The exoskeleton StreamEXO Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2023-07-21 | A back support exoskeleton has been developed at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology - IIT) to improve railway workers' safety and conditions for heavy manual material handling during maintenance and renewal operations. The prototype, named STREAMEXO, was validated in approximately 100 hours of use by 15 people during a 6-month test campaign hosted in Italy highlighting a 50% reduction in the ergonomic risk of physical overload and a 30% of muscle fatigue. The exoskeleton StreamEXO has been developed within the European project STREAM (https://streams2r.eu/) coordinated by Christian Di Natali, researcher of the IIT and funded by the European Union within Horizon 2020 and Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking - the first major strategic transnational initiative aimed at promoting research and innovation in the railway sector to make it more competitive, efficient and sustainable.
SoftFoot Pro - The motorless flexible artificial foot Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2024-07-12 | A motorless, flexible prosthetic foot inspired by the anatomy of the human extremity and waterproof is the new SoftFoot Pro bionic foot prototype, designed by the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology) in Genoa in collaboration with Centro E. Piaggio of University of Pisa. Its design is unique on an international level and aims to serve both as a flexible technological prosthesis for people with disabilities and as a solution for the humanoid robots of the future.
Enhancing ergonomics in industrial domains with cobots and intelligent wearable systems Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2024-03-14 | ...
Interview to Arash Ajoudani, coordinator of Sophia project Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2024-03-14 | At the European Robotics Forum that is taking place in Rimini, researchers of Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT- Italian Institute of Technology) have showed the most recent results originated from the European-funded project SOPHIA, coordinated by Arash Ajoudani, Principal Investigator of the Human-Robot Interfaces and Interaction (HRI²) lab at IIT in Genova: a collaborative robot to guide workers and relieve the burden of overhead tasks such as drilling, wearable robots to physically support the lifting and carrying of heavy loads, and wearable feedback devices to alert users about awkward postures. These are a few examples of the different SOPHIA technologies developed to help workers in real industrial environments and enhance ergonomics preventing Musculoskeletal Disorders. The project has also contributed to standardization, by creating a CEN Workshop Agreement, a guideline for implementing real-time biomechanical risk assessment tools in industrial domains. The project has involved 12 partners from six European members states.
Il glocal di IIT Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2024-02-17 | L’apporto dell’Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia allo sviluppo di scienza e tecnologia nel mondo e nel proprio territorio16 febbraio 2024 - ore 17.30 Sala delle Grida, Palazzo della Borsa di Genova, via XX Settembre 44, GenovaPer i dettagli sull'evento vi invitiamo a consultare il nostro Magazine Online IIT OpenTalk
Acer iSeed: the first eco-friendly fluorescent artificial seed for environmental monitoring Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2023-11-21 | The soft robot, named Acer iSeed, is inspired by natural Acer seeds and can monitor the temperature of the soil by becoming luminescent. It is made of a biocompatible and compostable material, and it has been realized with 3D printing technologies. A drone can be used to spread them out in large areas and study the terrain at a distance.The new Acer iSeed has been described in the prestigious scientific journal Science Advances by the research group led by Barbara Mazzolai at IIT in Genova (Italy), in collaboration with the Leibniz Institute for New Materials (INM), Saarbrücken, Germany. The study has been supported by funds of the European Union thanks to the project I-Seed, coordinated by IIT.
