2025Activity reportProject-TeamBOOST
RNSR: 202524615B- Research center Inria Saclay Centre at Université Paris-Saclay
- In partnership with:Université Paris-Saclay
- Team name: Bio-informed mOnitoring & Optimization for enhanced Sport & healTh
Creation of the Project-Team: 2025 January 01
Each year, Inria research teams publish an Activity Report presenting their work and results over the reporting period. These reports follow a common structure, with some optional sections depending on the specific team. They typically begin by outlining the overall objectives and research programme, including the main research themes, goals, and methodological approaches. They also describe the application domains targeted by the team, highlighting the scientific or societal contexts in which their work is situated.
The reports then present the highlights of the year, covering major scientific achievements, software developments, or teaching contributions. When relevant, they include sections on software, platforms, and open data, detailing the tools developed and how they are shared. A substantial part is dedicated to new results, where scientific contributions are described in detail, often with subsections specifying participants and associated keywords.
Finally, the Activity Report addresses funding, contracts, partnerships, and collaborations at various levels, from industrial agreements to international cooperations. It also covers dissemination and teaching activities, such as participation in scientific events, outreach, and supervision. The document concludes with a presentation of scientific production, including major publications and those produced during the year.
Keywords
Computer Science and Digital Science
- A5.1. Human-Computer Interaction
- A5.3. Image processing and analysis
- A5.9. Signal processing
- A5.9.2. Estimation, modeling
- A6. Modeling, simulation and control
- A6.4. Automatic control
- A9. Artificial intelligence
- A9.2. Machine learning
- A9.3. Signal processing
- A9.5. Robotics and AI
- A9.6. Decision support
- A9.7. AI algorithmics
Other Research Topics and Application Domains
- B1. Life sciences
- B1.2. Neuroscience and cognitive science
- B2.1. Well being
- B2.2.1. Cardiovascular and respiratory diseases
- B2.5. Handicap and personal assistances
- B2.6. Biological and medical imaging
- B2.8. Sports, performance, motor skills
- B9.4. Sports
- B9.6.1. Psychology
1 Team members, visitors, external collaborators
Research Scientists
- Taous Meriem Laleg [Team leader, INRIA, Senior Researcher, HDR]
- Ioannis Bargiotas [INRIA, Advanced Research Position]
Faculty Members
- Michel-Ange Amorim [UNIV PARIS SACLAY, Professor]
- Bastien Berret [UNIV PARIS SACLAY, Professor]
- Arnaud Boutin [UNIV PARIS SACLAY, Associate Professor Delegation]
- François Cottin [UNIV PARIS SACLAY, Professor Delegation, from Feb 2025 until Jul 2025]
Post-Doctoral Fellow
- Adrien Conessa [Université Paris-Saclay ]
PhD Students
- Fahad Aljehani [King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , until Apr 2025]
- Mohamed Boukaf [UNIV PARIS SACLAY]
- Anaïs Farr [UNIV PARIS SACLAY]
- Abdelbaki Guir [INRIA, from Nov 2025]
- Abdelwaheb HAFS [UNIV PARIS SACLAY]
- Jiahao Hu [King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , until Nov 2025]
- Israel Jesus Santos Filho [UNIV PARIS SACLAY, from Oct 2025]
- Yasmine Marani [King Abdullah University of Science and Technology , until Oct 2025]
- Olga POLEZHAEVA [UNIV PARIS SACLAY, until Oct 2025]
- Elham Rostami [UNIV PARIS SACLAY, from Oct 2025]
- Maria Sara Nour Sadoun [UNIV PARIS SACLAY]
- Charlotte Sanchez [UNIV PARIS SACLAY]
- Juan Manuel Vargas Garcia [INRIA]
- Mariem Younssi [UNIV Paris SACLAY, from Sep 2025]
Interns and Apprentices
- Hajar El Haimer [INRIA, Intern, from Feb 2025 until Jul 2025]
- Abdelbaki Guir [INRIA, Intern, from Mar 2025 until Sep 2025]
- Aya Harkat [UNIV PARIS-SACLAY, from Mar 2025 until Sep 2025]
- Damya Mansouri [INRIA, Intern, from May 2025 until Aug 2025]
- Antoine Pierrard [UNIV STRASBOURG, Intern, from Jun 2025 until Jul 2025]
- Elham Rostami [INRIA, Intern, until Jul 2025]
- François Saulnier [UNIV PARIS SACLAY, Intern, from Apr 2025 until Aug 2025]
Administrative Assistants
- Ekaterina George [INRIA, until Dec 2025]
- Amandine Sainsard [INRIA, from Dec 2025]
External Collaborators
- Tareq Alnafouri [King Abdullah Unversity of Science and Technology ]
- Zehor Belkhatir [University of Southampton ]
- Etienne Burdet [Imperial College London]
- Mohamed Chadli [UNIV Paris-Saclay , HDR]
- Jean Michel Davaine [Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou ]
- Julie Doron [Nantes Université , from Nov 2025]
- Marie Gernigon [UNIV PARIS SACLAY]
- Stefan Glasauer [Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg]
- Frederic Jean [ENSTA Paris]
- Mathieu Nédélec [INSEP, from Nov 2025]
- Fabrizio Sergi [Univ Delaware, US]
- Hamidou Tembine [Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières]
2 Overall objectives
BOOST (Bio-informed Monitoring and Optimization for Enhanced Sport and Health) is an Inria project-team, in collaboration with the CIAMS (Complexité, innovation, activités motrices et sportives) laboratory at Université Paris-Saclay.
The BOOST Inria project-team develops bio-informed methods for signal and image processing, mathematical modeling, estimation, control, and artificial intelligence, with applications to human health and well-being, human movement, and sports performance.
BOOST focuses on systems involving humans and on the analysis of neurophysiological and movement-related data acquired from various sensors including wearable sensors, connected devices, and experimental platforms. The team addresses methodological challenges related to the exploitation of multimodal, heterogeneous, and noisy data, as well as to the integration of physiological knowledge into model-based and data-driven approaches.
3 Research program
The research program of BOOST aims to address fundamental questions in signal processing, modeling, estimation, and control, motivated by applications in health, human movement, and sports. The team focuses on systems and signals characterized by high complexity, for which conventional methods often prove insufficient. These challenges arise from the intrinsic properties of physiological and biomechanical systems, including nonlinear dynamics, uncertainty, inter-individual variability, and strong coupling between sensing, interpretation, and decision-making.
A first set of challenges concerns the analysis and interpretation of physiological signals acquired in realistic conditions. In health and sport contexts, signals are often affected by noise, artifacts—particularly those induced by movement—and heterogeneity across sensing modalities. Addressing these issues requires the development of advanced signal processing and data fusion methods capable of extracting reliable and meaningful indicators from multimodal data.
A second challenge relates to the modeling and estimation of physiological and biomechanical systems, which are typically nonlinear, uncertain, and subject to partial observability. Developing bio-informed models and estimation methods that can robustly infer internal states and parameters is essential for understanding system behavior and supporting monitoring and decision-making tasks.
Personalization constitutes another major challenge of the BOOST research program. Physiological responses and movement strategies vary significantly across individuals, limiting the applicability of generic models and algorithms. BOOST therefore aims to develop adaptive methods that can account for inter-individual variability and support personalized interpretation, estimation, and control.
Finally, BOOST addresses challenges related to human-in-the-loop control and movement assistance, where control laws must account for co-adaptation phenomena between humans and artificial systems. Understanding how humans adapt, learn, and interact with bio-informed and intelligent systems over repeated interactions is a central scientific question in this context. In support of these research objectives, BOOST also emphasizes the importance of experimental data collection and collaboration, working toward facilitating access to relevant datasets through partnerships with clinical, sports, and research institutions.
