Giovanna Adele Naselli

About

Giovanna Adele Naselli is a leading researcher in soft robotics, specializing in bioinspired actuation, continuum manipulators, and plant-inspired adaptive systems. Her major contributions include the development of the first macroscale soft fluidic actuator powered by plasmonic-driven phase transitions (49 citations), enabling remote, untethered control for soft robotic systems. She introduced the softness distribution index, a foundational guideline for modeling soft-bodied robots, and pioneered simplified sensing and control strategies for cable-driven manipulators inspired by climbing plants. Naselli’s work on wind dynamics and leaf motion (10 citations) advances energy harvesting technologies for operation on living plants, while her plant-inspired continuum robotic arm, “Mandy,” demonstrates adaptive twining behavior with minimal sensing and actuation effort (8 citations). She also developed the INFORA inflatable origami-based actuator (7 citations) and a proprioception-based exploration strategy for soft robots (8 citations). Her research has garnered over 100 citations, reflecting its impact on untethered soft robotics, bioinspired design, and autonomous exploration in unstructured environments. Naselli’s innovative fusion of biology and engineering continues to shape the future of soft, adaptive robotic systems.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Remotely Light‐Powered Soft Fluidic Actuators Based on Plasmonic‐Driven Phase Transitions in Elastic Constraint

   49 citations · 2019
2. 2
   The softness distribution index: towards the creation of guidelines for the modeling of soft-bodied robots

   12 citations · 2019
3. 3
   Simplified Sensing and Control of a Plant-Inspired Cable Driven Manipulator

   11 citations · 2019
4. 4
   Wind dynamics and leaf motion: Approaching the design of high-tech devices for energy harvesting for operation on plant leaves

   10 citations · 2022
5. 5
   A Soft Continuum Robotic Arm with a Climbing Plant‐Inspired Adaptive Behavior for Minimal Sensing, Actuation, and Control Effort

   8 citations · 2023
6. 6
   A New Exploration Strategy for Soft Robots Based on Proprioception

   8 citations · 2020
7. 7
   INFORA: A Novel Inflatable Origami-based Actuator

   7 citations · 2019
8. 8
   A Soft Continuum Robotic Arm with a Climbing Plant‐Inspired Adaptive Behavior for Minimal Sensing, Actuation, and Control Effort

   6 citations · 2024
9. 9
   Soft robotics: A solid prospect for robotizing the natural organisms

   3 citations · 2018

Key Collaborators

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