Esoscheletro STREAM Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2023-05-03 | Un esoscheletro di supporto per la schiena è stato sviluppato all’Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) per migliorare la sicurezza e le condizioni dei lavoratori e delle lavoratrici nelle operazioni di manutenzione e rinnovo delle ferrovie. Il prototipo è stato validato in circa 100 ore di utilizzo da parte di 15 persone durante 6 mesi di campagna di test ospitata da MERMEC STE s.p.a e da RFI, evidenziando una riduzione del 50% del rischio ergonomico di sovraccarico fisico e lesioni e del 15%-30% dell’affaticamento muscolare. L’esoscheletro STREAM, anche denominato con il nome tecnico MMPE (Modular Multi-tasking Powered Exoskeleton), nasce nell'ambito del progetto europeo STREAM (https://streams2r.eu/) coordinato dal ricercatore di IIT Christian Natali e finanziato dall’Unione Europea all’interno di Horizon 2020 e di Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking, la prima grande iniziativa transnazionale strategica mirata a promuovere la ricerca e l’innovazione nel settore ferroviario, così da renderlo più competitivo, efficiente e sostenibile
The first biodegradable seed robot, able to change shape in response to humidity Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2023-04-19 | A robot with the shape of a seed and with the ability to explore the soil based on humidity changes. It is made of biodegradable materials and able to move within the surrounding environment without requiring batteries or other external sources of energy. These are the main features of the first I-Seed, the first artificial seed-robot created at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT-Italian Institute of Technology) in Genoa, by the researchers of Bioinspired Soft Robotics (BSR) Lab coordinated by Barbara Mazzolai, in collaboration with the University of Trento. The artificial seed is the only prototype worldwide capable of transforming itself and moving around the environment autonomously, and may find applications in various fields, from environmental monitoring to reforestation. The research result has been published in Advanced Science and featured on its last issue’s cover; it originates from the European project I-Seed, coordinated by IIT.
A new bioinspired earthworm robot for future underground explorations Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2023-03-01 | Researchers of IIT's BioInspired Soft robotics lab coordinated by Barbara Mazzolai, have realized a new soft robot inspired by the biology of earthworms,which is able to crawl thanks to soft actuators that elongate or squeeze, when air passes through them or is drawn out. The prototype has been described in the international journal Scientific Reports of the Nature Portfolio, and it is the starting point for developing devices for underground exploration, but also search and rescue operations in confined spaces and the exploration of other planets.
International Day of Women and Girls in Science 11/02/2023 Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2023-02-11 | Today is the #InternationalDayofWomenandGirlsinScience: “We know there's still a lot to do”.In the occasion of the #11February, #IIT and Fondazione Ansaldo (@fondazioneansaldo) collaborated to create a video that tells the #stablepresence of #women in #science and #technology during the history. The video shows women working in industrial environments dating back from the 60’s and in scientific laboratories at IIT today. Both IIT and Fondazione Ansaldo are committed to promote #genderequality and #inclusion, through internal policies and public initiatives. “Small steps have been made to remove these social barriers, to reduce the gap”#WomeninScienceDay #DonneNellaScienza #WomenInSTEM #WomeninScience
MARM, the new three-leg robot to transport weights and manipulate components in Space Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2022-12-16 | Researchers at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia has recently realized a new prototype robotic platform for space applications. The new robot, called MARM, has three limbs that can be used to walk, move, grasp and transport payload modules while self-relocating itself on the space infrastructure under microgravity environment. The robot is meant to assist astronauts in assembling and maintaining infrastructures while they are in space or, in the future, on other planets. The MARM prototype will be tested in a physical simulator arrangement prior to the development of the space-qualified version. The robot was designed and manufactured by IIT's Human and Humanoid Centered Mechatronics Lab, coordinated by Nikolaos Tsagarakis, in collaboration with Leonardo S.p.A and GMV. It has born in the framework of MIRROR (Multi-arm Installation Robot for Readying ORUs and Reflectors) project, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA).
Alberto Diaspro racconta il Festival della Scienza 2022 Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2022-10-17 | ...