The research program is structured around the following main research axes:
3.1 Axis 1: Development and Analysis of Signal Processing and AI-Based Methods for Neurophysiological Signal Monitoring
In sports contexts, neurophysiological signals—such as heart rate variability, ECG, PPG and EEG—are increasingly monitored to objectively assess training load, prevent overtraining and injury, and evaluate athletes' mental health and well-being. In parallel, the emergence of mobile and wearable sensors now enables continuous monitoring during training and daily activities. These signals provide access to real-time information and feedback, which can support fatigue detection and help athletes and coaches adapt training strategies through personalized programs.
However, such signals are often not directly interpretable and are frequently affected by movement-related artifacts, noise, and variability across individuals and sensing modalities. As a result, the development of reliable and personalized monitoring and training strategies requires a thorough understanding of the underlying signals, as well as the extraction of robust and meaningful indicators linking low-level measurements to higher-level variables characterizing athletes’ physical and mental states.
Within this research axis, BOOST aims to investigate both standard neurophysiological signals and data acquired from wearable devices to support performance analysis and monitoring. The team will develop advanced signal processing and artificial intelligence methods for signal preprocessing, multimodal data analysis, and the identification of relevant correlations. These efforts will lead to the definition of novel indicators and bio-informed representations, contributing to improved monitoring, interpretation, and support of athletic performance.
3.1.1 Mathematical Analysis and Extension of Semi-Classical Signal Processing Methods
Participants: Taous Meriem Laleg.
Within this axis, BOOST investigates quantum-inspired signal processing methods based on the semi-classical analysis of the Schrödinger operator, with the objective of developing mathematically grounded and interpretable tools for neurophysiological signal and image analysis 62. In particular, the team builds on the Semi-Classical Signal Analysis (SCSA) framework, which represents signals through the spectral decomposition of a Schrödinger operator whose potential is defined by the signal itself. Unlike classical decomposition techniques relying on fixed bases, SCSA provides signal-adaptive representations that capture fine morphological variations, making it especially well suited for pulse-shaped and continuously recorded physiological signals 67, 64. 58, 63.
A first research objective concerns the mathematical analysis of the SCSA method, including the study of the role and properties of the squared eigenfunctions involved in the reconstruction. BOOST aims to better understand the influence of the semi-classical parameter and other tuning parameters on signal representation, and to develop systematic and reliable parameter selection strategies 65, 68. This includes investigating links with semi-classical and quantum perturbation theory, with the goal of improving the theoretical foundations and robustness of the method.
A second objective focuses on the extension of SCSA to two-dimensional signals and images, with applications to image reconstruction and contrast enhancement. Image data play a central role in health, movement analysis, and sports, for instance in video-based biomechanical analysis or spectrogram-based signal representations 61.
Finally, BOOST aims to support the dissemination and usability of these methods through the development of user-friendly and efficient software tools for SCSA in both one and two dimensions. While one-dimensional implementations are already well optimized, extending the method to images raises significant computational challenges due to the cost of solving large-scale eigenvalue problems. BOOST therefore investigates advanced numerical solvers to improve computational efficiency and scalability, enabling the practical use of SCSA in signal and image analysis applications.
3.1.2 Non-Intrusive Monitoring of Physiological Signals for Health, Sport, and Well-Being
Participants: Ioannis Bargiotas, Arnaud Boutin, François Cottin, Taous Meriem Laleg.
This research axis addresses the development of non-intrusive signal monitoring methods for health and sports performance analysis, with a focus on neurophysiological and cardiovascular signals. The objective is to better characterize physiological variability during exercise and daily activities in order to support performance optimization, prevent overtraining and injury, and assess both physical and mental load.
BOOST investigates readily available signals such as EEG, ECG, blood pressure, and PPG, as well as physiological variables that are not directly measurable in practice. In this context, the team develops virtual sensing approaches, combining signal processing and artificial intelligence techniques, to estimate key indicators such as heart rate variability and arterial stiffness in a continuous and non-invasive manner.
A first research focus concerns the non-invasive assessment of arterial stiffness, a major marker of cardiovascular health and adaptation to physical activity. Since direct measurement of central arterial stiffness is impractical, BOOST aims to derive reliable stiffness indicators from peripheral and wearable signals, including PPG and continuous blood pressure recordings. Advanced signal processing and AI-based methods are investigated to improve robustness and accuracy, enabling the study of the relationship between arterial stiffness, training load, fatigue, and overtraining in health and sports contexts.
A second research focus addresses the evaluation of mental and physiological stress through the joint analysis of brain and cardiovascular signals. BOOST investigates the definition of simple, continuous, and non-invasive stress indicators based on the simultaneous recording of EEG and cardiovascular signals under different cognitive and physiological conditions. Signal processing and AI methods are combined to extract relevant features and analyze brain–heart interactions, with the objective of supporting objective stress assessment in both health and sports settings.
Finally, BOOST aims to contribute to the development of a monitoring framework for health and sports applications, based on continuous recordings of non-invasive signals which play a key role in training monitoring and personalization but are strongly affected by movement artifacts and activity-dependent variability. BOOST therefore focuses on designing robust signal processing tools and indices that remain reliable under realistic acquisition conditions, supported by both public datasets and dedicated experimental data collection.
3.2 Axis 2: Modeling and Estimation of Bio-Informed Systems
Axis 2 focuses on the development of mathematical modeling and estimation frameworks for bio-informed systems involving humans, with the objective of linking physiological measurements to internal states, parameters, and control-relevant variables. In health, movement, and sports contexts, such systems are characterized by complex, nonlinear, and uncertain dynamics, as well as partial observability and inter-individual variability, which pose major challenges to classical modeling and estimation approaches.
BOOST addresses these challenges by combining physically grounded modeling, advanced estimation techniques, and data-informed methods to build interpretable and robust representations of physiological and neuromechanical processes. The research conducted within this axis aims to support state inference, parameter identification, prediction, and decision-making, while preserving physiological meaning and adaptability to individual responses.
This axis is structured around complementary efforts in modeling bio-informed systems, estimation and observer design, and the integration of learning-based methods with control-oriented principles. Together, these contributions provide a foundation for reliable monitoring, personalized feedback, and adaptive control strategies in health and sports applications.
3.2.1 Modeling Bio-Informed Systems
Participants: Arnaud Boutin, Bastien Berret, François Cottin, Taous Meriem Laleg.
BOOST develops mathematical models for bio-informed systems involving humans, with the objective of supporting the interpretation of physiological signals, the inference of internal states, and the design of estimation and control strategies. These models provide structured representations of physiological and neuromechanical processes and form a foundation for monitoring, prediction, and biofeedback in health and sports applications.
Bio-informed systems are characterized by nonlinear, uncertain, and heterogeneous dynamics, as well as multiscale behaviors, delays, and partial observability. Classical modeling approaches may be insufficient to capture these properties. BOOST therefore investigates advanced modeling frameworks that preserve physiological interpretability while remaining compatible with estimation and control design.
A first modeling focus concerns brain-heart interactions, with the objective of improving the understanding of mental and physiological stress mechanisms. Stress responses involve complex, bidirectional coupling between neural and cardiovascular systems 20. BOOST investigates model-based and data-informed approaches to represent these interactions and to support the definition of simple, continuous, and non-invasive indicators of mental and physiological state.
A second modeling focus addresses human neuromechanical control, which plays a central role in movement execution, stability, and adaptation 57, 56, 55. BOOST investigates mathematical models describing the interplay between anticipatory (open-loop) and reactive (closed-loop) control mechanisms in the human motor system. These models account for nonlinear musculoskeletal dynamics, delays, noise, and inter-individual variability, and aim to predict both average motor behavior and its variability. Such modeling efforts provide a basis for improved identification methods and for the design of adaptive control strategies in human-robot interaction systems.
3.2.2 Estimation and Observer Design for Bio-Informed Systems
Participants: Bastien Berret, Taous Meriem Laleg.
Estimation plays a central role in bio-informed modeling and control, as many physiological, biomechanical, and neuromechanical variables of interest are not directly accessible to measurement. In health, movement, and sports applications, estimation is required to calibrate models, infer internal states and parameters, and support control and decision-making, often under conditions of uncertainty, noise, partial observability, and inter-individual variability.
