2026
|
George Moustris, Costas Tzafestas A Shared-Control Framework for A Human-Robot Front-Following Behaviour in Unknown Dynamic Environments Journal Article International Journal of Social Robotics, 18 (2), pp. 31, 2026, ISSN: 1875-4791. Abstract | BibTeX | Links: [PDF] @article{Moustris2026,
title = {A Shared-Control Framework for A Human-Robot Front-Following Behaviour in Unknown Dynamic Environments},
author = {George Moustris and Costas Tzafestas},
url = {http://robotics.ntua.gr/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/Moustris_et_al-2026-International_Journal_of_Social_Robotics.pdf},
doi = {10.1007/s12369-026-01376-0},
issn = {1875-4791},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-01-01},
journal = {International Journal of Social Robotics},
volume = {18},
number = {2},
pages = {31},
abstract = {We present a modular framework for enabling a mobile robot to follow a user from the front inside unknown, dynamic and relatively obstacle-laden environments. This behaviour is developed in the context of robotic assistance and rehabilitation for people with mobility impairments. The system incorporates shared-control coupled to an efficient local planner with an intention-reading algorithm recognizing the user intent in undecidable path branches. The components and interconnections are discussed in detail. Field trials with real users are presented, showing that the assistive functionality of the framework encourages users to walk closer to their natural pattern, as compared to an approach with no intelligent features. Preliminary observations suggest that the assistive mode may reduce the cognitive effort required from users. Furthermore, the success rate of the system in identifying user intent is demonstrated to be very high. It is also shown that in certain situations the user-robot pair exhibits complex interaction dynamics, in which their roles are fluid and interchangeable.},
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We present a modular framework for enabling a mobile robot to follow a user from the front inside unknown, dynamic and relatively obstacle-laden environments. This behaviour is developed in the context of robotic assistance and rehabilitation for people with mobility impairments. The system incorporates shared-control coupled to an efficient local planner with an intention-reading algorithm recognizing the user intent in undecidable path branches. The components and interconnections are discussed in detail. Field trials with real users are presented, showing that the assistive functionality of the framework encourages users to walk closer to their natural pattern, as compared to an approach with no intelligent features. Preliminary observations suggest that the assistive mode may reduce the cognitive effort required from users. Furthermore, the success rate of the system in identifying user intent is demonstrated to be very high. It is also shown that in certain situations the user-robot pair exhibits complex interaction dynamics, in which their roles are fluid and interchangeable. |
2025
|
P. P. Drakopoulos, G. Moustris, C. Tzafestas, P. Maragos Indoor Turn-By-Turn Navigation Assistance for Robotic Rollators Conference Proc. 18th ACM Int'l Conf. on PErvasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments (PETRA 2025), Corfu, Greece, 2025. BibTeX | Links: [PDF] @conference{Drakopoulos2025,
title = {Indoor Turn-By-Turn Navigation Assistance for Robotic Rollators},
author = {P. P. Drakopoulos and G. Moustris and C. Tzafestas and P. Maragos},
url = {http://robotics.ntua.gr/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025_DrakopoulosMoustris_IndoorTurn-By-TurnNavigationAssistance-for-RoboticRollators_PETRA.pdf},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-06-25},
booktitle = {Proc. 18th ACM Int'l Conf. on PErvasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments (PETRA 2025)},
address = {Corfu, Greece},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
|
N. Kardaris, P. Mermigkas, G. Moustris, C. Tzafestas, P. Maragos Automated Thermal Fault Detection in Ultra-High Voltage Substation Equipment Conference Proc. IFAC Workshop on Smart Energy Systems for Efficient and Sustainable Smart Grids and Smart Cities (SENSYS 2025), Bari, Italy, 2025. BibTeX | Links: [PDF] @conference{Kardaris2025,
title = {Automated Thermal Fault Detection in Ultra-High Voltage Substation Equipment},
author = {N. Kardaris and P. Mermigkas and G. Moustris and C. Tzafestas and P. Maragos},
url = {http://robotics.ntua.gr/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025_Kardaris_Automated-Thermal-Fault-Detection-in-UHVS_SENSYS.pdf},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-06-18},
booktitle = {Proc. IFAC Workshop on Smart Energy Systems for Efficient and Sustainable Smart Grids and Smart Cities (SENSYS 2025)},
address = {Bari, Italy},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
|
P. Mermigkas, G. P. Moustris, C. S. Tzafestas, P. Maragos Constructing Visibility Maps of Optimal Positions for Robotic Inspection in Ultra-High Voltage Centers Conference Proc. 33rd Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation (MED 2025), Tangier, Morocco, 2025. BibTeX | Links: [PDF] @conference{Mermigkas2025,
title = {Constructing Visibility Maps of Optimal Positions for Robotic Inspection in Ultra-High Voltage Centers},