Esoscheletri robotici per il lavoro del futuro Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2022-06-30 | Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) e Inail presentano i nuovi prototipi di esoscheletri robotici collaborativi a uso industriale che serviranno per rendere il lavoro in ambito industriale e manifatturiero più sicuro. Grazie ai motori elettrici con cui sono equipaggiati e ad algoritmi di intelligenza artificiale, questi dispositivi indossabili supporteranno lavoratrici e lavoratori e nei compiti più gravosi dal punto di vista fisico, diminuendone lo sforzo fino al 40% e determinando una riduzione di infortuni sul lavoro e malattie professionali.XoTrunk, XoShoulder, Xoelbow, sono i nomi dei tre robot indossabili realizzati in plastica e leghe di alluminio, usate solitamente in ambito aerospaziale, e progettati per i principali contesti industriali nei quali operatori e operatrici sono portati a sovraccaricare il sistema muscolo-scheletrico, come il manifatturiero, le riparazioni meccaniche, l’industria alimentare, la logistica, l’edilizia e l’agricoltura. Tra gli scenari realistici di utilizzo rientrano senz’altro le officine meccaniche di riparazione auto come la concessionaria Novelli 1934 S.r.l. di Biauto Group che ha supportato IIT nei test preliminari dei dispositivi e che valuterà un ulteriore coinvolgimento del proprio personale per la fase di validazione dei robot indossabili.
Presentazione del Concorso letterario FAHRENHEI.IIT Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2022-04-21 | PRESENTAZIONE DEL CONCORSO LETTERARIO FAHRENHEI.IIT 2022@Museo Nazionale della Scienza e della Tecnologia Leonardo da VinciSala Biancamano – Via Olona 6, MilanoNel corso della serata verrà presentata l’iniziativa letteraria organizzata da IIT un concorso dedicato a chi ama scrivere e raccontare di robotica, scienze della vita, innovazione e tecnologia. Interverranno:Giorgio Metta, direttore scientifico dell’Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT)Sergio Badino, sceneggiatore e scrittoreAlice Fornasetti, agente letteraria (Grandi & Associati)Elisabetta Migliavada, direttrice della narrativa GarzantiMassimo Polidoro, giornalista, scrittore, segretario del C.I.C.A.P.Modera: Claudio Rossetti, direttore Comunicazione e Relazioni Esterne IIT
What Im up to with Federica Marinaro Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2022-04-20 | What I'm up to is a series of talks by your fellow IIT Alumni and open to the IIT & IIT Alumni Community.This episode is with Federica Marinaro, former PhD of the De Pietri Tonelli lab and currently Research Informatics Engagement manager @Alzheimer's Research UK
Technology&Trends Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2022-04-15 | Couldn't make the live streaming of the Technology & Trends event, or just want to watch the speeches by guests and researchers again? You can now watch the complete recording of the conference.At the Technology & Trends conference, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) and Studio Volpi talk about research and technological progress and their impact on a constantly evolving business scenario.From bio-inspired robotics to collaborative industrial applications, to printable electronics that you can eat, to packaging and bio-plastics, to AI, Big data, nutraceuticals, animal nutrition and much more: the scientists of the IIT, together with many other guests, talk about how the latest advances in science could influence business choices in the near future.Please notice that the event was held in Italian.
iCub 3 Avatar System - Tele esistenza (Short version) Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2022-03-16 | Paper link: arxiv.org/abs/2203.06972This video was taken during the on-line testing of the iCub 3 avatar system. The demonstration involved a human operator based in IIT, Genoa, and the iCub 3 robot visiting the Italian Pavilion at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia. The shooting was taken on November the 8th, 2021.Using a standard fiber optic internet connection, the avatar system transmits and receives information from the operator to the iCub 3 robot. The system transports the operator locomotion, manipulation, voice, and face expressions to the robotic avatar with visual, auditory, haptic and touch feedbacks.To the best of the authors' knowledge, it is the first time that such a complete avatar system is validated on a legged humanoid robot allowing immersive and remote verbal, non verbal and physical interaction.
iCub 3 Avatar System - Tele esistenza Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2022-03-16 | Paper link: arxiv.org/abs/2203.06972This video was taken during the on-line testing of the iCub 3 avatar system. The demonstration involved a human operator based in IIT, Genoa, and the iCub 3 robot visiting the Italian Pavilion at the 17th International Architecture Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia. The shooting was taken on November the 8th, 2021.Using a standard fiber optic internet connection, the avatar system transmits and receives information from the operator to the iCub 3 robot. The system transports the operator locomotion, manipulation, voice, and face expressions to the robotic avatar with visual, auditory, haptic and touch feedbacks.To the best of the authors' knowledge, it is the first time that such a complete avatar system is validated on a legged humanoid robot allowing immersive and remote verbal, non verbal and physical interaction.
