@article {4376, title = {Force/Torque-Sensorless Joint Stiffness Estimation in Articulated Soft Robots}, journal = {IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS}, year = {2022}, month = {05/2022}, abstract = {

Currently, the access to the knowledge of stiffness values is typically constrained to a-priori identified models or datasheet information, which either do not usually take into account the full range of possible stiffness values or need extensive experiments. This work tackles the challenge of stiffness estimation in articulated soft manipulators, and it proposes an innovative solution adding value to the previous research by removing the necessity for force/torque sensors and generalizing to multi-degree-of-freedom robots. Built upon the theory of unknown input-state observers and recursive least-square algorithms, the solution is independent of the actuator model parameters and its internal control signals. The validity of the approach is proven analytically for single and multiple degree-offreedom robots. The obtained estimators are first evaluated via simulations on articulated soft robots with different actuations and then tested in experiments with real robotic setups using antagonistic variable stiffness actuators.

}, keywords = {Calibration and Identification, Compliant Joints and Mechanisms, Flexible Robots, Safety in HRI}, author = {Maja Trumic and Giorgio Grioli and Kosta Jovanovic and Adriano Fagiolini} } @article {4318, title = {Comparison between rigid and soft poly-articulated prosthetic hands in non-expert myo-electric users shows advantages of soft robotics.}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {11}, year = {2021}, month = {12/2021}, chapter = {1}, abstract = {

Notwithstanding the advancement of modern bionic hands and the large variety of prosthetic hands in the market, commercial devices still present limited acceptance and percentage of daily use. While commercial prostheses present rigid mechanical structures, emerging trends in the design of robotic hands are moving towards soft technologies. Although this approach is inspired by nature and could be promising for prosthetic applications, there is scant literature concerning its benefits for end-users and in real-life scenarios. In this work, we evaluate and assess the role and the benefits of soft robotic technologies in the field of prosthetics. We propose a thorough comparison between rigid and soft characteristics of two poly-articulated hands in 5 non-expert myo-electric prosthesis users in pre- and post-therapeutic training conditions. The protocol includes two standard functional assessments, three surveys for user-perception, and three customized tests to evaluate the sense of embodiment. Results highlight that rigid hands provide a more precise grasp, while soft properties show higher functionalities thanks to their adaptability to different requirements, intuitive use and more natural execution of activities of daily living. This comprehensive evaluation suggests that softness could also promote a quick integration of the system in non-expert users.