BOOST focuses on the development of estimation methods and observer-based algorithms for a wide range of dynamical systems, including finite and infinite-dimensional models 72, 54, 73. Particular attention is given to observer design, which provides a structured and interpretable framework for state and parameter estimation in systems governed by ordinary or partial differential equations, and can be naturally integrated with control strategies and virtual sensing approaches.
A first research direction addresses the design of asymptotic and non-asymptotic estimators, including both classical observers with asymptotic convergence and finite-time estimation methods. Finite-time approaches are particularly appealing in practical contexts, as they provide fast convergence and robustness to unknown initial conditions and noise 53, 59, 69, 60. BOOST investigates such methods for nonlinear and distributed systems, with an emphasis on convergence analysis, robustness properties, and numerical implementation.
A second research direction focuses on learning-based observer frameworks, which combine data-driven components with model-based estimation. These approaches aim to overcome limitations of classical observer design when models are incomplete, uncertain, or affected by unknown disturbances 74. 15, 71. BOOST investigates hybrid learning observers that retain the structure and feedback properties of observers while exploiting learning mechanisms to approximate unknown dynamics, adapt observer gains, or self-tune estimation parameters. A particular emphasis is placed on robustness, convergence, and generalizability, in order to move beyond purely application-driven learning approaches.
Finally, BOOST investigates inverse estimation approaches, where the objective is to infer hidden internal quantities such as control objectives or cost function parameters from observed behavior 66, 70. In particular, inverse optimal control and inverse differential game formulations are explored to estimate the goals and strategies underlying human movement and interaction. These approaches provide a compact and interpretable representation of complex behaviors and are especially relevant in human-robot interaction scenarios, where predicting user intent and adaptation is essential for personalized assistance and control.
Together, these research directions contribute to the development of robust, adaptive, and interpretable estimation methodologies that bridge modeling, learning, and control, and that are well suited to the challenges of bio-informed human-in-the-loop systems.
3.3 Axis 3: Control Design for Bio-Informed and Human-in-the-Loop Systems
Axis 3 focuses on the design of control strategies for bio-informed systems involving humans, with particular emphasis on adaptivity, robustness, and personalization. In health, sports, and movement-related applications, control systems must operate under uncertainty, account for inter-individual variability, and handle the presence of a human in the loop, whose behavior evolves through learning and adaptation. BOOST addresses these challenges by combining control-theoretic principles, learning-based approaches, and physiological feedback, with the objective of enabling reliable and personalized biofeedback and assistance systems.
3.3.1 Combined AI and Control-Theoretic Design
Participants: Michel-Ange Amorim, Bastien Berret, Taous Meriem Laleg.
BOOST investigates control methodologies that combine artificial intelligence with control theory, aiming to leverage the complementary strengths of model-based and data-driven approaches. In particular, the team explores hybrid frameworks that integrate optimal control and model predictive control (MPC) with reinforcement learning (RL). MPC provides robustness, stability, and constraint handling, while learning-based approaches offer adaptability and the ability to cope with modeling uncertainties and inter-individual variability.
BOOST studies control architectures in which learning mechanisms are used to complement MPC, for instance by adapting cost functions, reward structures, or control parameters, while preserving control-theoretic guarantees. These approaches are particularly relevant for personalized biofeedback systems, where control laws must adapt to individuals with different physiological states, health conditions, or performance objectives.
Within this context, BOOST also explores links with dynamic treatment regimes, which formalize sequential decision-making strategies based on individual histories and outcomes. Such formulations naturally connect reinforcement learning and control and provide a principled framework for personalization in health and sports applications, including time-dependent decisions, delayed effects, and multi-objective optimization 75.
3.3.2 Movement Assistance, Training, and Rehabilitation
BOOST also focuses on control design for movement assistance, training, and rehabilitation, with a particular emphasis on human-robot interaction systems such as assistive exoskeletons. In these applications, real-time constraints, limited data availability, and human variability pose major challenges to control design 57, 56.
To address these issues, BOOST investigates approaches that combine model-based representations of human neuromechanical control with learning-based methods. In particular, simulated or artificial motion data generated from biomechanical models can be used to learn compact representations of movement variability offline, enabling efficient real-time control. Learning-based motion representations, such as probabilistic movement primitives, are explored to predict short-horizon human intent and support adaptive assistance.
BOOST further investigates interaction control strategies adapted to different objectives, including assistance, training, and rehabilitation. Both trajectory-based approaches, which exploit predictions of upcoming motion, and trajectory-free approaches, which rely on force, torque, or EMG feedback, are considered. Game-theoretic formulations provide a natural framework to model shared effort and cooperation between humans and robots, while human-in-the-loop optimization approaches offer model-free alternatives for controller tuning based on physiological or biomechanical performance criteria.
Together, these contributions aim to develop versatile, adaptive, and personalized control strategies that integrate modeling, estimation, learning, and interaction, enabling effective assistance and training while accounting for human adaptation and variability.
4 Application domains
BOOST focuses on applications at the intersection of health, sports, and human movement, where bio-informed monitoring, estimation, and control can provide significant benefits for prevention, performance, and well-being. The targeted applications leverage the methodological developments described in the previous research axes and are structured around three complementary domains.
4.1 Sensing and Monitoring of Physiological and Mental State
A primary application domain of BOOST concerns the non-invasive sensing and monitoring of physiological and mental states in patients and athletes. A first objective is the development of reliable and easy-to-use methods for the direct or indirect estimation of vital parameters and other relevant indicators, such as cardiovascular variables, fatigue, and stress. These indicators are derived from readily accessible physiological signals, including wearable and mobile sensor data, and are designed to be robust to noise, movement artifacts, and inter-individual variability. A second objective is to study the relationships between these indicators and the physical or mental state of individuals, taking into account activity type, training load, and environmental conditions. In sports contexts, particular attention is given to the monitoring of fatigue, pain, injury risk, and mental stress, with the goal of supporting prevention strategies and personalized training or recovery protocols.
4.2 Movement Assistance and Rehabilitation
BOOST also targets applications in movement assistance and rehabilitation, where intelligent systems interact directly with the human user. In this context, a key challenge is the prediction of intended motion and neuromechanical control strategies during interaction with assistive devices. Such prediction is essential for designing adaptive and versatile control laws that can assist users across a wide range of tasks and conditions. BOOST exploits physiological and biomechanical measurements, such as EMG signals and motion data, to inform control decisions and adapt assistance in real time. These developments are particularly relevant for assistive robotics and exoskeletons, where human–machine co-adaptation plays a central role. In the longer term, BOOST aims to contribute to broader initiatives on movement assistance in work environments, in collaboration with other Inria teams, addressing challenges related to ergonomics, fatigue reduction, and injury prevention.
4.3 Athletic Performance Enhancement and Well-Being
A third application domain concerns athletic performance enhancement, with a strong emphasis on athlete well-being. BOOST develops close collaborations with sports institutions to deploy and validate its methods in realistic training environments. Existing links with organizations such as CREPS and INSEP are leveraged and strengthened to identify practical needs and research priorities. BOOST investigates how bio-informed monitoring and feedback can be used to optimize training programs, adapt workloads, and support long-term performance development while reducing the risk of overtraining and injury. In addition, advances in movement assistance and biofeedback are expected to contribute to performance improvement by helping athletes better understand, adapt, and regulate their physiological state in response to training demands.
5 Social and environmental responsibility
5.1 Footprint of research activities
BOOST's research activities rely primarily on data analysis, modeling, and algorithm development, resulting in a limited environmental footprint compared to experimental or infrastructure-heavy research. Experimental studies are conducted at a reasonable scale, often using existing laboratory facilities and wearable sensing technologies, which minimizes resource consumption and waste.
The team promotes efficient use of computational resources by favoring reduced models, interpretable methods, and hybrid approaches combining physics-based modeling with learning, rather than large-scale data-hungry solutions.
BOOST also prioritizes data reuse and sharing, relying on public datasets when possible and designing experimental protocols that maximize scientific value while limiting the number of participants and acquisitions. Collaborative work with clinical and sports institutions further reduces redundant data collection efforts.