Virtual reality archery is “Braille” for orientation of blind people Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2022-01-04 | Researchers at the IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology) developed an acoustic virtual reality-based archery game, enabling blind people to experience for the first time this type of technology, which is typically focused on vision. Researchers’ aim was to understand how blind people move and orient themselves in space, and they did so in an engaging way. The platform maybe used in the future to rehabilitate blind people’s orientation skills and make them more independent, like the Braille does for reading and writing.The platform was presented at the 43th annual international conference of the IEEE Engineering and Biology Society (EMBC), and the research results were published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience in November last year.Research study coordinated by Dr. Monica Gori, head of the Unit for Visually Impaired People (UVIP) at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) in Genova (Italy).Link to the article: Early Blindness Limits the Head-Trunk Coordination Development for Horizontal Reorientation frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2021.699312/full
Artificial micro-hooks inspired by the leaves on the “catchweed” plant Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2021-11-18 | The research group coordinated by Barbara Mazzolai at the IIT – Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology) has created the first ever prototype of a soft, biodegradable and soluble Velcro inspired by the micro-hook structure of leaves on the “catchweed” plant (Galium aparine), for use in devices for the monitoring and safeguarding of the environment and in precision farming. The project, published in the international magazine Communication Materials, shows how the artificial micro-hooks can be applied to a series of devices that, when attached to plant leaves, act as a kind of temporary plaster, releasing beneficial substances into the plant’s vascular system, or as intelligent clips that wirelessly communicate information on the health status of crop plants.The research has been funded with the support of the National Geographic Society, and as part of the European GrowBot project dedicated to the creation of new robots inspired by climbing plants and for which Mazzolai is coordinator.
MultiAbility Game: abbattiamo le barriere con il gioco multisensoriale Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2021-11-12 | Quando interagiamo con l’ambiente le nostre modalità sensoriali collaborano per migliorare la nostra percezione e azione. Da più di 10 anni il team di ricerca U-Vip - Unit for Visually Impaired People di IIT, coordinato da Monica Gori, premiata dallo European Research Council (ERC) con fondi Starting grants per il progetto MYSpace, studia come le diverse modalità sensoriali interagiscono e si integrano nel bambino con e senza disabilità con lo scopo finale di sviluppare sistemi inclusivi e riabilitativi. Questo evento sarà suddiviso in una prima parte di presentazione delle ricerche scientifiche fatte in questo conteso. Nella seconda parte verranno fatte fare delle esperienze multisensoriali. Le esperienze saranno una dimostrazione che la multisensorialità permette di abbattere le barriere. Infatti verranno presentate attività che sfrutteranno la vista e il suono così che bambini e adulti vedenti e udenti, ma anche bambini e adulti non vedenti o non udenti potranno partecipare allo stesso gioco insieme.Il risultato sarà un gioco collaborativo dove i sensi si uniranno per sostenersi a vicenda permettendo quindi di dimostrare una forma di inclusione naturale.
Multiability Game Multisensoriale: breaking barriers with the power of senses Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2021-11-11 | IIT U-Vip team, coordinated by ERC Winner Monica Gori, investigates how senses can be used to develop inclusive environments for kids with and without disabilities.
