Nikos G. Tsagarakis
Italian Institute of Technology, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, University of Salford, Institute of Informatics and Telematics, University of Central Lancashire, University of Cambridge, University of Pisa, University of Edinburgh, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, University of Genoa, Indian Institute of Technology Dhanbad
Papers
329
Total Citations
11,991
H-Index
54
About
Nikos G. Tsagarakis is a pioneering robotics researcher whose work spans compliant actuation, humanoid robotics, and legged locomotion systems. Based at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), he has made transformative contributions to the design and development of physically capable, human-friendly robots. His early work on pneumatic muscle actuators laid foundations for biologically inspired actuation, while his involvement in the iCub open humanoid platform (279 citations) helped establish a globally influential testbed for cognitive and neuroscience research. Tsagarakis played a central role in developing the HyQ quadruped robot (627 citations), a landmark achievement in dynamic legged locomotion capable of navigating challenging terrain, and WALK-MAN (266 citations), a high-performance humanoid built for real-world disaster response scenarios. His extensive research into variable stiffness actuators — including both original designs such as CompAct-VSA and comprehensive reviews (collectively over 800 citations) — has profoundly shaped safe, adaptive human-robot interaction. His tele-impedance framework (267 citations) introduced innovative approaches to teleoperation in uncertain environments. With over 2,700 citations across his most recognized works alone, Tsagarakis stands as one of the most influential figures in modern robotics engineering.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Design of HyQ – a hydraulically and electrically actuated quadruped robot627 citations · 2011
- 2Variable Stiffness Actuators: Review on Design and Components438 citations · 2015
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- 5WALK‐MAN: A High‐Performance Humanoid Platform for Realistic Environments266 citations · 2017
- 6A compact soft actuator unit for small scale human friendly robots248 citations · 2009
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- 8Variable stiffness actuators: The user’s point of view198 citations · 2015
- 9A new variable stiffness actuator (CompAct-VSA): Design and modelling198 citations · 2011
- 10Improved modelling and assessment of pneumatic muscle actuators189 citations · 2002