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About

Massimiliano Scaccia is a leading researcher in bio-inspired soft robotics and intelligent inspection systems, whose work bridges nature-inspired design and real-world infrastructure safety. His most influential contribution is the development of an octopus-inspired soft robotic arm integrated with suction cups, designed to enhance grasping and manipulation in confined environments. This work, published in *Soft Robotics* and cited over 130 times, demonstrates how the conformability of a conical soft arm combined with distributed suction cups can dramatically improve grasping force and adaptability—mimicking the remarkable manipulation capabilities of octopuses. Scaccia’s research extends to predictive maintenance of critical infrastructure, where he has developed a novel remote visual inspection system for bridge monitoring, earning 33 citations. He also contributed to the validation of polymer structures using thermoelasticity and ArUco markers, applied to the inspection robot for San Giorgio’s Bridge, and participated in the World Robot Summit 2020 Assembly Challenge, developing flexible assembly systems for high-mix, low-volume production. With a portfolio that spans fundamental bio-robotics to applied structural health monitoring, Scaccia’s work is shaping the future of soft, adaptive robots for real-world challenges.