Grazia Zambella

About

Grazia Zambella is a leading researcher in the field of humanoid robotics, with a particular focus on the control and stabilization of two-wheeled, unstable humanoid platforms. Her work addresses the fundamental challenge of managing the complex, coupled dynamics between a robot’s mobile base and its upper body, moving beyond simplified linear models to achieve true whole-body control. Zambella’s most impactful contribution is her 2019 paper on "Dynamic Whole-Body Control of Unstable Wheeled Humanoid Robots," which has garnered 51 citations and established a foundational framework for the field. She has also pioneered critical safety systems, including an integrated fall protection and recovery strategy for two-wheeled humanoids (2020, 6 citations), and developed agile, dynamic standing-up controllers that leverage the 3D Divergent Component of Motion in multi-contact scenarios (2023, 5 citations). To accelerate research, she created an open-source ROS-Gazebo toolbox for simulating robots with compliant actuators (2021, 17 citations), enabling the Sim2Real practice. Her recent work on composite whole-body control (2025) continues to push the boundaries of what these agile, efficient robots can achieve in healthcare and manufacturing.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Dynamic Whole-Body Control of Unstable Wheeled Humanoid Robots

   51 citations · 2019
2. 2
   An Open-Source ROS-Gazebo Toolbox for Simulating Robots With Compliant Actuators

   17 citations · 2021
3. 3
   Composite Whole-Body Control of Two-Wheeled Robots

   7 citations · 2025
4. 4
   An Integrated Dynamic Fall Protection and Recovery System for Two-Wheeled Humanoids

   6 citations · 2020
5. 5
   Agile and Dynamic Standing-Up Control for Humanoids Using 3D Divergent Component of Motion in Multi-Contact Scenario

   5 citations · 2023

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links