}, isbn = {ISSN 2045-2322}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-02562-y}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-02562-y}, author = {Capsi-Morales, Patricia and Piazza, Cristina and Catalano, Manuel G. and Grioli, Giorgio and Schiavon, Lisa and Fiaschi, Elena and Bicchi, Antonio} } @article {3751, title = {Exploiting Adaptability in Soft Feet for Sensing Contact Forces}, journal = { IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters}, volume = {5}, year = {2019}, month = {11/2019}, chapter = {391}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1109/LRA.2019.2952292}, url = {https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8894422}, author = {D. Mura and C. Della Santina and C. Piazza and I. Frizza and C. Morandi and M. Garabini and G. Grioli and M. G. Catalano} } @article {3709, title = {Guest Editorial Neuro-Robotics Systems: Sensing, Cognition, Learning, and Control}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems }, year = {2019}, author = {Z. Li and F. Chen and A. Bicchi and Y. Sun and T. Fukuda} } @article {4221, title = {Lateralization of directional brain-heart information transfer during visual emotional elicitation}, journal = {American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology}, volume = {317}, year = {2019}, pages = {R25{\textendash}R38}, author = {Greco, Alberto and Faes, Luca and Catrambone, Vincenzo and Barbieri, Riccardo and Scilingo, Enzo Pasquale and Valenza, Gaetano} } @article {3621, title = {Learning From Humans How to Grasp: A Data-Driven Architecture for Autonomous Grasping With Anthropomorphic Soft Hands}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters}, volume = {4}, year = {2019}, month = {April}, pages = {1533-1540}, keywords = {Computer architecture, Control, Deep Learning in Robotics and Automation, Grasping, Learning for Soft Robots, Modeling, Natural Machine Motion, Neural networks, Robot sensing systems, Uncertainty, Videos}, issn = {2377-3766}, doi = {10.1109/LRA.2019.2896485}, author = {C. D. Santina and V. Arapi and G. Averta and F. Damiani and G. Fiore and A Settimi and M. G. Catalano and D. Bacciu and A. Bicchi and M. Bianchi} } @conference {3150, title = {A real-time identification and tracking method for the musculoskeletal model of human arm}, booktitle = {2018 IEEE International Conference on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics (SMC) }, year = {2019}, author = {C. Fang and A. Ajoudani and A. Bicchi and N. G. Tsagarakis} } @article {3642, title = {Relaying the High-Frequency Contents of TactileFeedback to Robotic Prosthesis Users: Design,Filtering, Implementation, and Validation}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters}, volume = {Volume: 4 , Issue: 2 , April 2019}, year = {2019}, month = {01/2019}, author = {S. Fani and K. Di Blasio and M. Bianchi and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi} } @proceedings {3698, title = {Towards the Design of Robotic Drivers for Full-Scale Self-Driving Racing Cars}, year = {2019}, author = {D. Caporale and A Settimi and F. Massa and F. Amerotti and A. Corti and A. Fagiolini and M. Guiggiani and A. Bicchi and L. Pallottino} } @article {3655, title = {Wearable haptic interfaces for applications in gynecologic robotic surgery: a proof of concept in robotic myomectomy.}, journal = {Journal of Robotic Surgery }, year = {2019}, author = {A. Giannini and M. Bianchi and D. Doria and S. Fani and M. Caretto and A. Bicchi and T. Simoncini} } @conference {3682, title = {Advanced grasping with the Pisa/IIT softHand}, booktitle = {Robotic Grasping and Manipulation Challenge }, year = {2018}, pages = {pp. 19-38}, author = {M. Bonilla and C. Della Santina and A. Rocchi and E. Luberto and G. Santaera and E. Farnioli and C. Piazza and F. Bonomo and A. Brando and A. Raugi and M. G. Catalano and M. Bianchi and M. Garabini and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi} } @article {3377, title = {Aerial Co-Manipulation With Cables: The Role of Internal Force for Equilibria, Stability, and Passivity}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters}, volume = {3}, year = {2018}, month = {July}, pages = {2577-2583}, keywords = {Admittance, Aerial systems: mechanics and control, distributed robot systems, Force, mobile manipulation, multi-robot systems, Robot kinematics, Stability criteria, Transportation}, doi = {10.1109/LRA.2018.2803811}, author = {M. Tognon and C. Gabellieri and L. Pallottino and A. Franchi} } @conference {3531, title = {A Planning and Control System for Self-Driving Racing Vehicles}, booktitle = {2018 IEEE 4th International Forum on Research and Technology for Society and Industry (RTSI)}, year = {2018}, month = {Sept}, pages = {1-6}, address = {Palermo, Italy}, doi = {10.1109/RTSI.2018.8548444}, author = {D. Caporale and A. Fagiolini and L. Pallottino and A Settimi and A. Biondo and F. Amerotti and F. Massa and S. De Caro and A. Corti and L. Venturini} } @conference {3451, title = {Separating haptic guidance from task dynamics: A practical solution via cutaneous devices}, booktitle = {2018 IEEE Haptics Symposium (HAPTICS)}, year = {2018}, month = {March}, pages = {20-25}, keywords = {Biomechanics, cutaneous forces, cutaneous guidance, Dynamics, Exoskeletons, guidance condition, guidance cues, guidance forces, haptic feedback, haptic guidance, haptic interfaces, human movement, kinesthetic guidance, rendering (computer graphics), separate haptic cues, Skin, Task analysis, task completion strategies, task complexity, task dynamics, task forces, Training, Trajectory, Wrist}, doi = {10.1109/HAPTICS.2018.8357147}, author = {E. Pezent and S. Fani and J. Bradley and M. Bianchi and M. K. O{\textquoteright}Malley} } @article {3448, title = {Simplifying Telerobotics: Wearability and Teleimpedance Improves Human-Robot Interactions in Teleoperation}, journal = {IEEE Robotics Automation Magazine}, volume = {25}, year = {2018}, month = {March}, pages = {77-88}, keywords = {application fields, augmented teleoperation, Autonomous robots, communication, effective design, effective simplification, environmental constraints, feedback, Force feedback, fundamental requirement, haptic feedback devices, haptic interfaces, human workspace, human-robot interaction, human-robot interactions, human-robot interfaces, ideal scenario, integrated approach, integrated interface, integrated system, interaction forces, intuitive information exchange, Kinematics, KUKA lightweight robotic arm, lightweight design, manipulators, master, position control, reduced versions, Robot sensing systems, robotic devices, robotic hand-arm system, robotic manipulator, robotic teleoperation, simplified information exchange, slave robot, stiffness control, synergy, Task analysis, teleimpedance techniques, Telemedicine, teleoperator system, telerobotics, TI control, vision, wearability, wearable feedback, wearable hand/arm}, issn = {1070-9932}, doi = {10.1109/MRA.2017.2741579}, author = {S. Fani and S. Ciotti and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and A. Tognetti and G. Valenza and A. Ajoudani and M. Bianchi} } @conference {3562, title = {A Study on Force-Based Collaboration in Flying Swarms}, booktitle = {Proc. of Swarm Intelligence}, year = {2018}, pages = {3{\textendash}15}, publisher = {Springer International Publishing}, organization = {Springer International Publishing}, address = {Cham}, isbn = {978-3-030-00533-7}, author = {C. Gabellieri and M. Tognon and L. Pallottino and A. Franchi} } @inbook {3381, title = {WALK-MAN Humanoid Platform}, booktitle = {The DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals: Humanoid Robots To The Rescue}, volume = {121}, number = {The DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals: Humanoid Robots To The Rescue}, year = {2018}, pages = {495{\textendash}548}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-74666-1_13}, author = {N. G. Tsagarakis and F. Negrello and M. Garabini and W. Choi and L. Baccelliere and V. G. Loc and J. Noorden and M. G. Catalano and M. Ferrati and L. Muratore and P. Kryczka and E. Mingo Hoffman and A Settimi and A. Rocchi and A. Margan and S. Cordasco and D. Kanoulas and A. Cardellino and L. Natale and H. Dallali and J. Malzahn and N. Kashiri and V. Varricchio and L. Pallottino and C. Pavan and J. Lee and A. Ajoudani and D. G. Caldwell and A. Bicchi} } @article {3217, title = {W-FYD: a Wearable Fabric-based Display for Haptic Multi-Cue Delivery and Tactile Augmented Reality}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Haptics}, volume = {11}, year = {2018}, pages = {304 - 316}, chapter = {304}, abstract = {

