Max Robotics — Global Service Robot Directory + US Certification

About

Viviana Morlando is a robotics researcher whose work centers on whole-body control, disturbance rejection, and legged locomotion for quadruped robots. Her major contributions include developing a momentum-based observer that enables quadruped robots to maintain balance and reject disturbances during dynamic tasks—a framework that has garnered 42 citations for its foundational impact. She has also pioneered nonprehensile object transportation with legged manipulators, devising a control architecture that prevents object sliding while preserving robot stability during walking (18 citations). Morlando’s research extends to assistive robotics, where she designed a whole-body controller for a quadruped robot acting as a guide dog for visually impaired individuals, using wrench estimation observers instead of force sensors. Additionally, she has advanced navigation in harsh terrains—particularly agricultural fields—through online feet potential fields that adapt to variable soil conditions. Her work bridges robust locomotion control with real-world applications in human assistance and unstructured environments, demonstrating how theoretical advances in disturbance observation can be translated into practical, sensor-reduced systems for legged robots.