Welcome

Research activities of the HRI² laboratory can be divided into two broad categories, i.e. Modelling and analysis of the human physical interaction behavior, and Human in the loop robot planning and control. While the first line of research investigates for reliable and intuitive human-robot interfaces relying on or inspired by the human motor functionalities, the latter aims at the achievement of the enhanced human-robot-environment physical interaction performances.

Laboratories

The HRI² laboratory space provides several robotic platforms (Bimanual KUKA lightweight, Pisa/IIT Softhand, etc.) and humanoid robots (WALKMAN, COMAN, CENTAURO, etc., in collaboration with ADVR and HHCM research lines) to the research sub-groups on Physical Human-Robot Interaction and Collaboration, Assistive Robotics, Teleoperation, and Robotic Manipulation.
Several sensory measurement units (whole body tracking suits, Wireless EMG and EEG acquisition systems, Opticak tracking systems (with 12 cameras), force plates and sensor insoles, metabolic cost measurement units, force/torque sensors, etc.) are also available for the tracking, identification and modeling of the human motor behavior.

Projects

• WALKMAN - Whole-body Adaptive Locomotion and Manipulation (FP7-ICT-2013-10) 
• SOMA - SOft-embodied intelligent MAnipulation (H2020 EU 2.1.1.5) 
• SoftPro- Synergy-based Open-source Foundations and Technologies for Prosthetics and RehabilitatiOn (H2020 - 2016) 

Collaborations

HRI² laboratory establishes close collaborations with several IIT internal laboratories such as:

• Humanoids and Human Cantered Mechatronics Lab (Dr. N. Tsagarakis)
• Soft Robotics for Human Cooperation and Rehabilitation Lab  (Prof. A. Bicchi)
• iCub Facility (Prof. G. Metta, Dr. Lorenzo Natale, Dr. Francesco Nori)
• Advanced Robotics laboratories coordinated by Prof. D. Caldwell

in addition to the external collaborations including

• Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Italy (Prof. P. Rocco, Prof. Elena De momi, and Dr. A. Zanchettin),
• School of Meachanical & Aerospace Engineering (MAE), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) (Prof. Lorenzo Masia),
• LIRMM, Université de Montpellier, France (Prof. Andrea Cherubini),
• The Neuroscience and Robotics Laboratory, Northwestern University, USA (Dr. Eric Schearer),

As well as collaborations and the fast-developing network within the consortium of the EU projects: Walkman,  Softpro,  Soma, and  Wearhap.