Edgar Mauricio Hidalgo Florez
- Associate Investigator
- Swinburne University of Technology
Edgar Mauricio Hidalgo is a robotics engineer and postdoctoral researcher at Swinburne University of Technology, working in close collaboration with the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute. He leads research into advanced teleoperated robotic systems for remote echocardiography, technology designed to bridge the healthcare access gap in rural and remote communities. He has developed a novel, haptically enabled robotic platform that allows trained sonographers in urban centres to perform real-time ultrasound examinations on patients in remote locations. His work integrates collaborative robotics, haptic feedback, and lightweight communication protocols to deliver diagnostic-quality imaging without requiring the clinician’s physical presence. The system is currently undergoing evaluation in a 50-participant pilot study, marking a major step towards clinical translation.
In 2025, Mauricio and his team were awarded a grant from the Australian Economic Accelerator (AEA) Ignite Program to further advance the teleoperated echocardiography system by incorporating artificial intelligence to support image acquisition and automate aspects of the diagnostic process, enhancing precision, reducing operator workload, and expanding accessibility.
He holds a PhD in robotics from Swinburne University and has more than 15 years of experience in research, development, and technology innovation across robotics, electronics, and automation. His contributions have been recognised with the Swinburne Research Excellence Commendation (2024) and the SUPRA Postgraduate Research Award.
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