author = {P. Mermigkas and G. P. Moustris and C. S. Tzafestas and P. Maragos},
url = {http://robotics.ntua.gr/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025_Mermigkas_Constructing-Visibility-Maps-Optimal-Positions-UHVC_MED.pdf},
year = {2025},
date = {2025-06-10},
booktitle = {Proc. 33rd Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation (MED 2025)},
address = {Tangier, Morocco},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
|
2021
|
George Moustris, Nikolaos Kardaris, Antigoni Tsiami, Georgia Chalvatzaki, Petros Koutras, Athanasios Dometios, Paris Oikonomou, Costas Tzafestas, Petros Maragos, Eleni Efthimiou, Xanthi Papageorgiou, Stavroula-Evita Fotinea, Yiannis Koumpouros, Anna Vacalopoulou, Effie Papageorgiou, Alexandra Karavasili, Foteini Koureta, Dimitris Dimou, Alexandros Nikolakakis, Konstantinos Karaiskos, Panagiotis Mavridis The i-Walk Lightweight Assistive Rollator: First Evaluation Study Journal Article Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 8 , pp. 272, 2021, ISSN: 2296-9144. Abstract | BibTeX | Links: [PDF] @article{10.3389/frobt.2021.677542,
title = {The i-Walk Lightweight Assistive Rollator: First Evaluation Study},
author = {George Moustris and Nikolaos Kardaris and Antigoni Tsiami and Georgia Chalvatzaki and Petros Koutras and Athanasios Dometios and Paris Oikonomou and Costas Tzafestas and Petros Maragos and Eleni Efthimiou and Xanthi Papageorgiou and Stavroula-Evita Fotinea and Yiannis Koumpouros and Anna Vacalopoulou and Effie Papageorgiou and Alexandra Karavasili and Foteini Koureta and Dimitris Dimou and Alexandros Nikolakakis and Konstantinos Karaiskos and Panagiotis Mavridis},
url = {http://robotics.ntua.gr/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/frobt-08-677542.pdf},
doi = {10.3389/frobt.2021.677542},
issn = {2296-9144},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-12-30},
journal = {Frontiers in Robotics and AI},
volume = {8},
pages = {272},
abstract = {Robots can play a significant role as assistive devices for people with movement impairment and mild cognitive deficit. In this paper we present an overview of the lightweight i-Walk intelligent robotic rollator, which offers cognitive and mobility assistance to the elderly and to people with light to moderate mobility impairment. The utility, usability, safety and technical performance of the device is investigated through a clinical study, which took place at a rehabilitation center in Greece involving real patients with mild to moderate cognitive and mobility impairment. This first evaluation study comprised a set of scenarios in a number of pre-defined use cases, including physical rehabilitation exercises, as well as mobility and ambulation involved in typical daily living activities of the patients. The design and implementation of this study is discussed in detail, along with the obtained results, which include both an objective and a subjective evaluation of the system operation, based on a set of technical performance measures and a validated questionnaire for the analysis of qualitative data, respectively. The study shows that the technical modules performed satisfactory under real conditions, and that the users generally hold very positive views of the platform, considering it safe and reliable.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
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Robots can play a significant role as assistive devices for people with movement impairment and mild cognitive deficit. In this paper we present an overview of the lightweight i-Walk intelligent robotic rollator, which offers cognitive and mobility assistance to the elderly and to people with light to moderate mobility impairment. The utility, usability, safety and technical performance of the device is investigated through a clinical study, which took place at a rehabilitation center in Greece involving real patients with mild to moderate cognitive and mobility impairment. This first evaluation study comprised a set of scenarios in a number of pre-defined use cases, including physical rehabilitation exercises, as well as mobility and ambulation involved in typical daily living activities of the patients. The design and implementation of this study is discussed in detail, along with the obtained results, which include both an objective and a subjective evaluation of the system operation, based on a set of technical performance measures and a validated questionnaire for the analysis of qualitative data, respectively. The study shows that the technical modules performed satisfactory under real conditions, and that the users generally hold very positive views of the platform, considering it safe and reliable. |
2015
|
G Papageorgiou X.S. Moustris, G Pitsikalis V. Chalvatzaki, A Dometios, N Kardaris, C S Tzafestas, P Maragos User-Oriented Cognitive Interaction and Control for an Intelligent Robotic Walker Conference 17th International Conference on Social Robotics (ICSR 2015), 2015. Abstract | BibTeX | Links: [PDF] @conference{ICSR2015_2,
title = {User-Oriented Cognitive Interaction and Control for an Intelligent Robotic Walker},
author = {G Papageorgiou X.S. Moustris and G Pitsikalis V. Chalvatzaki and A Dometios and N Kardaris and C S Tzafestas and P Maragos},
