Ugo Pattacini is the Coordinator of the iCub Tech Facility. In this leadership role, he oversees the development, maintenance, and strategic advancement of the facility’s humanoid platforms—including the iCub, and R1 robots. His work ensures that mechatronic innovation aligns seamlessly with cutting-edge research needs, managing both the technical direction of software libraries for robot control and the application of Model-Based Design to improve mechatronics performance.
In addition to facility leadership, Ugo supervises key industrial partnerships, including the Joint Lab with Camozzi Automation for developing AI-enabled smart grippers. He has previously led teams in healthcare innovation, notably validating the R1 humanoid for patient rehabilitation in collaborations with the Don Carlo Gnocchi ONLUS.
Ugo has an extensive background in real-time control and embedded systems, with a proven track record in the Formula 1 and aerospace sectors. Before joining IIT, he worked for five years as an embedded software engineer for Magneti Marelli and Toyota Motorsport, developing vehicle dynamics and traction control strategies for F1 cars (Toyota, Renault, Ferrari). He also served as a consultant for Thales Alenia Space, managing specifications and trade-off analyses for satellite data acquisition systems (COSMO-SkyMed, GMES).
He holds an M.Sc. in Electronic Engineering from the University of Pisa (2001) and a Ph.D. in Humanoid Robotics from IIT (2011), where his research focused on modular Cartesian controllers. Ugo is a Senior Member of the IEEE RAS and CSS societies and has actively participated in numerous EU-funded projects, including RobotCub, CHRIS, EFAA, WYSIWYD, TACMAN, and ETAPAS.
