Stefano Aldini

About

Stefano Aldini is a robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of physical human-robot collaboration (pHRC), cognitive science, and intelligent robotic systems. His research focuses on understanding and optimizing the dynamic interplay between human operators and collaborative robots, with particular emphasis on trust, cognitive conflict, and intuitive interaction design. Aldini's most influential contribution — a computational model of robot trust in human co-workers (2022, 28 citations) — represents a significant shift in HRI research by reconsidering trust as a bidirectional phenomenon, not merely something humans extend to machines. This conceptual advance has meaningfully shaped how researchers approach safe and adaptive collaboration frameworks. His work on the ANBOT (2019, 19 citations), an intelligent robotic co-worker designed for industrial abrasive blasting, demonstrates his commitment to translating theoretical insights into real-world applications that protect human workers from physically demanding tasks. A recurring theme across his publications is cognitive conflict — how humans perceive and respond to unpredictable robot behavior — which he has investigated using EEG-based measures such as prediction error negativity. His research extends into agricultural robotics and singularity avoidance strategies, reflecting a broad vision for human-robot teamwork across industries. With growing citation counts and interdisciplinary reach, Aldini is an emerging voice in collaborative robotics research.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Computational Model of Robot Trust in Human Co-Worker for Physical Human-Robot Collaboration

   28 citations · 2022
2. 2
   The ANBOT: An Intelligent Robotic Co-worker for Industrial Abrasive Blasting

   19 citations · 2019
3. 3
   Effect of Mechanical Resistance on Cognitive Conflict in Physical Human-Robot Collaboration

   17 citations · 2019
4. 4
   Detection and Estimation of Cognitive Conflict During Physical Human–Robot Collaboration

   10 citations · 2022
5. 5
   Human Preferences in Using Damping to Manage Singularities During Physical Human-Robot Collaboration

   9 citations · 2020
6. 6
   Prediction Error Negativity in Physical Human-Robot Collaboration

   8 citations · 2020
7. 7
   Prediction-Error Negativity to Assess Singularity Avoidance Strategies in Physical Human-Robot Collaboration

   5 citations · 2021
8. 8
   Human-Robot Collaboration in Agriculture

   3 citations · 2023
9. 9
   Human user impressions of damping methods for singularity handling in human-robot collaboration

   2 citations · 2017

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links