Artificial intelligence, Biomechatronics, and Collaborative Robotics

30/04/2026

A proud and deeply meaningful milestone for the group: Towards Robust Neuromorphic/Event Vision-Based Fall Detection: Cross-Dataset Generalisation Benchmarking has been accepted for publication in the Elsevier journal of Expert Systems with Applications.

This is more than a publication acceptance, it is a remarkable academic achievement. For visiting student Muhammad Zeeshan Masood, this marks his very first journal paper, and doing so in Expert Systems with Applications makes it an extraordinary accomplishment. As a Level 2 journal in the Norwegian academic publication system, Expert Systems with Applications belongs to a highly selective group of internationally recognized journals known for strong scientific quality and impact. Publishing at this level is a significant achievement for any researcher. Reaching it as a student, with a first journal paper, is exceptional.

This is also a proud moment for Professor Filippo Sanfilippo as supervisor, and a strong reflection of what focused mentorship, ambition, and rigorous research can achieve. Seeing a visiting student reach this level with a first journal publication is exactly the kind of academic milestone that makes supervision meaningful.

The paper addresses a critical challenge in AI for healthcare: whether neuromorphic / event vision-based fall detection systems can truly generalise across datasets and perform reliably beyond controlled benchmark settings. By focusing on cross-dataset robustness, the work tackles one of the most important barriers to real-world deployment in healthcare and assisted living.

Congratulations to Muhammad Zeeshan Masood, Muhammad Hamza Zafar, Syed Kumayl Raza Moosavi, Florenc Demrozi, Furqan Shaukat, and Filippo Sanfilippo.

Artificial intelligence, Biomechatronics, and Collaborative Robotics
UiA - Mechatronics / Mekatronikk
UiA - University of Agder
UiA - Universitetet i Agder
Norges forskningsråd
European Commission

28/04/2026

Our Professor Filippo Sanfilippo has been elected Vice Chair of the IEEE Public Visibility Committee.

The committee is responsible for strengthening the visibility of IEEE’s work and impact across academia, industry, and society, ensuring that innovations, initiatives, and contributions from the IEEE community reach a broader public audience.

This appointment reflects Professor Sanfilippo’s continued commitment to advancing the visibility and societal impact of engineering and technology.

Professor Sanfilippo extends his sincere thanks to the committee for their trust and looks forward to contributing to this important work.

Artificial intelligence, Biomechatronics, and Collaborative Robotics
UiA - Mechatronics / Mekatronikk
Centre for Integrated Emergency Management
UiA - University of Agder
UiA - Universitetet i Agder
KTU Kauno technologijos universitetas/Kaunas University of Technology
Norges forskningsråd
European Commission
IEEE

27/04/2026

Sometimes, the most meaningful progress in research happens far away from the lab.

Last week, the Artificial Intelligence, Biomechatronics, and Collaborative Robotics group came together for a barbecue, a simple social gathering, but an important reminder that strong research begins with strong human connections.

In just five years, our group has grown to more than 20 active members, from Bachelor and Master students to PhD Fellows, Associate Professors, and Professors.

What makes us proud is not only how much we have grown, but how we have grown: as a team, as a community, and as a family.

We challenge each other, support each other, and push boundaries together.

Because great science is not built by individuals alone. It is built by people who trust each other.

Grateful for this team and for what we are building together.

UiA - University of Agder
UiA - Universitetet i Agder
IEEE

27/04/2026

What does human-robot teaming have to do with life-saving medicine? More than you’d think!

Our researcher, Neha Dutt, and our Professor Filippo Sanfilippo, participated to the ERAMET Consortium Meeting 2026 in Italy, where they showcased how our team’s expertise in robotics is helping reshape paediatric and orphan drug development.

While we usually spend our days perfecting how humans and robots work together, we’ve applied those same complex principles to ERAMET’s mission. By bringing a "robotics mindset" to the table, we're helping build a transparent ecosystem powered by:

• AI
• Real-World Data to bridge the gap between developers and regulators.
• Integrated Systems that treat drug development as a precision-engineered challenge.

It was an honor to show the ERAMET community how cross-disciplinary innovation, from the lab floor to the pharmacy shelf, can accelerate treatments for those who need them most.

Thank you, Ine B Skottheim Rusten, and Flora Musuamba Tshinanu, for involving us.

