-based impedance control refined these methods further, demonstrating real-time adjustment of leg parameters to minimize ground-impact forces. Across his body of work, Setiawan has helped shape the theoretical and practical foundations of biped locomotion, influencing subsequent generations of humanoid robotics researchers worldwide.