91��Ƶ

Personal Quote

I design and study interactive systems that place human experience, agency, and accessibility at the center of intelligent technologies.

Faculty Bio

Assistant Professor of Computer Science specializing in human–computer interaction, embodied AI, and telepresence, with research spanning human–robot interaction, accessibility, and experimental studies of embodiment.

Awards and Honors

• Vassar College, 2024, Frances D. Fergusson Faculty Technology Exploration Fund
• SMC, 2022, Best Paper Award
• Erasmus, 2022, Erasmus Placement
• AISV, 2019, Franco Ferrero Award
• Erasmus, 2018, Erasmus Placement
• Erasmus, 2015, Erasmus +

Licensures and Certificates

• University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands, University Teaching Qualification (UTQ / BKO, Basiskwalificatie Onderwijs) Certification to teach at university level.

PhD, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands, 2023
Electrical Engineering, Mathematics, and Computer Science

Visiting Graduate Student, Princeton University, Princeton, 2022
Computer Science

MS, University of Trento, Rovereto, 2019
Human-Machine Interaction

Erasmus Placement, University of Twente, Enschede, 2018
Computer Science

BA, University Federico II of Napoli, Napoli, 2016
Language and Linguistics

Erasmus +, Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris, 2015
Computational Linguistics

Grants, Sponsored Research and Contracts

CAREER: The Universal Embodiment Engine: Predictive Models and Objective Metrics for Mediated Action
Falcone, S. May 2027 - April 2032. National Science Foundation (NSF), Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER), Federal. Currently Under Review. This project formalizes the Sense of Embodiment as a measurable, controllable variable of mediated action. It develops the Universal Embodiment Engine, a real-time controller that reads implicit operator signals (gaze, pupillometry, coordination structure), estimates prediction error, and adapts the mediating system to keep the operator embodied. The work spans telerobotics, dexterous manipulation, and prosthetic use, and includes open-source tools, student training, K–12 outreach, and a new undergraduate course in human-robot interaction.

ERI: Embodiment-Aware Learning from Demonstration – How the Operator’s Sense of Embodiment Shapes What Robots Learn
Falcone, S. August 2027 - July 2029. National Science Foundation (NSF), Engineering Research Initiation (ERI), CMMI – Intelligent and Interactive Dynamic Systems (NSF 24-590), Federal. Currently Under Review. This project tests whether a teleoperator’s sense of embodiment, the degree to which a teleoperated robot feels like the operator’s own body, determines the quality of the demonstrations robots learn from. Participants demonstrate manipulation tasks on a 7-DoF arm with a dexterous hand while latency and haptic feedback are varied, and imitation-learning policies are trained on the recorded data to test whether higher-embodiment demonstrations produce better robot performance. Outputs are a public dataset, open-source software, and design guidelines for demonstration interfaces.

Embodied Kinesthetic Learning Using Motion Capture and Immersive Interfaces
Falcone, S. May 2026 - April 2028. National Science Foundation, Federal. Not Funded. This project investigates how wearable motion capture and immersive feedback can enhance kinesthetic learning outcomes. Kinesthetic learning is a critical mode of skill acquisition through bodily motion and proprioceptive experience. It is essential for fields such as teleoperation, rehabilitation, sports training, and tool-mediated interaction. Our work is based on the hypothesis that manipulating perceptual cues of embodiment can influence how motor tasks are learned, retained, and transferred. Using a full-body motion capture system (Xsens Awinda) and a Unity- based virtual environment, we will explore how high-fidelity, real-time feedback improves learning trajectories and long-term skill retention. The ultimate goal is to create a foundational framework for accessible, embodied learning platforms that can be applied to both skill training and physical rehabilitation.

Design and Development of a Haptic Prototype for Co-Embodiment in Telepresence
Falcone, S. April 2026 - March 2028. University / Internal, 91��Ƶ. Funded.

Scholarly Research Application
Falcone, S. November 2025 - November 2027. 91��Ƶ. Funded. Internal award supporting a pilot study of the sense of embodiment in bimanual teleoperation, developing the experimental protocol and measurement setup for a two-arm robotic system.

Collaborative Co-Embodiment for Accessible Hybrid Meetings
Falcone, S., Stevenson Won, A., Azenkot, S. & Leigh, S. March 2026 - April 2027. Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Private. Funded. This project develops Collaborative Co-Embodiment (CCE), a model of hybrid participation in conferences and other professional gatherings that addresses the gap in access and social experience between in-person and remote attendees. Rather than treating telepresence as a single person in front of a screen, CCE pairs a remote participant with an on-site host who communicate through coordinated visual, audio, and haptic channels. This lets the remote participant move through the space, communicate nonverbally, and join informal conversations through their host. The project designs and studies a prototype system in field deployments, examining how strangers experience shared roles, how differences in ability and social position shape the interaction, and how control can be negotiated to make hybrid participation more inclusive.
91��Ƶ subaward of $52,500 within a $200,000 award led by Cornell University.

