Paolo Dario to Receive the 2024 IEEE Robotics and Automation Technical Field Award

Paolo Dario is the father of biorobotics. The techniques he innovated are the basis for the practical application of robotics in engineering and medicine, including minimally invasive surgery and rehabilitation devices for the elderly and disabled. He was one of the main proposers of bio-inspired sensors and devices, and of medical applications of robotics, at a time when they were unknown to most roboticists. His pioneering work in tactile sensing and artificial perception for robots enabled cybernetic prostheses that directly interfaced with the nervous system. He has also contributed to the development of neurorobotics, which combines the latest advances in neuroscience with robotics to expand the capability of human-robot interaction and empower the robot with human intelligence.

An IEEE Life Fellow, Dario is Professor Emeritus of Biomedical Robotics, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy.