Cosimo Della Santina
Delft University of Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Piaggio (Italy), University of Pisa, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR), Vassar College, Technical University of Munich, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, National Court Reporters Association, Hersenstichting
Papers
113
Total Citations
4,083
H-Index
32
About
Cosimo Della Santina is a leading robotics researcher whose work sits at the intersection of soft robotics, model-based control, and biologically inspired systems. His research has fundamentally advanced the field of soft robot control, tackling one of its most persistent challenges: developing rigorous, mathematically grounded frameworks for systems whose infinite-dimensional, highly compliant bodies resist classical control approaches. Della Santina's most influential contributions include comprehensive surveys and original formulations of model-based control strategies for soft robots, accumulating over 350 and 270 citations respectively, demonstrating the field's hunger for principled methodologies. His pioneering work on piecewise constant curvature models and polynomial curvature frameworks provided tractable state parametrizations that underpin dynamic feedback control of multi-segment soft systems. Beyond theoretical contributions, he has advanced practical applications including the Pisa/IIT SoftHand 2, a dexterous robotic hand exploiting adaptive synergies, and deep learning-based proprioception for 3D configuration sensing in sensorized soft robots. His research extends to agricultural robotics, including soft grippers for crop harvesting. With over 2,000 cumulative citations across a decade of work, Della Santina has established himself as one of the most impactful voices shaping the future of intelligent, compliant robotic systems.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 3Dynamic control of soft robots interacting with the environment222 citations · 2018
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- 8Soft Robotic Grippers for Crop Handling or Harvesting: A Review156 citations · 2022
- 9Controlling Soft Robots: Balancing Feedback and Feedforward Elements142 citations · 2017
- 10Control Oriented Modeling of Soft Robots: The Polynomial Curvature Case121 citations · 2019