url = {http://robotics.ntua.gr/wp-content/publications/ICSR2015_2.pdf},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-10-01},
booktitle = {17th International Conference on Social Robotics (ICSR 2015)},
abstract = {Mobility impairments are prevalent in the elderly population and constitute one of the main causes related to difficulties in performing Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and consequent reduction of quality of life. This paper reports current research work related to the control of an intelligent robotic rollator aiming to provide user-adaptive and context-aware walking assistance. To achieve such targets, a large spectrum of multimodal sensory processing and interactive control modules need to be developed and seamlessly integrated, that can, on one side track and analyse human motions and actions, in order to detect pathological situations and estimate user needs, while predicting at the same time the user (short-term or long-range) intentions in order to adapt robot control actions and supportive behaviours accordingly. User-oriented human-robot interaction and control refers to the functionalities that couple the motions, the actions and, in more general terms, the behaviours of the assistive robotic device to the user in a non-physical interaction context.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
Mobility impairments are prevalent in the elderly population and constitute one of the main causes related to difficulties in performing Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and consequent reduction of quality of life. This paper reports current research work related to the control of an intelligent robotic rollator aiming to provide user-adaptive and context-aware walking assistance. To achieve such targets, a large spectrum of multimodal sensory processing and interactive control modules need to be developed and seamlessly integrated, that can, on one side track and analyse human motions and actions, in order to detect pathological situations and estimate user needs, while predicting at the same time the user (short-term or long-range) intentions in order to adapt robot control actions and supportive behaviours accordingly. User-oriented human-robot interaction and control refers to the functionalities that couple the motions, the actions and, in more general terms, the behaviours of the assistive robotic device to the user in a non-physical interaction context. |
CS Tzafestas, XS Papageorgiou, GP Moustris, G Chalvatzaki, A Dometios User-Oriented Human-Robot Interaction for an Intelligent Walking Assistant Robotic Device Conference Workshop IEEE/RSJ Int'l Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Invited Session: "Cognitive Mobility Assistance Robots: Scientific Advances and Perspectives", Hamburg, Germany, Sept. 28 - Oct. 02, 2015, 2015. BibTeX | Links: [PDF] @conference{Tzafestas2015,
title = {User-Oriented Human-Robot Interaction for an Intelligent Walking Assistant Robotic Device},
author = {CS Tzafestas and XS Papageorgiou and GP Moustris and G Chalvatzaki and A Dometios},
url = {http://robotics.ntua.gr/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/IROS2015-Workshop-Proceedings_Cognitive-Mobility-Assistance_final.pdf},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-09-01},
booktitle = {Workshop IEEE/RSJ Int'l Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Invited Session: "Cognitive Mobility Assistance Robots: Scientific Advances and Perspectives", Hamburg, Germany, Sept. 28 - Oct. 02, 2015},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
|
2014
|
X S Papageorgiou, C S Tzafestas, P Maragos, G Pavlakos, G Chalvatzaki, G Moustris, I Kokkinos, A Peer, B Stanczyk, E -S Fotinea, E Efthimiou Advances in Intelligent Mobility Assistance Robot Integrating Multimodal Sensory Processing Conference J_HCII, Springer International Publishing, Cham, 2014, ISBN: 978-3-319-07446-7. Abstract | BibTeX | Links: [PDF] @conference{HCII2014,
title = {Advances in Intelligent Mobility Assistance Robot Integrating Multimodal Sensory Processing},
author = {X S Papageorgiou and C S Tzafestas and P Maragos and G Pavlakos and G Chalvatzaki and G Moustris and I Kokkinos and A Peer and B Stanczyk and E -S Fotinea and E Efthimiou},
editor = {C Stephanidis and M Antona},
url = {http://robotics.ntua.gr/wp-content/publications/HCII2014.pdf},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-07446-7_66},
isbn = {978-3-319-07446-7},
year = {2014},
date = {2014-01-01},
booktitle = {J_HCII},
pages = {692--703},
publisher = {Springer International Publishing},
address = {Cham},
abstract = {Mobility disabilities are prevalent in our ageing society and impede activities important for the independent living of elderly people and their quality of life. The goal of this work is to support human mobility and thus enforce fitness and vitality by developing intelligent robotic platforms designed to provide user-centred and natural support for ambulating in indoor environments. We envision the design of cognitive mobile robotic systems that can monitor and understand specific forms of human activity, in order to deduce what the human needs are, in terms of mobility. The goal is to provide user and context adaptive active support and ambulation assistance to elderly users, and generally to individuals with specific forms of moderate to mild walking impairment.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