UiA - University of Agder
UiA - Universitetet i Agder
IEEE
European Commission

22/04/2026

Why snake robots might be the future of search and rescue.

I never thought a snake could teach us so much about disaster response, and yet, here we are.

In the latest episode of Among Us, Human-Robot Teaming, our PhD Fellow Syed Kumayl Raza Moosavi shared how bio-inspired snake robots are transforming our approach to navigating dangerous, unpredictable environments.

These robots leverage their flexible, modular design, using obstacles instead of avoiding them, much like real snakes. Their ability to adapt their locomotion based on terrain, such as whether sand, ice, or rubble, is opening new doors in disaster zones.

Picture a robot that can slither into collapsed buildings, assess the situation, and deliver aid, all while reducing risk for first responders. Our team is working on this now, teaching robots to understand terrain through force feedback and even imitate snake skin to improve movement.

What is the vision? An heterogeneous robot team, i.e., drones mapping the scene, snake robots inside, working together to save lives. It is a reminder: the future of disaster response is not just about new technology, but about how we make humans and machines team up effectively. That is the point: robots won't replace us, but they can amplify our efforts in ways we never imagined.

Worth thinking about.

Listen to the full conversation: https://youtu.be/qtbwQ-h_row

Artificial intelligence, Biomechatronics, and Collaborative Robotics
Centre for Integrated Emergency Management
UiA - Mechatronics / Mekatronikk
UiA - University of Agder
UiA - Universitetet i Agder
Norges forskningsråd
European Commission
IEEE

07/04/2026

The passion that fuels Robotics and Humanity.

Professor Filippo Sanfilippo asked Professor Bruno Siciliano about the role of passion in robotics. His answer? It's everything.

He started with vivid stories, his love for Napoli football, the adrenaline at the stadium, and how those emotions fuel his research. For him, robotics is not just a science, it is a reflection of human soul, creativity, and community.

From his experiments with pizza robots to envisioning robots as societal guides, his work is driven by cultural inspiration and personal passion. He believes that the societal fabric of places like Napoli, rich in emotion and tradition, directly influences innovative technological progress.

But it is not just about passion for the craft. He emphasizes responsibility, developing tech for the benefit of humanity, respecting ethics, and fostering collaboration across borders. His stories remind us that the greatest innovations often come from personal stories, cultural roots, and a touch of audacity.
Maybe that is the point, passion fuels progress, and human stories give it meaning. Worth pondering.

Listen to the full conversation | PREMIERE: 08 April, 09:00 CET

YouTube: https://youtu.be/gIe02_MG0qI?si=akL98hIuAbEiW7kr

Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and other platforms: https://human-robot-teaming.captivate.fm/listen

Join us in this inspiring episode featuring Professor Bruno Siciliano, a pioneer in robotics and a highly esteemed IEEE Fellow. We explore his incredible jou...

06/04/2026

Curriculum Reinforcement Learning for Central Pattern Generator Regulated Locomotion in Snake Robots

Syed Kumayl Raza Moosavi, Muhammad Hamza Zafar, Svein Olav Nyberg, Filippo Sanfilippo.

Poster presentation at the recent European Robotics Forum 2026 in Stavanger.

Artificial intelligence, Biomechatronics, and Collaborative Robotics
UiA - Mechatronics / Mekatronikk
Centre for Integrated Emergency Management
UiA - Universitetet i Agder
UiA - University of Agder
Norges forskningsråd
European Commission
IEEE

31/03/2026

Transformer-Based Human Trajectory Prediction in Manufacturing Settings

Even Falkenberg Langås
Atle Aalerud
Daniel Hagen
Filippo Sanfilippo

Professor Filippo Sanfilippo had the honour of presenting the work lead by our PhD candidate Even Falkenberg Langås at the recent European Robotics Forum 2026 in Stavanger.

Artificial intelligence, Biomechatronics, and Collaborative Robotics
UiA - Mechatronics / Mekatronikk
UiA - University of Agder
UiA - Universitetet i Agder
Norges forskningsråd
European Commission
IEEE

30/03/2026

At the European Robotics Forum 2026 in Stavanger, Prof. Filippo Sanfilippo recorded a special episode of Among Us: Human–Robot Teaming, bringing together key voices from across research and industry.

