Dario Martelli, PhD

Dario Martelli, PhD, is a senior research scientist at the Department of Orthopedics and Sport Medicine at the Medstar Health Research Institute, an assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC), and the director of the Innovation in Motion Laboratory at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital. Dr. Martelli’s portfolio focuses on biomechanics, rehabilitation robotics, and human movement analysis. His research areas include developing methods and technologies helpful in restoring motor functions, with a particular interest in developing innovative solutions to improve gait and reduce the risk of falling in patients with balance disorders.

Dr. Martelli has published more than 30 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Prior to his current role, he was a Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Columbia University and an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alabama. 

Dr. Martelli completed his BSc and MSc degrees in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Pisa, Italy, and his PhD in Biorobotics at Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Italy.

Research Interests 

Dr. Martelli's research interests include the following:

• Biomechanics of Human Movement
• Rehabilitation and Assistive Robotics
• Fall prevention

Selected Research

Tensegrity-based Exosuits that Complement Human Biomechanics
Low Back Pain is a main public health problem and leading cause of limited physical activity and missed work. The aim of this NSF-funded project is to develop and test a bioinspired passive exosuit that mimics the structure and adaptability of the human spine to reduce low back loading.

Reactive Balance Control in Patients with Spinal Stenosis
Spinal stenosis is a neurological condition resulting from spinal cord compression that disrupts motor and sensory pathways, often leading to balance and gait impairments. This project aims to quantify changes in reactive balance control in patients with lumbar and cervical stenosis and assess the impact of spinal decompression surgery.

Perturbation-based Balance Training
Traditional exercise interventions to reduce falls target volitional movements. However, most falls are due to unexpected events like trips and slips. The goal of this project is to implement task-oriented training paradigms aimed at improving balance control in subjects with different impairments of the nervous and/or musculoskeletal systems.

View Dr. Martelli's publications on Google Scholar.