Despite the importance of softness, there is no evidence of wearable haptic systems able to deliver controllable softness cues. Here, we present the Wearable Fabric Yielding Display (W-FYD), a fabric-based display for multi-cue delivery that can be worn on user{\textquoteright}s finger and enables, for the first time, both active and passive softness exploration. It can also induce a sliding effect under the finger-pad. A given stiffness profile can be obtained by modulating the stretching state of the fabric through two motors. Furthermore, a lifting mechanism allows to put the fabric in contact with the user{\textquoteright}s finger-pad, to enable passive softness rendering. In this paper, we describe the architecture of W-FYD, and a thorough characterization of its stiffness workspace, frequency response and softness rendering capabilities. We also computed device Just Noticeable Difference in both active and passive exploratory conditions, for linear and non-linear stiffness rendering as well as for sliding direction perception. The effect of device weight was also considered. Furthermore, performance of participants and their subjective quantitative evaluation in detecting sliding direction and softness discrimination tasks are reported. Finally, applications of W-FYD in tactile augmented reality for open palpation are discussed, opening interesting perspectives in many fields of human-machine interaction.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, issn = {1939-1412}, doi = {10.1109/TOH.2017.2708717}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8003491/}, author = {S. Fani and S. Ciotti and E. Battaglia and A. Moscatelli and M. Bianchi} } @conference {3222, title = {Characterization of Hand Movements using a Sensing Glove in Hand Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the second International Conference on Medical Information and Bioengineering}, year = {2017}, abstract = {

