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About

Elisa Cucco is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of robotics, artificial intelligence, and nuclear decommissioning. Her work addresses one of the most challenging environments for autonomous systems: the hazardous, high-radiation settings of nuclear facilities. Cucco’s landmark paper, “Robotic Development for the Nuclear Environment: Challenges and Strategy” (2020, 70 citations), provides a foundational framework for deploying robots in these extreme conditions, identifying unique requirements for radiation-hardened hardware and remote manipulation. She further advanced the field with “Autonomous Nuclear Waste Management” (2018, 32 citations), which tackles the complex logistics of decommissioning redundant nuclear buildings—from demolition to waste packaging—using autonomous systems to reduce human exposure. Beyond nuclear applications, Cucco has contributed to human-robot interaction safety, developing estimation algorithms for contact forces in shared workspaces (2014, 18 citations). Her innovative work also explores bio-inspired swarm coordination and telepresence robots for surveillance and social engagement. With a growing citation impact and a clear focus on solving real-world safety and efficiency challenges, Cucco is shaping the future of robotics in high-stakes environments.