Stephan Rinderknecht

About

Stephan Rinderknecht is a prominent researcher whose work bridges robotics, biomechanics, and human-machine interaction, with particular expertise in prosthetics, variable stiffness actuators, and resource-efficient robotic systems. His most influential contribution, a human-machine-centered design method for powered lower limb prosthetics (2017, 40 citations), established a framework that places user experience and psychological integration at the heart of prosthetic development — a thread running throughout his career, from early work on robotic assessment of psychological factors in prosthetic design (2012, 19 citations) to trajectory generation methods supporting bodily acceptance of wearable devices. Rinderknecht has made significant technical advances in compliant actuation, investigating variable torsion stiffness actuators and serial elastic systems to balance safety, energy efficiency, and dynamic performance in human-robot interaction contexts. His later research expanded into industrial robotics sustainability, examining how cycle time, payload, and service life jointly shape the ecological and economic footprint of automated systems (2021, 23 citations; 2020, 11 citations). Collectively, his body of work — spanning over 160 citations — reflects a researcher committed to designing smarter, safer, and more sustainable robotic systems for both clinical and industrial applications.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   A human–machine-centered design method for (powered) lower limb prosthetics

   40 citations · 2017
2. 2
   Impact of Cycle Time and Payload of an Industrial Robot on Resource Efficiency

   23 citations · 2021
3. 3
   Analysis of system dynamic influences in robotic actuators with variable stiffness

   20 citations · 2014
4. 4
   Design and control of a robot for the assessment of psychological factors in prosthetic development

   19 citations · 2012
5. 5
   Power-optimized stiffness and nonlinear position control of an actuator with Variable Torsion Stiffness

   18 citations · 2013
6. 6
   Combined Analysis of Energy Consumption and Expected Service Life of a Robotic System

   11 citations · 2020
7. 7
   Impact of friction and gait parameters on the optimization of series elastic actuators for gait assistance

   10 citations · 2018
8. 8
   Dimensioning and evaluation of the elastic element in a Variable Torsion Stiffness actuator

   10 citations · 2013
9. 9
   Stiffness Control of Variable Serial Elastic Actuators: Energy Efficiency through Exploitation of Natural Dynamics

   8 citations · 2017
10. 10
    Comparison of trajectory generation methods for a human-robot interface based on motion tracking in the Int<sup>2</sup>Bot

    6 citations · 2014

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links