In this episode, he engaged with:
- Ahmed Nabil Belbachir on the vision and direction of robotics in Europe
- Matěj Karásek on bio-inspired flapping drones
- Marco Aggravi on high-fidelity haptics and human–machine interaction

The episode also features:
- A live demonstration with SenseGlove
- A presentation of the paper “Transformer-Based Human Trajectory Prediction in Manufacturing Settings” by Even Falkenberg Langås, Atle Aalerud, Daniel Hagen, and Filippo Sanfilippo

Through these discussions, Prof. Filippo Sanfilippo highlights a critical shift in robotics, from interaction to true human–robot teaming, where systems must move beyond reactive behavior toward understanding, prediction, and seamless physical collaboration.

🎧 Listen here: https://human-robot-teaming.captivate.fm/listen

▶️ Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mZYVSZjij0E

This episode offers a grounded look at where robotics stands today and where it needs to go next.

Artificial intelligence, Biomechatronics, and Collaborative Robotics
UiA - Mechatronics / Mekatronikk
Centre for Integrated Emergency Management
UiA - University of Agder
UiA - Universitetet i Agder
Norges forskningsråd
European Commission
IEEE

Recorded live at the European Robotics Forum 2026 in Stavanger, this special episode of Among Us: Human–Robot Teaming takes you inside one of Europe’s most i...

29/03/2026

Muhammad Hamza Zafar, Syed Kumayl Raza Moosavi

Furqan Shaukat and Filippo Sanfilippo. EMPERA: Event-Based Multitask Learning Model with Motion Dynamics and EventDensity Analysis for Joint Person-Action Recognition. Proc. of the European Robotics Forum 2026, Stavanger, 2026.

This paper introduces a novel event-driven multitask learning approach for joint person-action recognition in human-robot collaboration. Traditional vision systems face limitations including motion blur, lighting variations, and high latency. Our solution leverages event cameras, which asynchronously detect pixel-level brightness changes with microsecond precision. The unified neural architecture simultaneously performs action recognition and person identification through shared feature extraction and specialized task-specific branches. Key innovations include a motion dynamics module, event density analysis, and a cross-talk attention mechanism. Experimental results demonstrate exceptional performance: 99.01% accuracy for action recognition across 11 classes and 96.48% for person identification across 8 individuals. Post-training quantization reduces model size by 67% and inference time by 52% with minimal degradation (97.89% and 95.55% accuracy). On benchmark datasets PAF and SeAct, EMPERA achieves 97.99% and 71.28% action recognition accuracy while uniquely enabling joint person recognition, confirming its robustness and generalizability for personalized collaborative strategies within computational constraints typical of robotic platforms.

Artificial intelligence, Biomechatronics, and Collaborative Robotics
UiA - Mechatronics / Mekatronikk
UiA - University of Agder
UiA - Universitetet i Agder
Norges forskningsråd
European Commission
IEEE

29/03/2026

Our humanoid playing golf ⛳️ at the European Robotics Forum 2026

Artificial intelligence, Biomechatronics, and Collaborative Robotics
UiA - Mechatronics / Mekatronikk
UiA - University of Agder
UiA - Universitetet i Agder
Norges forskningsråd
IEEE
European Commission

Thank you to our PhD candidates Syed Kumayl Raza Moosavi and Muhammad Hamza Zafar

27/03/2026

Our Professor Filippo Sanfilippo contributed to the workshop on “Bio-inspired intelligence and technology for next-generation industrial robotics”, held on March 25, 2026, at the European Robotics Forum 2026, in Stavanger, Norway.

The workshop was organised by Professor Florian Röhrbein and featured contributions from Takeru Nemoto, Nicolai Waniek, and Panagiotis Zoumpoulis. Franziska Kirstein provided a comprehensive summary and wrap-up of the event.

The workshop highlighted the growing importance of bio-inspired approaches in advancing next-generation industrial robotics, fostering dialogue at the intersection of biology, artificial intelligence, and engineering. This is in line with the concept of Human-Robot Teaming.

Artificial intelligence, Biomechatronics, and Collaborative Robotics
UiA - Mechatronics / Mekatronikk
Centre for Integrated Emergency Management
UiA - University of Agder
UiA - Universitetet i Agder
European Commission
Norges forskningsråd