The past thirty years have seen increasingly rapid advances in the field of laparoscopic surgery, in part because of the use of robots. A well-known example is the da Vinci surgical system. However, far too little attention has been paid to Hand Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery (HALS), a surgery in which the surgeon introduces the non-dominant hand into the abdomen of the patient. The risk of collision between the hand of the surgeon and the tool moved by the robot is the reason why these robots for laparoscopic surgery are not appropriate for HALS. On the other hand, in recent years, there has been an increasing interest in wearables, which have been introduced in our daily life. This interest and the lack of surgery robots for HALS are the reasons to develop a sensing glove which co-works whit a collaborative robot in this kind of surgery. The aim of this paper is to study the use of a sensing glove which will provide information of the movements of the surgeon{\quotesinglbase}{\"A}{\^o}s hand to the collaborative robot. This information determinates the actions that the robot will carry on. The first step was to define different movements of the hand which could be identified. An algorithm identifies these movements using the data given by the sensing glove. For the purpose of algorithm accuracy measurement, 4 persons wearing the sensing glove made a sequence with different movements. The evidence from this study suggests that a sensing glove can be used to send information of the movements of the surgeon{\quotesinglbase}{\"A}{\^o}s hand to a collaborative robot during a HALS.

}, author = {L. Santos and N. Carbonaro and A. Tognetti and Gonzales, R. and J. C. Fraile and J. P. Turiel and E. De La Fuente} } @conference {3141, title = {Distributed Task-priority Based Control in Area Coverage \& Adaptive Sampling}, booktitle = {MTS/IEEE Oceans 2017}, year = {2017}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Aberdeen, Scotland, June 2017}, abstract = {

The paper presents the first simulative results and algorithmic developments of the task-priority based control applied to a distributed sampling network in an area coverage or adaptive sampling mission scenario. The proposed approach allowing the fulfilment of a chain of tasks with decreasing priority each of which directly related to both operability and safety aspects of the entire mission. The task-priority control is presented both in the centralized and decentralized implementations showing a comparison of performance. Finally simulations of the area coverage mission scenario are provided showing the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {T. Fabbri and E. Simetti and G. Casalino and L. Pallottino and A. Caiti} } @conference {3365, title = {From humans to robots: The role of cutaneous impairment in human environmental constraint exploitation to inform the design of robotic hands}, booktitle = {Ultra Modern Telecommunications and Control Systems and Workshops (ICUMT), 2017 9th International Congress on}, year = {2017}, note = {

This work has been awarded with the "Best Student Paper Award" and the "Best Paper in Session - Robotics"

}, pages = {179{\textendash}184}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Munich}, abstract = {

Human hands are capable of a variety of movements, thanks to their extraordinary biomechanical structure and rely- ing on the richness of human tactile information. Recently, soft robotic hands have opened exciting possibilities and, at the same time, new issues related to planning and control. In this work, we propose to study human strategies in environmental constraint exploitation to grasp objects from a table. We have considered both the case where participants{\textquoteright} fingertips were free and with a rigid shell worn on them to understand the role of cutaneous touch. Main kinematic strategies were quantified and classified in an unsupervised manner. The principal strategies appear to be consistent in both experimental conditions, although cluster cardinality differs. Furthermore, as expected, tactile feedback improves both grasp precision and quality performance. Results opens interesting perspective for sensing and control of soft manipulators.

}, author = {G. Averta and C. Della Santina and E. Battaglia and S. Ciotti and V. Arapi and S. Fani and M. Bianchi} } @conference {3728, title = {Heart rate variability analysis during muscle fatigue due to prolonged isometric contraction}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS}, year = {2017}, doi = {10.1109/EMBC.2017.8037076}, author = {A. Guidi and A. Greco and F. Felici and A. Leo and E. Ricciardi and M. Bianchi and A. Bicchi and G. Valenza and E. P. Scilingo} } @conference {3727, title = {Muscle fatigue assessment through electrodermal activity analysis during isometric contraction}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS}, year = {2017}, doi = {10.1109/EMBC.2017.8036846}, author = {A. Greco and A. Guidi and F. Felici and A. Leo and E. Ricciardi and M. Bianchi and A. Bicchi and L. Citi and G. Valenza and E. P. Scilingo} } @article {3138, title = {Online Model Based Estimation of Complete Joint Stiffness of Human Arm}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters}, volume = {3}, year = {2017}, month = {01/2018}, pages = {84 - 91}, abstract = {