Kenan Fund Award: Conference Travel (IEEE Robotics and Automation Society)
Falcone, S. April 2026 - August 2026. 91��Ƶ. Funded.

Kenan Funds
Falcone, S. November 2025 - August 2026. 91��Ƶ. Funded.

Past Courses

CS 121: Intro to Computer Science
CS 242: Algorithms & Computing Theory
CS 632: Tpc: Intro Ntrl Lngge Prcssng
CS 661: Python Programming
CS 802: Research Seminar

Publications

Co-Embodied Superpowers for Collaborative Hybrid Attendance
Stevenson Won, A., Falcone, S., Azenkot, S., Gonzalez-Franco, M., Leigh, S., Bailey, J., Stevenson Won, J., Martinez, K., Reid, S. & Agnihotri, N. (2026).

Ethics and Technology of the Mimetic AI Professor
Brusseau, J., Falcone, S., Kolanupaka, A., Narasimhamurthy, T. & Pandya, N. (2026). Myint Khine (Eds.), CRC Press (Taylor & Francis Group).

Augmenting Sociality through Haptic Cues for Co-Embodiment
Cai, S., Martinez, K., Reid, S., Agnihotri, N., Won, J., Falcone, S., Gonzalez Franco, M., Azenkot, S., Leigh, S., Stevenson Won, A. & Kolesnyk, D. (2026).

Embodiment at Work: A Framework for Human–Technology Interaction in the Future Workplace
Falcone, S. (2025).

Presentations

Falcone, S. (2026). HRFEST Congress. Lima, Perù.

A cross-disciplinary work on the Sense of Embodiment in teleoperation
Falcone, S. (2026). TeleHRI Workshop: Closing the Ergonomic Gap in Remote HRI, IEEE RO-MAN 2026. IEEE RO-MAN 2026,

A Cross-disciplinary journey to build Telepresence
Falcone, S. (2026). Telerobotics Summer School: Advanced Teleoperation and Telepresence. UWE Bristol,

Embodiment at Work: A Framework for Human–Technology Interaction in the Future Workplace
Falcone, S. (2025). AHFE 2025, International Conference on Human Factors in Design, Engineering, and Computing. Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.

A Multidisciplinary Investigation to Unravel the Complexity of the Sense of Embodiment in Teleoperation
Falcone, S. (2025). Seidenberg Annual Research Day. Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, 91��Ƶ,

A Multidisciplinary Investigation to Unravel the Complexity of the Sense of Embodiment in Teleoperation
Falcone, S. (2025). SASA Workshop (Shared Autonomy and Sense of Agency), IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2025). IEEE and the Robotics Society of Japan (IEEE/RSJ). If the field allows only one, put IEEE Robotics and Automation Society.,

Bridging the Mediator Gap: Embodiment, Agency, and Social Presence in Remote Interaction
Falcone, S. (2025). socialBRIDGES 2025. CeTI – Centre for Tactile Internet with Human-in-the-Loop (Cluster of Excellence), TU Dresden,

Media Contributions

LinkedIn (91��Ƶ; Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma) and Campus Bio-Medico digital screens [Other], November2025
Promotional video for the 91��Ƶ – Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma joint program. Video co-created with students; showcased across Campus Bio-Medico campus and disseminated via LinkedIn.

Professional Memberships

• Association for Computing Machinery
• IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, Technical Committee on Haptics
• IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, Technical Committee on Telerobotics
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers [Member]

Department Service

• Kenan Funds [Committee Member]

College Service

• Robotics Lab [Other]
• Ad Hoc By-Laws [Committee Member]
• Badge [Other]
• Sunflower Hackathon [Other]

University Service

• Kenan Faculty Development Committee [Committee Member]
• Nominations Committee [Committee Member]
• 91��ƵBound accepted-student recruitment event [91��ƵBound admitted-student recruitment event]
• 91��ƵBound accepted-student recruitment event [91��ƵBound admitted-student recruitment event]

Professional Service

International Journal of Social Robotics (Springer Nature), Topical Collection “Social Robotics and Embodied AI: New Frontiers in Remote Presence and Human–Robot Interaction” [Editor, Journal Editor]
IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics, Special Issue “Embodied Intelligence for Immersive Telepresence” [Editor, Associate Editor]
IEEE Conference on Telepresence 2026, Organizing Committee [Editor, Associate Editor]
IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L) [Reviewer, Journal Article]
IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2026) [Workshop Organizer]
BioRob 2026, IEEE RAS/EMBS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics. Correct the name if it’s a different event. [Reviewer, Journal Article]
Human–Computer Interaction (Taylor & Francis) [Reviewer, Journal Article]
ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI 2026) [Reviewer, Conference Paper]
IEEE Conference on Telepresence 2025, Organizing Committee [Session Chair]

Public Service

• Atmosphere Academy Public Charter School, Bronx, NY [Guest Speaker]
  
• Code for Life, New York, NY (nonprofit widening access to technology in under-resourced New York City neighbourhoods) [Guest Speaker]