Marco Santello
Papers
23
Total Citations
726
H-Index
13
About
Marco Santello is a leading researcher at the intersection of neuroscience, robotics, and sensorimotor control, with a particular focus on understanding how the human hand and nervous system coordinate complex motor tasks. His most celebrated contribution lies in the study of **hand synergies** — the principle that the brain reduces the complexity of hand control by coordinating multiple joints and muscles in predictable patterns. His 2016 review on hand synergies, which has garnered nearly 300 citations, has become a foundational reference for both neuroscientists and roboticists seeking to design more intuitive prosthetic and robotic hands. Santello's work extends into prosthetics, where he has pioneered synergy-inspired myoelectric devices that allow amputees to achieve more natural and precise grasping. He has also made significant contributions to understanding human physical interaction — examining how two people coordinate movement and communicate intent during collaborative motor tasks. His research on sensorimotor control of gait and multidigit force regulation further demonstrates the breadth of his expertise across human movement science. More recently, his group has explored AI-driven surgical instrument tracking. Across these domains, Santello's scholarship bridges biological understanding with real-world engineering applications, making meaningful advances for rehabilitation and assistive technology.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1
- 2Postural Hand Synergies during Environmental Constraint Exploitation79 citations · 2017
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10