Papers
19
Total Citations
341
H-Index
9
About
Alessandra Vitanza’s research sits at the intersection of assistive robotics, biomimetics, and human-robot interaction, with a primary focus on improving the quality of life for older adults. Her most impactful work, including a 2019 study with 75 citations, identifies the specific needs of elderly users for assistive robots that support independent living and reduce caregiver burden. She has also pioneered methods for using robots to enhance socialization among seniors (54 citations) and developed innovative tools like a sensorized handle to monitor grasping force in older adults. Beyond aging-related applications, Vitanza has made significant contributions to biomimetic locomotion, co-authoring an integrative framework for autonomous hexapedal movement (53 citations), and to educational robotics, demonstrating how robot swarms can engage students across disciplines (38 citations). She has been a key contributor to the ACCRA and MARIO projects, which co-create technological solutions for aging populations and test them in real-world hospital settings. With over 300 total citations, Vitanza’s work is distinguished by its user-centered, co-creative approach, bridging engineering, neuroscience, and social science to design robots that are both technically robust and genuinely responsive to human needs.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
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- 3Integrative Biomimetics of Autonomous Hexapedal Locomotion53 citations · 2019
- 4Robot swarms as an educational tool: The Thymio’s way38 citations · 2019
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- 8SPARKRS4CS: a software/hardware framework for cognitive architectures9 citations · 2011
- 9MARIO Project: Experimentation in the Hospital Setting9 citations · 2019
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