5.2 Impact of research results
BOOST's research has a strong societal impact, particularly in the domains of health, well-being, sports performance, and movement assistance. The developed methodologies contribute to non-invasive monitoring, early detection of risk factors, and personalized feedback strategies, supporting prevention rather than corrective intervention.
In health-related applications, BOOST's results support objective assessment of stress, cardiovascular risk, and neuromuscular function, contributing to improved monitoring and prevention strategies. In sports and movement contexts, the work promotes athlete well-being, injury prevention, and sustainable performance enhancement.
The team's contributions to human-robot interaction and assistive technologies have the potential to improve quality of life for vulnerable populations, including individuals with motor impairments or workers exposed to physically demanding tasks.
6 Highlights of the year
Participants: Arnaud Boutin, Taous Meriem Laleg.
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Director of Research (DR2) appointement
Taous Meriem Laleg was appointed as Inria Research Director (DR2) following a national competitive selection.
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BOOST Kick off meeting
BOOST Kick off meeting was organized on July 3, 2025 in the presence of collegues from various research laboratories in Inria, Université Paris-Saclay, AP-HP, etc.
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BOOST-INSEP Collaboration
Inria and INSEP have signed a new framework agreement in the presence of Jean-Frédéric Gerbeau, Deputy CEO for Science at Inria, and Fabien Canu, CEO of INSEP, thereby strengthening their collaboration. This agreement marks an important milestone in the development of joint projects focused on digital technologies in support of scientific monitoring and performance optimization for elite athletes, with the long-term objective of extending these efforts to the broader field of sport for all. This signing coincides with the funding of BOOST's ANR 3CI project, led by Taous Meriem Laleg , which focuses on computer-assisted assessment of cortico-cardiovascular interactions for monitoring athletes' stress. The project partners include BOOST, CIAMS (Université Paris-Saclay), Nantes Université, and INSEP. Taous Meriem Laleg also gave a presentation of the project during the signing of the agreement.
7 Latest software developments, platforms, open data
7.1 Latest software developments
7.1.1 pyscsa
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Name:
Semi-classical Signal Analysis
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Keywords:
Signal processing, Spectral analysis, Schrödinger equation, Denoising
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Functional Description:
PySCSA is an advanced library that implements the Semi-Classical Signal Analysis (SCSA) method for signal and image processing. It generates data-adaptive atoms, enabling accurate reconstruction, effective denoising, and highly robust feature extraction. PySCSA also includes dedicated tools for optimizing SCSA parameters, making the method efficient and intuitive to use for both research and practical applications.
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Contact:
Taous Laleg Kirati
7.2 Open data
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https://zenodo.org/records/11209324
(A dataset for the investigation of upper limb torque prediction from EMG signals)
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https://zenodo.org/records/15241995
(Model predictive game control for personalized and targeted interactive assistance: Participants Dataset)
8 New results
8.1 Development and analysis of signal processing and AI-based methods for neurophysiological signals processing and monitoring
In sports and health, neurophysiological signals such as heart rate variability, ECG, and EEG are increasingly monitored to objectively assess training load, prevent overtraining and injury, and monitor physiological and mental health and well-being. In parallel, the emergence of mobile and wearable sensors now enables continuous monitoring of athletes and patients, providing real-time assessment and feedback. This data can support the detection of fatigue and help athletes and coaches adapt training strategies through personalized training programs. They can also provide new indications to physiciants for disease detection and prevention. However, such signals are often affected by movement artifacts and are not directly interpretable. Consequently, the development of reliable and personalized training strategies requires a thorough understanding of these signals and the extraction of robust indicators that relate low-level measurements to higher-level variables characterizing individuals' physical and mental states.
8.1.1 Image contrast enhancement using the SCSA
Participants: Taous Meriem Laleg, Juan Manuel Vargas Garcia.
A novel image contrast enhancement method based on the spectral properties of the Schrödinger operator is proposed in 49, extending the semi-classical signal analysis (SCSA) framework to two-dimensional image data. The proposed approach formulates image contrast enhancement as a spectral manipulation problem, where image intensity is treated as the potential of a Schrödinger operator and the enhanced image is reconstructed from its negative eigenvalues and associated eigenfunctions. Unlike conventional contrast enhancement techniques, the method is adaptive to image content and preserves fine structural details while enhancing contrast. The approach is validated on synthetic and real images, demonstrating improved visual quality and robustness to noise, and highlighting the potential of quantum-inspired spectral methods for advanced image processing applications in health and biomedical imaging.
8.1.2 Modeling, Representation Learning, and Robust Processing of Neurophysiological Signals
Participants: Israel Jesus Santos Filho, Juan Manuel Vargas Garcia, Jiahao Hu, Ege Kibrislioglu, Taous Meriem Laleg.
This research axis addresses the development of signal processing and AI-based methods for modeling and analyzing neurophysiological signals acquired in realistic and unconstrained conditions. The work focuses on structured signal representations, long-range temporal modeling, and robustness to noise and motion artifacts, which are essential for the reliable exploitation of neurophysiological signals in health and sport applications.
Long-range and structured modeling of EEG and ECG signals: Mamba-based sequence models combined with dynamic graph learning and channel attention mechanisms were developed to capture long-range temporal dependencies and inter-channel relationships in multichannel EEG and ECG signals. These approaches provide flexible representations of spatiotemporal dynamics and improve modeling and classification performance in tasks such as sleep staging 25 and physiological signal modeling 13.
Robust processing of EEG signals under motion: A deep learning-based approach, termed Motion-Net, was proposed for the removal of motion artifacts in EEG recordings. The method improves signal quality in the presence of subject movement, enabling more reliable analysis of EEG data acquired in ambulatory and wearable settings 14.
Graph-based feature extraction from photoplethysmographic signals: Weighted visibility graph representations were introduced to extract robust features from photoplethysmographic signals. These representations enable the reliable estimation of cardiovascular indicators, such as pulse wave velocity, and remain effective under signal variability and noise 23.
Digital twin modeling of photoplethysmographic signals from wireless sensing:
A neural representation framework was developed to synthesize photoplethysmographic signals from 6G/WiFi integrated sensing and communication signals, enabling the construction of Radio-PPG digital twins and supporting contactless physiological monitoring 39.
8.1.3 Physiological State Estimation and Health Monitoring from Wearable, Mobile, and Ambient Sensors
Participants: Tareq Alnafouri , Taous Meriem Laleg, Juan Manuel Vargas Garcia.
This research axis focuses on the estimation of physiological states and health-related indicators from signals acquired using wearable, mobile, and contactless sensing technologies. The work aims at translating low-level neurophysiological and cardiovascular signals into meaningful indicators relevant for health monitoring, sports performance, and well-being, using signal processing and AI-based estimation techniques.
Noninvasive hydration monitoring using wearable and mobile sensors: In collaboration with Prof Tareq Alnafouri 's team, signal processing and machine learning methods were developed to estimate hydration status in fasting and sports contexts using skin capacitance measurements acquired from wearable sensors 21. In parallel, a smartphone-based approach relying on camera-derived signals was proposed to assess hydration levels in a fully noninvasive manner. These works demonstrate the feasibility of continuous hydration monitoring using low-cost and widely available sensing modalities 8.
AI-based analysis of medical imaging for clinical classification: A hybrid deep transfer learning framework was developed for the classification of symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid plaques from CT images. The proposed approach integrates feature extraction and classification stages and demonstrates the potential of AI-based imaging analysis for supporting clinical decision-making 28.
8.2 Modeling and estimation for bio-informed systems
BOOST develops mathematical models for systems involving humans, with the objective of exploiting physiological signals for model calibration and inference of unobserved states. These models provide a structured representation of the physiological and functional status of patients and athletes and constitute a basis for the design of bio-informed monitoring and feedback strategies. By enabling the integration of prior physiological knowledge and data-driven information, the proposed modeling frameworks support simulation, prediction, and decision-making in health and sport contexts.
