Cesare Stefanini
Professor of Robotics
Research Interests
Professor Stefanini's research lies at the intersection of robotics, AI, micro-mechatronics, and bio-robotics, with a focus on both theoretical and applied aspects. He has led numerous projects that integrate biology and robotics for healthcare, rehabilitation, and environmental applications.
Professor Stefanini's major area of contribution is in bio-inspired robotics, including insect-scale robots and soft robots that emulate biological mechanics for safer and more adaptive human interaction, particularly in medical contexts like minimally invasive surgery and rehabilitation. His early work in medical micro-mechatronics introduced autonomous legged robotic tools for gastrointestinal endoscopy, considered seminal in the field. He is also co-inventor of the microsurgical robot commercialized by Medical Microinstruments (MMI), which has achieved both CE and FDA certifications. Collaborations with institutions like the Karolinska Institute led to biohybrid robotic systems recognized internationally by both engineering and neuroscience communities.
Recent efforts include bioinspired underwater robotics for swarm operations and interactive robotic fish to study animal behavior. Through collaborations with companies like GE, Amazon, and MMI, he has translated academic research into real-world technologies—including patented systems for robotic manipulation and human-task automation.
Email
Prior to joining MBZUAI, Professor Stefanini was Director of the BioRobotics Institute at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (SSSA) in Italy, one of Europe's premier centers in robotics research. He also served as Dean of the Faculty of Applied Experimental Sciences at SSSA.
Professor Stefanini conducted part of his doctoral research at Stanford University’s Center for Design Research. Since joining the SSSA faculty, he has led the Creative Engineering Design Lab, pioneering cross-disciplinary approaches at the interface of robotics, artificial intelligence, and biology. His research combines robotics with AI to develop intelligent, adaptive systems for medical, industrial, and environmental applications. Professor Stefanini has led several international projects on underwater swarm robotics and bio-hybrid sensing, where learning algorithms, autonomous behavior, and data-driven control are key. He is the author of over 240 scientific publications and the inventor of 18 international patents—10 of which have been industrially exploited by global leaders including Karl Storz, MMI, Amazon, Magneti Marelli, GE, and Pirelli.
Professor Stefanini is the co-inventor of foundational technologies behind Medical Microinstruments (MMI S.p.A.), a surgical robotics company that has achieved international acclaim and was selected for TIME magazine’s 2024 list of Best Inventions. He is a member of the UAE’s Academy of Scientists and serves on the editorial board of the IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics. His recognitions include the “Intuitive Surgical Research Award” and three First Prizes at the International Micro Robot Maze Contest in Nagoya, Japan—early accolades for his innovation in microrobotics. He has organized high-impact workshops at the intersection of AI and robotics and is a frequent keynote speaker at major international conferences. His work has received widespread media coverage in The Economist, Euronews, Sky News, and Corriere della Sera, reflecting his ongoing contributions to the advancement of intelligent robotic systems.
Professor Stefanini conducted part of his doctoral research at Stanford University’s Center for Design Research. Since joining the SSSA faculty, he has led the Creative Engineering Design Lab, pioneering cross-disciplinary approaches at the interface of robotics, artificial intelligence, and biology. His research combines robotics with AI to develop intelligent, adaptive systems for medical, industrial, and environmental applications. Professor Stefanini has led several international projects on underwater swarm robotics and bio-hybrid sensing, where learning algorithms, autonomous behavior, and data-driven control are key. He is the author of over 240 scientific publications and the inventor of 18 international patents—10 of which have been industrially exploited by global leaders including Karl Storz, MMI, Amazon, Magneti Marelli, GE, and Pirelli.
Professor Stefanini is the co-inventor of foundational technologies behind Medical Microinstruments (MMI S.p.A.), a surgical robotics company that has achieved international acclaim and was selected for TIME magazine’s 2024 list of Best Inventions. He is a member of the UAE’s Academy of Scientists and serves on the editorial board of the IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics. His recognitions include the “Intuitive Surgical Research Award” and three First Prizes at the International Micro Robot Maze Contest in Nagoya, Japan—early accolades for his innovation in microrobotics. He has organized high-impact workshops at the intersection of AI and robotics and is a frequent keynote speaker at major international conferences. His work has received widespread media coverage in The Economist, Euronews, Sky News, and Corriere della Sera, reflecting his ongoing contributions to the advancement of intelligent robotic systems.
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Postdoctoral Fellow, the BioRobotics Institute
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Ph.D. in Industrial and Information Engineering from the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna University
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Visiting Ph.D. student at Stanford University
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Master of Science in Robotics from the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna University and University of Pisa
- Time’s Best Inventions of 2024, Medical Microinstruments Symani Surgical System, Time USA, LLC., October 2024.
- 2022-today: Expert Evaluator for Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) • 2022-today: Senior Program Committee, the IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IEEE IROS)
- 2021-today: Expert Evaluator in Robotics for Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) • 2021-today: Member of the Steering Committee of IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics (IEEE T-MRB)
- Article of the Year award, Applied Bionics and Biomechanics, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2021.
- Scientific Committee member, Grand Hamdan International Award for Medical Sciences, UAE, 2020.
- “Encoding lateralization of jump kinematics and eye use in a locust via bio-robotic artifacts”, 2019 most-cited research paper, Journal of Experimental Biology.
- Best Italian Ph.D. Thesis in Bioengineering, Supervisor of Dr. Donato Romano, September 11, 2019, 1st prize.
- Marie Curie Global Fellowship, SSSA-MIT, Supervisor of Dr. Mario Milazzo, 2018-2021
- Best paper Award “Engineering an Artificial Biomimetic Lymph Node” by Aya Shanti et al., UAE Graduate Student Research conference 2019.
- Member of the MBR Academy of Scientists of the UAE since 2017.
- TIP Healthcare Award in the category “Proof of Concept”, Department of Health, Abu Dhabi, 2018.
- Chen, Zixi, Federico Renda, Alexia Le Gall, Lorenzo Mocellin, Matteo Bernabei, Théo Dangel, Gastone Ciuti, Matteo Cianchetti, and Cesare Stefanini. "Data-driven methods applied to soft robot modeling and control: A review." IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering (2024).
- Fazzari, Edoardo, Fabio Carrara, Fabrizio Falchi, Cesare Stefanini, and Donato Romano. "Using AI to decode the behavioral responses of an insect to chemical stimuli: towards machine-animal computational technologies." International Journal of Machine Learning and Cybernetics 15, no. 5 (2024): 1985-1994.
- Al Younis, Sona M., Leontios J. Hadjileontiadis, Ahsan H. Khandoker, Cesare Stefanini, Stergios Soulaidopoulos, Petros Arsenos, Ioannis Doundoulakis, Konstantinos A. Gatzoulis, and Konstantinos Tsioufis. "Prediction of heart failure patients with distinct left ventricular ejection fraction levels using circadian ECG features and machine learning." Plos one 19, no. 5 (2024): e0302639.
- Tannous, Michael, Cesare Stefanini, and Donato Romano. "A Deep-Learning-Based detection approach for the identification of insect species of economic importance." Insects 14, no. 2 (2023): 148.
- Chen, Z., Ren, X., Bernabei, M., Mainardi, V., Ciuti, G., and Cesare Stefanini. “A hybrid adaptive controller for soft robot interchangeability”. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, 9(1) (2023): 875-882.
- Romano, Donato, Giampaolo Rossetti, and Cesare Stefanini. "Learning on a chip: Towards the development of trainable biohybrid sensors by investigating cognitive processes in non-marine Ostracoda via a miniaturised analytical system." Biosystems Engineering 213 (2022): 162-174.