Alice Tonazzini

Alice Tonazzini is a researcher at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems within the Institute of Microengineering at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). Her work focuses on developing innovative materials for soft robotics and wearable rehabilitation devices.

Her primary research interests include soft robotics, variable stiffness materials, and self-healing composites. She specializes in creating tunable stiffness fibers using low melting point alloys encapsulated in silicone, which enable morphing capabilities in robotic systems and adaptive medical devices. Her research bridges materials science with practical applications in rehabilitation engineering and biomimetic robotics.

Her notable publication demonstrates a variable stiffness fiber technology capable of >700x stiffness change and self-healing properties, with applications ranging from foldable drones to wearable casts for bone injuries. This work shows strong interdisciplinary focus connecting materials engineering with biomedical applications.

Affiliations:

• Laboratory of Intelligent Systems, EPFL
• Institute of Microengineering, EPFL
• Swiss National Science Foundation NCCR Robotics

Her research is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation through the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) Robotics and the PLANTOID European project (EU-FP7-FETOpen). She collaborates extensively with researchers across EPFL and the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia.

The Laboratory of Intelligent Systems develops bio-inspired robotic solutions with applications in environmental monitoring, rehabilitation, and human-robot interaction. Tonazzini's work specifically contributes to the lab's focus on soft robotics and adaptive materials systems.