Mobility disabilities are prevalent in our ageing society and impede activities important for the independent living of elderly people and their quality of life. The goal of this work is to support human mobility and thus enforce fitness and vitality by developing intelligent robotic platforms designed to provide user-centred and natural support for ambulating in indoor environments. We envision the design of cognitive mobile robotic systems that can monitor and understand specific forms of human activity, in order to deduce what the human needs are, in terms of mobility. The goal is to provide user and context adaptive active support and ambulation assistance to elderly users, and generally to individuals with specific forms of moderate to mild walking impairment. |
2013
|
G. P. Moustris, A. I. Mantelos, C. S. Tzafestas Enhancing surgical accuracy using virtual fixtures and motion compensation in robotic beating heart surgery Conference 2013 21st Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation, MED 2013 - Conference Proceedings, 2013, ISSN: 1050-4729. Abstract | BibTeX | Links: [PDF] @conference{Moustris2013,
title = {Enhancing surgical accuracy using virtual fixtures and motion compensation in robotic beating heart surgery},
author = { G. P. Moustris and A. I. Mantelos and C. S. Tzafestas},
url = {http://robotics.ntua.gr/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/Enhancing_surgical_accuracy_using_virtual_fixtures_and_motion_compensation_in_robotic_beating_heart_surgery.pdf},
doi = {10.1109/MED.2013.6608880},
issn = {1050-4729},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-06-01},
booktitle = {2013 21st Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation, MED 2013 - Conference Proceedings},
pages = {1254--1260},
abstract = {This paper proposes a novel technique for applying virtual fixtures in a changing environment. The main targeted application is robotic beating heart surgery, which enables the surgeon to operate directly on a beating heart. Using a motion compensation framework, the motion of the heart surface is stabilized in a virtual space, which is presented to the surgeon to operate in. Consequently, the fixture is implemented in this static space, bypassing problems of dynamic fixtures such as position update, placement and force transients. Randomized experiments were performed using a trained surgeon comparing our approach to simple motion compensation and no compensation at all. The positive effect of the fixture in surgical accuracy for a tracking task is also discussed. textcopyright 2013 IEEE.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
This paper proposes a novel technique for applying virtual fixtures in a changing environment. The main targeted application is robotic beating heart surgery, which enables the surgeon to operate directly on a beating heart. Using a motion compensation framework, the motion of the heart surface is stabilized in a virtual space, which is presented to the surgeon to operate in. Consequently, the fixture is implemented in this static space, bypassing problems of dynamic fixtures such as position update, placement and force transients. Randomized experiments were performed using a trained surgeon comparing our approach to simple motion compensation and no compensation at all. The positive effect of the fixture in surgical accuracy for a tracking task is also discussed. textcopyright 2013 IEEE. |
G.P. Moustris, A.I. Mantelos, C.S. Tzafestas Active motion compensation in robotic cardiac surgery Conference 2013 European Control Conference, ECC 2013, 2013, ISBN: 9783033039629. Abstract | BibTeX | Links: [PDF] @conference{Moustris2013b,
title = {Active motion compensation in robotic cardiac surgery},
author = { G.P. Moustris and A.I. Mantelos and C.S. Tzafestas},
url = {http://robotics.ntua.gr/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/Active_motion_compensation_in_robotic_cardiac_surgery.pdf},
isbn = {9783033039629},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-06-01},
booktitle = {2013 European Control Conference, ECC 2013},
abstract = {Motion compensation is a prominent application in robotic beating heart surgery, with significant potential benefits for both surgeons and patients. In this paper we investigate an activate assistance control scheme on a simple tracking task, which helps the surgeon guide the robot on a predefined reference. The control is implemented on top of a shared control system, which serves as a basis for implementing higher level controllers. Experiments with a trained surgeon are also presented, which show the positive effect of the approach. textcopyright 2013 EUCA.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {conference}
}
Motion compensation is a prominent application in robotic beating heart surgery, with significant potential benefits for both surgeons and patients. In this paper we investigate an activate assistance control scheme on a simple tracking task, which helps the surgeon guide the robot on a predefined reference. The control is implemented on top of a shared control system, which serves as a basis for implementing higher level controllers. Experiments with a trained surgeon are also presented, which show the positive effect of the approach. textcopyright 2013 EUCA. |
