Dario Esposito

Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Université Paris Cité, IT+Robotics (Italy)

Papers

Total Citations

130

H-Index

About

Dario Esposito is a leading researcher at the intersection of marine robotics, wearable sensing, and human-robot interaction. His work spans from autonomous underwater vehicles to daily activity recognition, demonstrating a unique ability to bridge engineering and human-centered design. Esposito’s most impactful contribution is the development of the HAUV (Hull Autonomous Underwater Vehicle), a prototype jointly built with MIT and Bluefin Robotics for the US Navy and NATO. This vehicle introduced a novel DVL-based hull-relative navigation system for close-range sonar imaging of ship hulls, a breakthrough cited over 75 times. In the domain of wearable technology, he pioneered an unsupervised approach to daily activity recognition using inertial sensors in rings and bracelets, enabling robots to infer user behavior and offer personalized lifestyle feedback. His recent work explores creativity in social robots, examining how machines can both support and act as creative agents. Esposito has also advanced human-robot walking together using wearable sensors, improving the naturalness of robot movement in everyday settings. With a career spanning defense, healthcare, and social robotics, his research continues to shape how robots perceive, assist, and collaborate with humans.