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) - Where science comes true (English version) Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2021-10-25 | The Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology – IIT) is a scientific research center financed by the Italian State that promotes technological development with the aim of supporting excellence in basic and applicative research to foster the development of the national economy. The research activity carried out by IIT is highly multi-disciplinary and focuses on four scientific domains: robotics, computational science, life-science technology and nanomaterials. IIT has an overall staff of 1890 people, 50% of whom are from more than 60 foreign countries worldwide. The average age of IIT personnel is 35 and 42% are women. IIT counts about 15,000 publications, over 200 active European projects and 50 ERC projects, more than 1,000 active patents, 27 start-ups established and about 40 in the launch stage. In addition at the Central Research Laboratories, a network consisting of 4 branches located in the Genoa area, IIT has 11 research centers spread throughout the country (in Turin, two in Milan, Trento, Rome, two in Pisa, Naples, Lecce, Ferrara and Venice) and 2 outstations abroad (MIT and Harvard, in the USA). www.iit.it
Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) - Where science comes true Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2021-10-25 | L’Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) è un centro di ricerca scientifica finanziato dallo Stato che promuove lo sviluppo tecnologico con l'obiettivo di sostenere l'eccellenza nella ricerca di base e in quella applicata per favorire lo sviluppo del sistema economico nazionale. L’attività di ricerca di IIT è caratterizzata da una forte multidisciplinarietà e afferisce a quattro aree scientifiche: robotica, scienze computazionali, tecnologie per la scienza della vita e nanomateriali. Lo staff complessivo di IIT conta 1890 persone, di queste circa il 50% proviene dall’estero, da oltre 60 Paesi nel mondo. L’età media del personale IIT è di 35 anni e il 42% è rappresentato da donne. La produzione di IIT ad oggi vanta oltre 15000 pubblicazioni, oltre 200 progetti Europei attivi e 50 progetti ERC, più di 1000 titoli di brevetti attivi, 27 start-up costituite e più di 40 in fase di lancio. Oltre ai Central Research Laboratories, un network costituito da 4 sedi dislocate sul territorio genovese, IIT conta 11 centri di ricerca distribuiti sul territorio nazionale (a Torino, due a Milano, Trento, Roma, due a Pisa, Napoli, Lecce, Ferrara e Venezia) e 2 outstation all’estero (MIT ed Harvard negli USA). www.iit.it
Humans play in competition with a humanoid robot Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2021-09-03 | Researchers at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (S4HRI lab, coordinated by Agnieszka Wykowska) investigated whether a humanoid robot’s gaze influences the way people reason in a social decision-making context. What they found is that a mutual gaze with a robot affects human neural activity, influencing decision-making processes, in particular delaying them. These findings have strong implications for contexts where humanoids may find applications such as co-workers, clinical support or domestic assistants.Link to the study: Marwen Belkaid and Kyveli Kompatsiari, Davide de Tommaso, Ingrid Zablith, and Agnieszka Wykowska, “Mutual gaze with a robot affects human neural activity and delays decision-making processes”, Science Robotics, doi: 10.1126/scirobotics.abc5044The research is supported by the European Research Council.
Emozioni, mascherine e bambini dai 3 ai 5 anni Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2021-06-10 | Il team di ricerca, guidato da Monica Gori, U-Vip (Unit for Visually Impaired People) dell’Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) ha recentemente pubblicato su Frontiers in Psychology uno studio che dimostra per la prima volta, come i bambini dai 3 ai 5 anni abbiamo problemi a riconoscere le emozioni di persone che indossano mascherine chirurgiche. Questo effetto collaterale delle misure di prevenzione nell’ambito della emergenza sanitaria Covid-19 potrebbe influenzare il corretto sviluppo delle capacità di interazione sociale nei bambini.Per approfondimenti:frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.669432/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Psychology&id=669432
Robot Teleoperativo – IIT’s new advanced robotic teleoperation system, in collaboration with INAIL Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2021-05-28 | The Robot Teleoperativo is a new robotics result achieved at IIT, in collaboration with INAIL (Italian National Worker’s Compensation Authority). It combines the rugged locomotion of the HyQReal robot with dexterous and powerful manipulation assured by a new robotic arm, controlled by immersive VR visualization and haptic teleoperation. It represents a significant contribution to the state-of-the-art robotics dedicated to intervention on unstructured, difficult terrain environments, requiring powerful capabilities. The human operator can always be in control, not being replaced by the robot but substituted and assisted by it, in the case of situations where humans may be exposed to risks for their health, such as disaster response or emergency in nuclear, marine, chemical, oil-&-gas, environments. For more details: https://advr.iit.it/projects/inail-scc/teleoperazione
What Im up to with Leonardo Badino Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2021-05-18 | Leonardo Bardino PhD, Head of the R&D Lab @ PerVoice and IIT Alumnus.25th of May 2021, h.2:30 PMYou can register here: forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=XkYvv3Ufb0u-Kb9TJzvB2sMcbf-VOu1EghT6DhMW6SVUOUlOOUkyVlZNS1FOUjBOUTdLQlFMVjhWMC4u
Elisa Castagnola at IIT Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2021-03-31 | Elisa Castagnola, Research Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh and IIT Alumna, virtually "coming back" to IIT to tell us about her career.