8.2.1 Models design
Participants: Arnaud Boutin, François Cottin, Taous Meriem Laleg, Maria Sara Nour Sadoun.
Modeling brain-heart interactions: A comprehensive review of mechanistic dynamical models describing brain-heart interactions was conducted, with the objective of supporting the modeling of coupled neurocardiovascular systems relevant to mental and physical health monitoring. The study analyzes existing linear and nonlinear modeling frameworks used to capture bidirectional interactions between neural and cardiovascular dynamics, as well as their ability to represent physiological mechanisms and multiscale behaviors. By identifying current limitations and open challenges, this work provides a structured foundation for the development of bio-informed models enabling the inference of physiological and mental states from jointly acquired brain and cardiovascular signals 20.
8.2.2 Learning-Based Observer Design for Nonlinear Dynamical Systems
Participants: Mohamed Boukaf, Zehor Belkhatir, Mohamed Chadli, Taous Meriem Laleg, Yasmine Marani .
Deep learning-based extensions of the Kazantzis-Kravaris-Luenberger (KKL) observer were developed for discrete-time nonlinear systems subject to time-varying output delays, enabling accurate state reconstruction under delayed and partial measurements. Neural networks are used to approximate observer dynamics while maintaining the observer formulation 15.
These learning-based KKL observers were further applied to a variety of estimation problems involving complex nonlinear dynamics and limited sensing. In particular, they were used for state estimation in mixed-autonomy traffic systems, enabling the reconstruction of vehicle position and speed from heterogeneous and incomplete measurements 26. In parallel, a combined deep KKL observer and nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) framework was proposed for the modeling of muscle co-contraction under measurement delays, where the observer provides real-time estimates of internal muscle states that are exploited within a control scheme 35. Together, these contributions illustrate how learning-enhanced observer design can address estimation problems in complex nonlinear systems that are beyond the reach of classical observer approaches.
8.2.3 Scientific learning-based observer design
Participants: Mohamed Boukaf, Israel Jesus Santos Filho, Taous Meriem Laleg, Yasmine Marani.
Complementing the observer-based approaches presented above, BOOST investigates physics-informed and learning-control estimation methods for nonlinear systems, with the objective of estimating states, parameters, and unknown inputs from sparse and noisy measurements. While observer-based frameworks rely on specific dynamical embeddings, these approaches address estimation problems for more general nonlinear system structures, for which classical observer design often requires restrictive assumptions.
In this context, unsupervised physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) were developed for blood flow estimation and cardiovascular parameter assessment, by embedding physiological models, such as Windkessel representations, directly into the learning process. Parallel PINN architectures were introduced to improve scalability and robustness when dealing with heterogeneous data sources and limited measurements 32.
Additionnally, learning-based nonlinear observers incorporating contraction-inspired principles were proposed to address estimation problems for general nonlinear system structures, thereby relaxing the strong structural conditions typically required by classical nonlinear observer design. By ensuring contracting estimation dynamics, these approaches facilitate stable state reconstruction and enable the integration of learning-based estimators within control-oriented frameworks 27.
8.2.4 Physics-Informed Estimation of Autonomic Cardiac Dynamics
Participants: Arnaud Boutin, François Cottin, Taous Meriem Laleg, Maria Sara Nour Sadoun.
BOOST has obtained new results on the estimation of internal states and unknown inputs in autonomic cardiac dynamics, addressing key challenges related to delayed dynamics, partial observability, and physiological interpretability. These works introduce physics-informed neural estimation frameworks that explicitly incorporate left-invertibility constraints, a structural property that guarantees the identifiability of states and unknown inputs from available measurements.
The proposed approaches combine neural network-based estimators with physiological dynamical models of cardiac autonomic regulation, enabling the simultaneous estimation of hidden cardiac states and unmeasured autonomic inputs. By embedding physical constraints directly into the learning process, the methods overcome limitations of purely data-driven estimators, ensuring consistency with cardiovascular dynamics and improving robustness to delays and modeling uncertainties 47.
The second contribution extends this framework to delayed autonomic cardiac systems, which are particularly challenging due to time-lagged responses and coupling between neural and cardiovascular processes. The results demonstrate that enforcing left-invertibility within the neural estimator allows reliable state and input reconstruction despite delays, providing a principled solution for non-invasive cardiac monitoring 48.
Together, these works contribute novel methodologies at the intersection of estimation theory, physiological modeling, and machine learning, and demonstrate the potential of physics-informed neural estimators for interpretable and reliable cardiovascular monitoring in health and sports applications.
8.3 Control design
In health and sport contexts, control design plays a central role in transforming physiological and biomechanical information into adaptive assistance, feedback, and decision-making strategies. Applications such as rehabilitation, movement assistance, performance optimization, and biofeedback require control frameworks capable of handling human variability, uncertainty, and bidirectional interaction between the human and the system. The main challenge in these systems lies in the presence of a human in the control loop, which introduces variability, uncertainty, and bidirectional interaction dynamics. BOOST addresses these challenges by developing control methodologies for bio-informed and human-in-the-loop systems, where estimation, learning, and interaction-aware control are tightly integrated. The proposed approaches focus on predictive, adaptive, and interactive control designs that enable personalized assistance and real-time biofeedback.
8.3.1 Control Design for Human-Robot Interaction and Assistive Systems
Participants: Bastien Berret, Mohamed Boukaf, Taous Meriem Laleg.
BOOST develops control frameworks for systems involving direct interaction between humans and robotic or neuromuscular systems, with an emphasis on adaptation, safety, and interaction-aware control. In such systems, control laws must regulate system dynamics while accounting for uncertainty, delays, and coupling effects arising from human interaction.
In this context, a combined deep KKL observer and nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) framework was proposed to model and regulate muscle co-contraction under measurement delays. The learning-based observer provides real-time estimates of system states and/or internal muscle states, which are exploited within a predictive control scheme to handle delayed measurements and complex neuromuscular dynamics. This contribution illustrates how estimation and control can be tightly integrated to address human-in-the-loop control problems where having predictive models of human sensorimotor control are crucial 35.
8.3.2 Learning-Based and Game-Theoretic Control for Personalized Assistance
Participants: Bastien Berret, Abdelwaheb Hafs.
To address inter-individual variability and shared control objectives, BOOST investigates learning-based and game-theoretic control approaches for personalized assistance. These methods aim to balance assistance and user autonomy by explicitly modeling the interaction between the human and the assistive system.
Game-theoretic formulations were introduced to describe human-robot interaction as a dynamic game, enabling the design of model predictive game control strategies for targeted and personalized assistance. These approaches explicitly account for the coupled volitional control processes of the human and the robotic system 29, 42.
In parallel, learning-based control methods were developed to exploit human movement variability for improved assistance. Probabilistic movement primitives and artificially generated demonstrations were used to enhance exoskeleton flow control and adapt assistance to diverse movement patterns. Early intent classification from kinematic data was also investigated to anticipate human motion and adjust control actions accordingly 43, 44, 45. In addition, EMG-based control methods have been developed by estimating human muscle forces via learning methods and using those estimation in adaptive controllers to improve movement assistance using robotic exoskeletons 18, 17.
8.4 New Results on applications
The research conducted within BOOST has been validated through concrete applications in domains involving human health and well-being, human movement, and sports performance.
8.4.1 Stress and Neurocardiovascular Interaction Monitoring
Participants: Arnaud Boutin, François Cottin, Taous Meriem Laleg, Maria Sara Nour Sadoun.
BOOST has obtained new results in the objective monitoring of mental and physiological stress through the joint analysis of neurophysiological and cardiovascular signals. Dedicated experiments were conducted in a controlled laboratory environment, involving 30 subjects exposed to three complementary stressors:
- physical stress,
- physiological stress induced by a cold pressor test, and
- cognitive stress induced by a singing-to-singing task.
During these experiments, EEG, ECG, and arterial pressure signals were recorded simultaneously, resulting in a multimodal dataset specifically designed to study brain-heart interactions under stress. This dataset has been used to validate signal processing and AI-based methods for extracting stress-related features and indicators.
