Luigi Freda
PhD, IEEE Senior Member
Bio Sketch
I received the “Laurea” degree (summa cum laude) in Computer Engineering in 2003 and the Ph.D. in Systems Engineering in 2007 from the University of Rome “La Sapienza”.
• In 2006, I was a visiting scholar at the Motion Strategy Laboratory (UIUC) under the supervision of Prof. Steve LaValle.
• From 2007 to 2009, I was a postdoctoral Research fellow at the Robotics Laboratory of the DIAG at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, working with Prof. Giuseppe Oriolo and Prof. Alessandro De Luca.
• In 2009, I joined UTRI (Unmanned Technologies Research Institute), where I developed real-time computer vision for UAVs and control systems for launch vehicles. UTRI was later acquired by Leonardo for its excellence in unmanned technology.
• From 2011 to 2016, I served as Head of Computer Vision and Visual Servoing in Selex ES MUAS (now part of Leonardo), leading the design and development of real-time computer vision and visual servoing for UAVs. During this time, my team received the SELEX Galileo Innovation Awards for the UAS CREX-B program.
• From 2016 to 2018, I returned to academia as a Research Fellow at the ALCOR Lab (DIAG) of the University of Rome “La Sapienza”, working on computer vision, machine learning, and AI for UGVs in the TRADR EU Project.
• From 2018 to 2019, I served as Chief Research Officer at Inglobe Technologies.
• Since 2018, I have been an IEEE Senior Member.
• From 2018 to 2022, I was a Faculty Member of the Advanced School in AI, organized by the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies of the Italian National Research Council (CNR).
• From 2020 to 2022, I worked at Arcturus Industries as an R&D SLAM Engineer, building next-generation AR/VR perception technologies.
• In 2022 and part of 2023, I served as Head of R&D SLAM at Electric Sheep Robotics, leading R&D activities on navigation and simulation for advanced robot mowers.
• In 2023, as a Principal Engineer at Outrider, I worked on state estimation, perception, and mapping.
• In 2024, I worked at Valve as an R&D SLAM Engineer, focusing on next-generation AR/VR perception technologies.
• In 2025, as a Principal Perception Engineer at Dexory, I developed multi-sensor perception systems based on LiDARs, cameras, and other sensors for autonomous warehouse operations.
With over 20 years of experience in computer vision, robotics, and AI, I work at the intersection of research and industry as an entrepreneur, consultant, and engineer, driven by the challenge of building and deploying robust, intelligent perception systems and translating advanced research into real-world impact.
See my LinkedIn profile.
News
See this page for news about me.
Blog
Check my Blog or Tweets for exciting news about computer vision, robotics, machine learning, and more.