IEEE Prize - Arash Ajoudani Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2021-03-29 | The researcher Arash Ajoudani, tenured senior scientist leading the Human-Robot Interfaces and Physical Interaction (HRI²) laboratory at IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, has won the prestigious IEEE RAS Early Career Award 2021: it represents the first time ever for a researcher based in Italy. The award is bestowed on individuals in the early stage of their career, who have made an identifiable contribution or contributions, which have had a major impact on the robotics and/or automation fields. Ajoudani, according to the international IEEE RAS experts, contributed “to the theory and technology of (ergonomic) human-robot collaboration and telerobotics", a field which is fundamental for making the industry more competitive and safer in the nearly future.
Giornata Internazionale delle Donne e delle Ragazze nella Scienza - 11/02/2021 Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2021-02-11 | L’Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia - IIT anche quest’anno sostiene la Giornata Internazionale delle Donne e Ragazze nella Scienza - International Day of Women and Girls in Science – istituita dall’Assemblea Generale delle Nazioni Unite nel 2015 e giunta alla sua sesta edizione. IIT prende parte all’iniziativa attraverso la realizzazione di un video corale composto da video selfie girati dalle stesse ricercatrici all’interno dei laboratori o negli uffici in cui lavorano abitualmente, per promuovere “la piena ed equa partecipazione di donne e ragazze nelle scienze, in materia di istruzione, formazione, occupazione e processi decisionali”. Nel video, a rappresentanza di tutte le ricercatici IIT, ne compaiono 12 tra junior e senior: Chiara Bartolozzi, coordinatrice della linea di ricerca Neuromorphic technology for robotics, Monica Gori, Alessandra Sciutti e Teresa Pellegrino, tutte e 3 vincitrici di progetti ERC finanziati dal European Research Council, Marianna Semprini, Giulia Suarato, Corinne Portioli, Greta Visintin, Fatima Ghandour, Maria Fossati, Martina Lenzuni e Annalisa Savardi.
ELFO project: research on edible electronics takes off Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2021-01-11 | Mario Caironi and his team at IIT describe the goals and challenges of the recently started ERC project “Elfo” on Edible Electronics. In 2019, Caironi has won a 2-million-euro ERC consolidator grant for the ELFO Project, which explores the edible electronics field. The research activities will lead to the creation of two demonstrators: an ingestible electronic pill, capable of both detecting the pH level and releasing certain drugs into the intestine on command. The second will be a radio-frequency intelligent label that will be used inside or on the surface of food to check its conservation and to avoid alteration in the food chain. https://elfoproject.eu/
Political Epistemology of Pandemic Management Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2021-01-08 | In times of global pandemics, medical history takes on an unprecedented relevance while Foucauldian claims about the contiguity of health management and modern societal organization bring biopolitical concerns to the forefront. In this talk, we offer historical-political insights on the covid-19 pandemic, which we see as particularly urgent, as both the temporal and the cultural-political dimensions have been neglected or addressed with inapt instruments in current debates on medical science, technical expertise and society.Pietro Daniel Omodeo first introduces our collective political- epistemological approach; Flavio D’Abramo then discusses the entanglements of medical expertise, economic interests and surveillance politics in the past; third, Charles Wolfe addresses the limitations entailed in Italian theory’s biopolitica. We conclude with a reappraisal of the view on the non-neutrality of science and a call to scientists’ responsibility in consideration of the societal embedment of their activity. Yet, the task of an emancipated science is not only in their hands but depends on our collective capacity to organically connect their work to the renewal of the body politics at large.