The proposed approaches enable the association of low-level signal characteristics with higher-level markers of mental and physiological load, contributing to objective stress assessment. These results complement subjective evaluations, and demonstrate the relevance of multimodal, bio-informed methodologies for stress monitoring.
8.4.2 Prediction and Personalized Monitoring of Vascular Diseases
Participants: Jean Michel Davaine, Juan Manuel Vargas Garcia, Taous Meriem Laleg.
BOOST has also produced results in applications related to the prediction and personalized monitoring of vascular diseases, providing clinically relevant validation of its methodologies.
A first line of work addresses the prediction of vulnerable carotid plaques, a major risk factor for ischemic stroke. Hybrid AI-based image analysis methods, combining deep learning and transfer learning techniques, have been applied to vascular CT images to distinguish between symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid plaques. These results demonstrate the ability of data-driven approaches to capture subtle morphological features associated with plaque vulnerability, despite strong inter-patient variability 28.
In parallel, BOOST has contributed to the estimation of pulse wave velocity (PWV) from photoplethysmographic signals, enabling non-invasive assessment of arterial stiffness, a key biomarker of vascular health 23. These signal-based approaches complement imaging-based plaque characterization and illustrate the benefits of combining multimodal vascular indicators for improved risk stratification.
These results highlight the potential of bio-informed signal processing and AI-based tools to support personalized monitoring and prevention strategies in vascular diseases.
8.4.3 Human Movement, Muscle Co-Contraction, and Assistance
Participants: Bastien Berret, Mohamed Boukaf, Taous Meriem Laleg.
A second major set of results concerns human movement analysis and neuromuscular function, with a particular focus on muscle co-contraction, which plays a critical role in movement control, stability, and injury prevention. Muscle co-contraction involves internal states that are difficult to measure directly and is affected by delays, nonlinearities, and strong coupling between neural and muscular dynamics.
BOOST has validated its methodologies in this context by combining modeling, observer-based estimation, and predictive control to infer muscle co-contraction dynamics from partial and delayed measurements. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of learning-enhanced observers and control strategies in human-in-the-loop systems, where accurate estimation of internal states is essential for assistance and adaptation.
8.4.4 Sports Performance and Injury
Participants: Ioannis Bargiotas, François Cottin, François Saulnier.
BOOST proposed a novel approach for injury prevention in athletes through artificial intelligence frameworks. The primary objective is to develop a longitudinal machine learning framework for multimodality settings to predict future injury risk from repeated training reports, under realistic conditions of heterogeneity, completely missing modalities, and inter-individual variability that challenge the generalization and interpretability of complex models.
Setting the core ideas of the analysis, the project emphasize the utility of the Rashomon effect by explicitly exploring sets of quasi-optimal longitudinal models, thereby capturing multiple plausible explanations of injury dynamics consistent with both data and various expert knowledge. Extending already developed packages, BOOST proposition (TREEFARMS+) 31 improves scalability, supports flexible evaluation metrics suited to imbalanced injury data, and incorporate interactive visualization tools to enable expert-in-the-loop model exploration.
Experiments on synthetic and real-world datasets demonstrate robust classification performance, approaching that of state-of-the-art. Feature importance analyses confirm the method's ability to recover meaningful predictors despite discretization, and athlete-level analyses reveal systematic, individualized misclassification patterns that may reflect chronic overload or prolonged high-risk phases rather than model failure. Overall, TREEFARMS+ on the one hand, enhances scalability, interpretability, and usability of Rashomon set analysis in longitudinal settings, and on the other hand empowers domain experts and users to dynamically make their trade-offs between performance and simplicity. Although validated in sports science, the framework is domain-agnostic and particularly useful in multidiscuplinary studies. Future works targeting the extension of Rashomon concepts to sequential and attention-based models to more explicitly capture temporal dependencies.
8.4.5 Performance and Well being and Mental Workload
Participants: Ioannis Bargiotas.
Ocular analysis has been proposed as a powerful approach for understanding cognitive states in complex human–machine or human-environment interaction contexts, such as mental workload (MWL), decision making, and well-being . BOOST team actively participated in recent work on MWL prediction under realistic conditions (operationally speaking). The results from these efforts showed that data-driven models can estimate mental workload in real time, showing that task- and operation-related behavioral signals may be sometimes more informative than well-known physiological measures 19. Moreover, advancements in eye-tracking devices, have enabled the investigation of gaze behavior beyond laboratory conditions. This investigation highlighted the close link between oculomotor behaviour, body motion, and environmental interaction, information extremely important in many special contexts (high-level sports, battlefields etc.). Generally, the latter developments enhanced the importance of moving from static or aggregated metrics toward continuous dynamic characterization of longitudinal ocular activity.
9 Partnerships and cooperations
Participants: Bastien Berret, Taous Meriem Laleg.
9.1 International initiatives
9.1.1 Participation in other International Programs
- Bastien Berret: Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience (CRCNS), ANR/NSF, France-US [NEUROPT project]
- Taous Meriem Laleg: Collaboration with Dr. Hacene Serrai from Carle Health in the US.
- Israel Jesus Santos Filho: in cotutelle agreement with King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, co-advised by Prof. Tareq Alnafouri .
- Mohamed Boukaf: PhD co-advised by Prof. Zehor Belkhatir from Southampton University, UK.
- Elham Rostami : PhD coadvised by Prof. Hamidou Tembine from Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Canada.
9.1.2 Visits of international scientists
Other international visits to the team
Sergio Pequito
-
Status
: Professor
-
Institution of origin:
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon
-
Country:
Portugal
-
Dates:
April, 2025
-
Context of the visit:
Collaboration
-
Mobility program/type of mobility:
Seminar/lecture
Hernando Ombao
-
Status:
Professor
-
Institution of origin:
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
-
Country:
Saudi Arabia
-
Dates:
May, 2025
-
Context of the visit:
Collaboration
-
Mobility program/type of mobility:
Seminar/lecture
Tareq Alnafouri
-
Status:
Professor
-
Institution of origin:
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
-
Country:
Saudi Arabia
-
Dates:
December 18, 2025
-
Context of the visit:
Collaboration
-
Mobility program/type of mobility:
Seminar/lecture
Madison Weinrich
-
Status:
PhD
-
Institution of origin:
Texas AM University
-
Country:
China
-
Mobility program/type of mobility:
Visiting PhD student
Shiyu Wang
-
Status:
PhD
-
Institution of origin:
East China Normal University
-
Country:
USA
-
Mobility program/type of mobility:
Visiting PhD student
9.1.3 Visits to international teams
Research stays abroad
- Taous Meriem Laleg A week stay in Ilmenau University in Germany, on October 20-24, 2025.
9.2 National initiatives
ANR funding
- ANR 3CI, Coordinated by Taous Meriem Laleg in collaboration with Arnaud Boutin , and François Cottin from Université Paris-Saclay, Mathieu Nédélec from INSEP and Julie Doron f rom Université de Nantes. The project was awarded 941,612 euros and was launched on November 1, 2025.
- Projet CRCNS ANR/NSF NEUROPT, coordinated by Bastien Berret . The project was awarded 863,576 euros.
Hub-Passrel
- Projet Vaso-predict, coordinated by Taous Meriem Laleg and awarded 15,000 euros, funded by Pasrel Hub Paris-Saclay, in collaboration with Jean Michel Davaine from Hopital Européen Georges Pompidou
PhD and Master funding
- DeMythif.AI cofund PhD,awarded to Elham Rostami coadvised by Taous Meriem Laleg and Hamidou Tembine .
- H-CoDe funding, awarded to Master 2 student Aya Harkat coadvised by Taous Meriem Laleg and Bastien Berret
- Dataia funding, awarded to Master 2 student Abdelbaki Guir , co-advised by Taous Meriem Laleg and Marie Gernigon
10 Dissemination
10.1 Promoting scientific activities
10.1.1 Scientific events: organisation
- Taous Meriem Laleg: Organization of two invited open-track IFAC World Congress, August 2026.
