Farrokh Sassani

About

Farrokh Sassani is a leading figure in the optimal design and control of robotic manipulators, with a career spanning foundational work in kinematics, haptics, and hydraulic actuation. His primary research areas include robot isotropy optimization, task-specific mechanism design, and the control of hydraulically actuated systems. Sassani’s most significant contribution is the introduction of the **Global Isotropy Index (GII)**, a metric that quantifies a robot’s configuration-independent isotropy, enabling designers to optimize performance across an entire workspace. This work, detailed in his highly cited 1998 paper (112 citations), is complemented by a novel discrete global optimization algorithm. He extended this framework to haptic interfaces, most notably in the optimal kinematic design of a haptic pen (104 citations), and addressed the critical challenge of nonhomogeneous physical units in robot design through matrix normalization techniques (68 and 59 citations). His earlier, fundamental study on cascade control of hydraulically actuated manipulators (39 citations) remains a key reference in the field. With over 450 total citations across his most-cited works, Sassani’s research has provided essential tools for engineers seeking to create robots that are both precise and adaptable, bridging theoretical optimization with practical, application-specific design.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Fast constrained global minimax optimization of robot parameters

   112 citations · 1998
2. 2
   Optimal kinematic design of a haptic pen

   104 citations · 2001
3. 3
   On the use of scaling matrices for task-specific robot design

   68 citations · 1999
4. 4
   Matrix normalization for optimal robot design

   59 citations · 2002
5. 5
   Cascade control of hydraulically actuated manipulators

   39 citations · 1990
6. 6
   Isotropic design optimization of robotic manipulators using a genetic algorithm method

   30 citations · 2003
7. 7
   Simulated Off-Line Programming of Welding Robots

   18 citations · 1989
8. 8
   Mechanism Design for Global Isotropy With Applications to Haptic Interfaces

   17 citations · 1997
9. 9
   Kinematic Calibration of Industrial Hydraulic Manipulators

   9 citations · 1996

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links