Maria Dolores Blanco Rojas

Maria Dolores Blanco Rojas is a Full Professor and Deputy Director of the Systems and Automatic Engineering Department at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M). Her research focuses on robotics and biomedical engineering, particularly in the development of soft robotic exoskeletons, shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators, and rehabilitation technologies. She leads the Robotics Lab and has contributed to over 100 peer-reviewed articles.

• Affiliations: UC3M, Robotics Lab, Systems Engineering and Automation Department
• Education: Not explicitly stated in text

Her research interests include:

• Soft Robotics: Design of wearable exoskeletons for pediatric and post-stroke patients
• Materials Science: SMA-based actuators for medical and robotic applications
• Control Systems: Adaptive control algorithms for rehabilitation devices
• Biomedical Engineering: Integration of sEMG signals for gesture classification in assistive technologies

Recent articles explore topics like hyperparameter optimization for machine learning models, SMA actuator efficiency, and eye-hand coordination assessment systems. Projects include the development of pediatric rehabilitation robots (Discover2Walk) and soft exoskeletons for ankle and wrist mobility.

• Grants/Projects:
  • SRAR (2024–2027): Soft robotics for ankle rehabilitation
  • STRIDE-UC3M (2022–2024): Pediatric exoskeleton validation
• Advising: Supervised theses on SMA actuators, soft exoskeletons, and rehabilitation systems

Her lab develops novel sensors and actuators, including a silver-coated polyamide sensor and multi-wire SMA actuators for high-displacement applications. Collaborations include Airbus and TechnoFusión facilities.