- Michel-Ange Amorim: Organization of FéDeV Day (Demenÿ-Vaucanson Federation of Movement Sciences), Friday, November 14, 2025, Inria Center in Saclay (Alan Turing Building), approximately one hundred participants.
General chair, scientific chair
Taous Meriem Laleg
- Vice-Chair for social media of the IFAC Technical Committee TC 8.2. Biological and Medical Systems for Social Media. 2024-2026.
- Track-chair for TMTSP - EUSIPCO 2025
10.1.2 Scientific events: selection
Member of the conference program committees
Taous Meriem Laleg
- Member of the IEEE control conference editorial board (CEB), 2019-present (includes: ACC, CDC).
- Associate editor of IFAC World Congress 2026.
- Associate editor of the IEEE European Conference, 2025
- Technical committee member of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC). (biological and medical systems (TC8.2).
Reviewer
Taous Meriem Laleg
- Amercian control conference,
- European Control Conference,
- Conference on Decision and Control,
- IFAC conferences,
- Eusipco
Bastien Berret
- IFAC
Ioannis Bargiotas
- Member of Program Comittee at the IEEE International Conference on Tools with Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI)
10.1.3 Journal
Member of the editorial boards
Taous Meriem Laleg
- Associate Editor, IEEE transaction on Network systems, 2024-present.
- Technical Area Committees member EURASIP Technical Area Committee, Theoretical and methodological trends in signal processing (TMTSP), 2024-2026.
- Editor, International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control, 2021-present.
- Associate editor, IEEE Systems Journal, 2021-present.
- Guest Editor, IFAC Journal of Systems and Control
Arnaud Boutin
- Associate editor for Journal of Motor Learning and Development
- Review editor for Movement Science and Sport Psychology
Reviewer - reviewing activities
Taous Meriem Laleg
- IEEE transaction on Automatic Control
- Automatica
- IFAC Journal of Control and Systems
- Scientific reports
Bastien Berret
- eLife
- Trends in Cognitive Sciences,
- iScience
Michel-Ange Amorim
- Journal of Neurophysiology
Ioannis Bargiotas
- Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS)
- International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML)
- International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR)
- IEEE International Conference on Tools with Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI)
- Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (JMRI)
- Journal of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (JCMR)
- PlosONE
Juan Manuel Vargas Garcia
EMBC, ISBI, Eusipco
Mohamed Boukaf
International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control, IEEE systems Journal, ACC, ECC
Maria Sara Nour Sadoun
EUSIPCO, ECC, IFAC, IEEE Sensors
Israel Jesus Santos Filho
EMBC, Eusipco, ECC, IFAC
10.1.4 Invited talks
- Taous Meriem Laleg: Keynote speaker, "Semi-Classical Signal Analysis: From Theory to Biomedical Signal and Image Processing", ICAECCS'2025, Université Blida 1, Algeria, December 9-10, 2025.
- Arnaud Boutin: Sleep rhytms underlying motor memory consolidation. Advances in Motor Learning II, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, 11-12 décembre 2025.
- Taous Meriem Laleg: Learning-based observer design for dynamical systems estimation, EUReCA day, Centrale Supélec, December 3rd, 2025.
- Bastien Berret: Stochastic optimal feedforward-feedback control as a theory of human sensorimotor control, Workshop on Healthcare Applications of Interactive Robotics, King's College London, November 2025.
- Bastien Berret: Modeling human sensorimotor control for optimizing human-robot interaction, R4 conference, Nov. 2025, virtual meeting.
- Taous Meriem Laleg: Invited speaker, "Advanced Observer Design for Nonlinear Systems: From KKL to Contraction Theory", International League of Mathematics, Bauhausuniversität Weimar, October 2025.
- Taous Meriem Laleg: Invited speaker, "Computer-aided assessment of the Cortico-Cardiovascular Interaction for monitoring the stress of athletes ", Insep-Inria agreement signature, Insep, October 2025.
- Bastien Berret « The Cost of Time in Action », CNRS Summer School “Le temps dans tous ses états”, September 2025, Hyères-Porquerolles.
- Bastien Berret « Understanding human motor control through optimality principles », Mini symposium on neural control of movement, University of Leeds, June 2025.
- Boukaf Mohamed: Congress speaker, "Windkessel model-based Physics Informed Neural Networks for Blood Flow Estimation and Cardiovascular Parameters Assessment", SAGIP'2025, Mulhouse, France, May 2025.
10.1.5 Scientific expertise
Michel-Ange Amorim
- President of the Hcéres committee responsible for evaluating the EuroMov DHM laboratory.
- Reviewer for an ANR AAPG 2025 - JCJC - CISIF projet
Taous Meriem Laleg
- Reviewer for the IEEE CSS Joint TC SSB & HMS Outstanding Student Paper Award, 2024, 2025
10.1.6 Research administration
- Michel-Ange Amorim Ciams Laboratory Vice President
- Bastien BerretVice-dean for research (Faculty of Sport Sciences)
10.2 Teaching - Supervision - Juries - Educational and pedagogical outreach
Ioannis Bargiotas
- Introduction to Machine learning, Level:M2 , ISMH (Ingénierie, Data Science, Mouvement Humain)
10.2.1 Supervision
Taous Meriem Laleg
PhD students
- Elham Rostami (2025-), Université Paris-Saclay, Optimal control for robust and stable generative AI (50%).
- Abdelbaki Guir (2025-), Inria, Modeling the brain-heart interaction for the Assessment of Athlete stress (50%).
- Israel J Jesus Santos Filho (2024-), Université Paris-Saclay/Cotutelle KAUST, Biosignals analysis and characterization using signal processing and AI (50%).
- Juan Manuel Vargas (2024-), Inria, Signal processing based on the squared eigenfunctions of the Schrodinger operator: Mathematical analysis and application to the identification of vulnerable carotid plaques (50%).
- Mohamed Boukaf (2024-), Université Paris-Saclay, State Estimation for Nonlinear Dynamical Uncertain System using Combined Neural Network and Observer Design (40%).
- Maria Sara Nour Sadoun (2023-), Université Paris-Saclay, Computer aided characterization of the corticocardiovascular interaction (40%).
- Jiahao Hu (2021-2025), KAUST, Contributions to classification of biomedical signals (50%).
- Yasmine Marani (2021-2025), KAUST, Contribution to observer design for nonlinear dynamical systems (50%).
- Fahad Aljehani (2020-2025), KAUST, Contribution to learning-based control and estimation (50%).
Master students
- Elham Rostami (2025), M2, Université Paris-Saclay, Seizure onset zone localization using EEG signals.
- Abdelbaki Guir (2025), M2, Université Paris-Saclay, AI-Enhanced Prediction of Diabetic Foot Risk: Integrating NIRS and TcPO2 Data for Early Vascular Health Assessment coadvised with Marie Gernigon .
- Hajar Elhaimer (2025), M2, Université Mohammed VI Polytechnic, Morocco, AI-based Assessment of the CorticoCardiovascular Interaction for monitoring stress. (50%) co-advised with Maria Sara Nour Sadoun .
- Aya Harkat (2025), M2, Université Paris-Saclay, Combined observer design and Model predictive control framwork for co-contraction mdoeling co-advised with Bastien Berret
- Damya Mansouri (2025), Université Paris-Saclay co-advised with Juan Vargas -
- Antoine Pierrard (2025,), M1, Télécom Physique Strasbourg.
Bastien Berret
- Aymeric Orhan, 2021-2025 (30%), then post-doc
- Abdelwaheb Hafs, 2021-2025 (50%), then ATER at Université Paris-Saclay
- Anais Farr, 2024-, sur le rôle du bruit et des délais sensoriels sur la planification motrice, bourse CDSN - ENS Rennes (100%)
- Duy Hoang, 2024-, sur la création de contrôleur d'exosquelette basé EMG et machine learning, bourse J.P. Aguilar auprès de la fondation CFM pour la recherche (30%)
Michel-Ange Amorim PhD students
- Meriem Younssi (2025-) Université Paris-Saclay, Determinants of perceived intentionality and action in response to uncertain visual trajectories.
