The mechanical engineering graduate and professor specializes in robotics for rehabilitation. His research initially focussed on rigid systems, such as robot-supported hands and wrists, before he began more and more research into flexible and soft systems that support human movement, such as walking, lifting, or gripping, more than ten years ago. These intelligent exosuits were also an important part of his work in his last position at the University of Heidelberg. 

From MIT via the IIT to TUM

Born in Rome, Masia completed his doctorate as a young scientist at the Università degli Studi di Padova and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a time that - as he says - has left a lasting momentum on him to this day due to the competitive spirit there. Successively, he returned to Italy as a Team Leader at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), where he worked as Head of the Motor Learning & Rehabilitation Laboratory. After his first position as professor (assistant professor at the Nanyang Technology University of Singapore), he moved to the Netherlands (Professor of Biodesign) at the University of Twente and finally to Heidelberg, where he headed the ARIES Laboratory (short for Assistive Robotics and Interactive ExosuitS) as Professor of Medical Technology and Biorobotics. Here, the focus is also on soft exoskeletons that support people with neurogical diseases as well as provide augmentation while walking and in working places. 

„An open community is vital to me.“

At MIRMI, his task is to contribute his ideas and research approaches to the geriatronics research team, among other things, and to strengthen the development of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen campus in the long term. Interdisciplinarity is critical to him: „An open community that integrates people with different skills and builds bridges is essential,“ says the professor. He will start as Deputy Executive Director of MIRMI in October alongside his Chair of Intelligent BioRobotic Systems. „I am convinced that my scientific expertise will complement MIRMI's existing portfolio and provide an additional boost to its excellent team.“ 

Text: Andreas Schmitz