Ignacio Torroba Balmori

Ignacio Torroba Balmori is a postdoctoral researcher at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, affiliated with the Department of Aerospace, Mobility and Naval Architecture and the Robotics, Perception and Learning (RPL) division. He holds a PhD from RPL under the supervision of John Folkesson, focusing on Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). His current research emphasizes underwater SLAM with sonar and camera systems, path planning, control strategies, and system identification for AUVs operating in open waters and confined spaces.

His work centers on applications such as autonomous seabed surveying, algae farm monitoring, and seaweed mapping. He is actively involved in developing the AUV SAM, Kongsberg Hugin, BlueROV2, USV FloatSAM, and the AUV Lolo. As a mentor, he has supervised master’s theses on topics including underwater SLAM algorithms and bathymetric informative path planning. He teaches courses like 'Introduction to Robotics' (assistant) and 'Underwater Technology' (teacher).

Key technical contributions include system identification for hydrobatic AUVs using physics-informed machine learning and tools for bathymetric SLAM, such as the SubmapsRegistration repository. His research is hands-on, prioritizing field robotics and problem-driven solutions.