IIT and INAIL are working together to increase safety of workers Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2020-12-22 | IIT and INAIL are working together to increase safety of workers in hazardous environments. Here’s a quick look at the latest results. More to come… stay tuned! For more details: https://advr.iit.it/projects/inail-scc/teleoperazione
Proboscis Project Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2020-12-21 | H2020-FETOPEN-2019-01PROBOSCISPROBOSCIdean Sensitive soft robot for versatile grippingFET Open Challenging Current ThinkingResearch and Innovation ActionGrant agreement n. 863212The elephant proboscis is a highly versatile organ by which elephants sense and interact with the world, by performing both strong and delicate tasks supported by more than a hundred thousand muscles, no bones, and a sensitive skin.Starting from investigations on the natural proboscis, PROBOSCIS envisions a new generation of universal robotic manipulators, having no distinction between soft arm and a gripper, displaying high versatility because of morphological intelligence, soft body adaptability, and distributed sensing.
Social Isolation and its Impact on the Human Brain Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2020-11-30 | Associate Professor Danilo Bzdok - McGill University, tells us about the benefits of social bonds and the neuro-cognitive basis of social isolation and its impact on our lives, especially in times of lockdown and global pandemic such as those we are all living today.
Science Communication and Public Engagement during a Global Pandemic - with Stuart Higgins Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2020-11-23 | The COVID-19 global pandemic is a sad reminder of the importance of science communication and public engagement. As governments and health organisations have sought to tackle the virus, many (but not all) have turned to epidemiologists and disease specialists to develop policy and medical interventions, in an attempt to save lives. For the existing public engagement community, the inability to meet people in person has severely curtailed most activities. Ironically, this is at a time where entering into a dialogue about research has become most valuable. Scientific research can provide advice on how to handle a pandemic, but ultimately it is the responsibility of societies and individuals to decide how to act. With many interventions often resulting in stringent restrictions on personal freedoms, effective communication and engagement is crucial to provide clear justifications for how to act.In this talk, I will reflect on how the pandemic has both positively and negatively affected a selection of existing pre-pandemic science communication and public engagement projects, as well as the emergence of new ideas. And how, as many have looked to scientists for answers, a reminder of the need to respect the boundaries of our own abilities and disciplines.
IIT and the World Science Day for Peace and Development Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2020-11-10 | On the 10th of November the UN celebrates the World Science Day for Peace and Development and we talked to Giorgio Metta, Scientific Director of the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, to find out more on how science can contribute to a better world.
iCub Reactive Walking Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2020-10-09 | This video shows the latest results in the whole-body locomotion control of the humanoid robot iCub achieved by the Dynamic Interaction Control line (https://dic.iit.it/). In particular, the iCub now keeps the balance while walking and receiving pushes from an external user. The implemented control algorithms also ensure the robot to remain compliant during locomotion and human-robot interaction, a fundamental property to lower the possibility to harm humans that share the robot surrounding environment. The algorithms have been published in the proceedings of the 2019 IEEE-RAS 19th International Conference on Humanoid Robots (Humanoids) ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9034996 and the video shows their validation on the humanoid robot iCub.
Live event - What investors look for in a changed world, with Rector Verona and IIT DG Montanari Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2020-09-25 | Science in times of COVID is a cycle of online meetings organized by IIT Alumni Office."What investors look for in a changed world", was the first of a series of four seminars with Rector of Università Bocconi Gianmario Verona as guest.The event was in English and moderated by IIT Director General Gianmarco Montanari.