- Olga Polezhaeva (2022-2025) Université Paris-Saclay, Perceiving and interacting with an object whose trajectory is difficult to predict.
Master students
- Clarisse Ancel (2025), M1, Université Paris-Saclay, Effects of the spatial structure of uncertain visual trajectories and perceived final position on decision-making in a visuomotor extrapolation task.
- Alexandre Trstenjak (2025), M1, Université Paris-Saclay, Perceiving and reacting to an object whose trajectory is difficult to predict.
Ioannis Bargiotas
PhD students
- Quentin Laborde (2022-), ENS Paris-Saclay, Development of machine learning models to identify traffic safety issues related to driver mental workload (30%).
M2 students
- François Saulnier (2025), M2, ENS Paris-saclay, Machine Learning and risk of future injuries in mid- and long-range runners: Single point of view is never enough
M1 students
- Olympe Pann (2025), M1, Université Paris-saclay, Standardization of estimation for Posture and Gait Assessment Variables
10.2.2 Juries
Taous Meriem Laleg
- Examiner of Mohamed Zerrougui's HDR defense (rapporteur), Université Aix-Marseille, April 22, 2025.
- Examiner of Matti Noack PhD dissertation, Ilmneau University, October 20, 2025.
- Examiner of Folke Friedrich PhD dissertation, Ilmneau University, October 24, 2025.
- Examiner of Yuqing Zhang PhD dissertation, INSA centre Val de Loire, January 24, 2025.
- Examiner Poster projects Master Comptational Neuroscience and Neuroengineering, Université Paris-Saclay
Arnaud Boutin
- External examinator for the Habilitation (HDR) of Dr. Célia Ruffino (Université de Franche-Comté, France)
Bastien Berret
- Rapporteur, Zhongxiang Chen, Monash University (Melbourne, Australia), July 2025
- Examinateur, Benoit Hureaux, CentraleSupélec, Université Paris-Saclay, December 2025
Michel-Ange Amorim
- President of the PhD jury of Alexis Le Besnerais, The Role of Predictive Processes in Individual and Social Agency and their Effect on Perception.
Ioannis Bargiotas
- Examiner of Cyril Voisard PhD mi-parcours, ENS Paris-Saclay September, 2025.
Juan Manuel Vargas Garcia
- Thesis jury for the Bioengineering program, El Bosque University, Colombia
- “Development of a tool to optimize defoliation and pruning practices in the management of Black Sigatoka (Mycosphaerella fijiensis) in hybrid Musa crops through digital image analysis.”
- "Development of a support tool for evaluating water stress in a variety of native potato (Solanum tuberosum Group Phureja) through stomatal analysis assisted by digital image processing at El Bosque University, Chía campus."
10.2.3 Educational and pedagogical outreach
Taous Meriem Laleg
- Participation in the Inria mentoring program as mentor aiming at supporting a postdoc through academic guidance, career orientation, and exposure to research and scientific careers.
- Presentation of the BOOST team's activities at the Franco-German Elementary School of Buc (May 26, 2025), through playful and interactive sessions with four groups of CP and CE1 pupils, illustrating how mathematics and AI contribute to health and well-being.
- Presentation of BOOST's research themes to high school internship students (Seconde level) in June.
- Participation in a mock interview simulation for high school students at the Franco-German High School of Buc (November 22, 2025), aimed at career awareness and guidance.
- Presentation of BOOST's activities and interactive scientific games for middle school internship students (Troisième level) on December 18, 2025.
Ioannis Bargiotas
- Presentation of the BOOST team at SPRING Saclay (May 21, 2025) to a broad scientific and innovation-oriented audience.
Maria Sara Nour Sadoun
- Participated with Inria to the national outreach programme Rendez-vous des Jeunes Mathématiciennes (RJMI) by engaging with female high-school students, sharing academic pathways, and promoting confidence in mathematics and STEM careers.
- Took part in the national programme CHICHE, contributing to science communication and public engagement to promote STEM among young audiences in high schools through outreach activities, interactive sessions, and discussions.
11 Scientific production
11.1 Major publications
- 1 articleCo-Contraction Embodies Uncertainty: An Optimal Feedforward Strategy for Robust Motor Control.PLoS Computational Biology2011June 2024, e1012598HALDOI
- 2 articleAdaptive long-range modeling of EEG and ECG with Mamba and dynamic graph learning.Scientific Reports151November 2025, 38762HALDOI
- 3 articleDeep-learning based KKL chain observer for discrete-time nonlinear systems with time-varying output delay.Automatica171January 2025, 111955HALDOI
- 4 articleEMG-to-torque models for exoskeleton assistance: a framework for the evaluation of in situ calibration.The International Journal of Robotics Research2025. In press. HAL
- 5 articleModeling Brain-Heart Interaction: A Review of Mechanistic Dynamical Models.IEEE Reviews in Biomedical Engineering2025, 1-17HALDOI
- 6 proceedingsRisk of Future Injuries in Mid/Long-Range Runners: Feasible Rashomon Set of Sparse Decision Trees.2025 IEEE 37th International Conference on Tools with Artificial Intelligence (ICTAI)Athens, FranceIEEENovember 2025, 1499-1503HALDOI
- 7 articleAssessment of pulse wave velocity through weighted visibility graph metrics from photoplethysmographic signals.Scientific Reports151August 2025, 31325HALDOI
11.2 Publications of the year
International journals
International peer-reviewed conferences
Conferences without proceedings
Edition (books, proceedings, special issue of a journal)
Reports & preprints
Other scientific publications
11.3 Cited publications
- 53 articlePrescribed-Time Observer Design for Nonlinear Triangular Systems With Delayed Measurements.IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control69112024, 8080-8087DOIback to text
- 54 articleHigh gain observers with updated gain and homogeneous correction terms.Automatica4522009, 422-428back to text
- 55 articleStochastic optimal feedforward-feedback control determines timing and variability of arm movements with or without vision.PLoS Computational Biology176June 2021, e1009047HALDOIback to text
- 56 articleEfficient computation of optimal open-loop controls for stochastic systems.Automatica1152020HALDOIback to textback to text
- 57 articleStochastic optimal open-loop control as a theory of force and impedance planning via muscle co-contraction.PLoS Computational Biology2020HALDOIback to textback to text
- 58 articleFeature Generation and Dimensionality Reduction using the Discrete Spectrum of the Schrodinger Operator for Epileptic Spikes Detection. 41st Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society Conference (EMBC)2019back to text
- 59 articleModulating Functions Approach for Non-asymptotic State Estimation of Nonlinear PDEs.IFAC-PapersOnLine562023, 9875--9880back to text
- 60 inproceedingsFinite-Time Simultaneous Parameter and State Estimation Using Modulating Functions.Proceedings of the IEEE Conference on Control Applications (CCA)2015, 394--399back to text
- 61 articleImage reconstruction using squared eigenfunctions of the Schrodinger operator.Digital Signal Processing402015, 80--87back to text
- 62 articleSemi-classical signal analysis.Mathematics of Control, Signals and Systems2512013, 37--61back to text
- 63 articleValidation of a semi-classical signal analysis method for stroke volume variation assessment: a comparison with the PiCCO technique.Annals of Biomedical Engineering38122010, 3618--3629back to text
- 64 articleArterial Blood Pressure Analysis Based on Scattering Transform II. IEEE conference of Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), Lyon France2007back to text
- 65 articleSpectral data denoising using semi-classical signal analysis: application to localized MRS.NMR in Biomedecine292016, 1477--1485back to text
- 66 articleDifferential Game Theory for Versatile Physical Human--Robot Interaction.Nature Machine Intelligence12019, 36--43back to text
- 67 articleCentral Blood Pressure Estimation from Distal PPG Measurement using semiclassical signal analysis features.IEEE Access92021, 44963--44973back to text
- 68 articleSignal denoising based on the Schrödinger operator's eigenspectrum and a curvature constraint.IET Signal Processing1532021, 195--206back to text
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