PROBOSCIS - PROBOSCIdean Sensitive soft robot for versatile gripping Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2020-09-23 | H2020-FETOPEN-2019-01PROBOSCISPROBOSCIdean Sensitive soft robot for versatile grippingFET Open Challenging Current ThinkingResearch and Innovation ActionGrant agreement n. 863212The proboscis is a highly versatile organ by which elephants sense the world and interact with it, performing both strong and delicate tasks supported by more than a hundred thousand muscles, no bones, and a robust but sensitive skin.Starting from investigations of the African bush elephant, PROBOSCIS envisions a totally new generation of universal robotic manipulators, having no distinction between soft arm and a gripper, displaying high versatility because of morphological intelligence, soft body adaptability and distributed tactile sensing.https://www.proboscis.eu/
Aworld - AI powered visual localization Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2020-06-26 | AWorld is a business project developed by a research team of the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) led by Alessio Del Bue and represents an innovative idea to create Augmented Reality (AR) content. AWorld creates an app available on Android that allows through the camera of the smartphone to perceive the 3D space where the user lives, locating objects and "anchoring" them to digital content. In this way you can create an augmented world where digital information (a web page, a video, photos) can be viewed instantly by pointing your smartphone's camera at these objects. The app is based on the development of state-of-the-art algorithms in computer vision and deep learning. This technology is needed by AWorld to create an experience as simple as possible in the creation of the AR world with a few clicks on the screen of the smartphone. Today, the market of AR is expanding exponentially, but an easy-to-use tool for AR content creation is still not readily accessible. The AWorld's technological solution tries to fill this gap by releasing the infinite potential of digital content to complement the real world, finally making the AR accessible anywhere and by anyone.
Scienzainvideo - Il Baule di Newton Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2020-06-05 | Alberto Diaspro, Direttore del team di Nanofisica di IIT e Professore Ordinario all'Università di Genova, chiude il ciclo delle lezioni di #Scienzainvideo con un favola, "Il Baule di Newton". Il Baule di Newton contiene tutto quello che is può immaginare, un po' come l'Aleph di Borges, come il luogo da cui è possibile vedere tutto. Il Baule di Newton è la favola di un Re e di due bambini, Aretto e Ninetta. I bambini si troveranno, come nella migliore tradizione del Piccolo Principe, a dover spiegare le cose agli adulti. Racconteranno delle bioplastiche e dei robot soffici, faranno incontrare al Re il cucciolo di robot e gli mostreranno la mano robotica. Faranno insieme il salto tecnologico dell'era del grafene e vedranno con un pezzo di vetro e la luce dell'arcobaleno quello che gli occhi non vedono. Vedranno neuroni colorati e si lasceranno con una promessa, promessa di Re. Quale? Beh, ascoltate la favola, vi piacerà.
Scienziainvideo - Tecnologie e beni culturali: strumenti moderni per misteri antichi Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 2020-05-29 | Francesca Di Turo, ricercatrice del Center for Cultural Heritage Technology (CCHT), il centro di ricerca dell’Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia di Venezia, ci porterà alla scoperta dell’archeometria, un ambito di ricerca che permette di studiare i materiali antichi con le moderne tecniche analitiche, ricostruendo la storia di un oggetto, dalla sua produzione, al ritrovamento sotto forma di reperto archeologico. Attraverso la presentazione di un caso di studio la ricercatrice mostrerà come il progresso e le nuove tecnologie hanno consentito di rivelare la storia di una collezione di monete proveniente dall’antica Aquileia: le analisi superficiali riflettono le vicende storiche e conservative della collezione. Questi risultati si sono dimostrati essenziali per salvaguardare i reperti stessi, dando informazioni utili per lavorare in laboratorio alla realizzazione di rivestimenti protettivi ad hoc per questi materiali, estremamente eterogenei e preziosi.