The endpoint stiffness of the human arm has been long recognized as a key component ensuring the quasi-static stability of the arm physical interactions with the external world. Similarly, the understanding of the joint stiffness behavior can provide complementary insights, e.g., on the underlying stiffness regulation principles across different joints including the nullspace stiffness profiles. Traditionally, the experimental modeling and estimation of the human arm joint stiffness is achieved by the transformation of the identified arm endpoint stiffness to the joint coordinates. Due to the underlying kinematic redundancy, the obtained joint stiffness matrix is rank-deficient which implies that the information in the joint stiffness matrix is incomplete. While in robotics applications this issue can be addressed by designing a desired nullspace stiffness behavior through appropriate projections, the use of a similar technique in the identification of human joint stiffness profile is meaningless. Hence, the first objective of this work is to address this issue by developing a novel technique to identify the complete and physiologically meaningful joint stiffness of human arm. Second, we present a model-based online estimation technique to estimate the seven-dimensional complete joint stiffness in various arm poses and activation levels of the two dominant arm muscles that correspond to the geometric and volume modifications of the joint stiffness profile, respectively.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/LRA.2017.2731524}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7990237/}, author = {C. Fang and A. Ajoudani and A. Bicchi and N. G. Tsagarakis} } @conference {3157, title = {Online Model Based Estimation of Complete Joint Stiffness of Human Arm}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference of Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS2017)}, year = {2017}, address = {Vancouver, Canada, September 24{\textendash}28, 2017}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {C. Fang and A. Ajoudani and A. Bicchi and N. G. Tsagarakis} } @article {3216, title = {Postural Hand Synergies during Environmental Constraint Exploitation}, journal = {Fronters in Neurorobotics}, year = {2017}, month = {08/2017}, abstract = {

Humans are able to intuitively exploit the shape of an object and environmental constraints to achieve stable grasps and perform dexterous manipulations. In doing that, a vast range of kinematic strategies can be observed. However, in this work we formulate the hypothesis that such ability can be described in terms of a synergistic behavior in the generation of hand postures, i.e., using a reduced set of commonly used kinematic patterns. This is in analogy with previous studies showing the presence of such behavior in different tasks, such as grasping. We investigated this hypothesis in experiments performed by six subjects, who were asked to grasp objects from a flat surface. We quantitatively characterized hand posture behavior from a kinematic perspective, i.e., the hand joint angles, in both pre-shaping and during the interaction with the environment. To determine the role of tactile feedback, we repeated the same experiments but with subjects wearing a rigid shell on the fingertips to reduce cutaneous afferent inputs. Results show the persistence of at least two postural synergies in all the considered experimental conditions and phases. Tactile impairment does not alter significantly the first two synergies, and contact with the environment generates a change only for higher order Principal Components. A good match also arises between the first synergy found in our analysis and the first synergy of grasping as quantified by previous work. The present study is motivated by the interest of learning from the human example, extracting lessons that can be applied in robot design and control. Thus, we conclude with a discussion on implications for robotics of our findings.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbot.2017.00041}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbot.2017.00041/full}, author = {C. Della Santina and M. Bianchi and G. Averta and S. Ciotti and V. Arapi and S. Fani and E. Battaglia and M. G. Catalano and M. Santello and A. Bicchi} } @article {3152, title = {Reduced-Complexity Representation of the Human Arm Active Endpoint Stiffness for Supervisory Control of Remote Manipulation}, journal = {International Journal of Robotics Research}, volume = {37}, year = {2017}, month = {11/2017}, chapter = {155}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1177\%2F0278364917744035}, url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0278364917744035}, author = {A. Ajoudani and C. Fang and N. G. Tsagarakis and A. Bicchi} } @conference {3122, title = {Tactile Slip and Hand Displacement: Bending Hand Motion with Tactile Illusions}, booktitle = {IEEE World Haptic Conference}, year = {2017}, note = {

\ This work is supported in part by the European Research Council under the Advanced Grant SoftHands {\textquotedblleft}A Theory of Soft Synergies for a New Generation of Artificial Hands{\textquotedblright} no. ERC-291166, by the EU H2020 project {\textquotedblleft}SOFTPRO: Synergy-based Open-source Foundations and Technologies for Prosthetics and RehabilitatiOn{\textquotedblright} (no. 688857) and by the EU FP7 project (no. 601165), {\textquotedblleft}WEARable HAPtics for Humans and Robots (WEARHAP){\textquotedblright}. We thank Priscilla Balestrucci and Colleen P. Ryan for helpful comments and suggestions.

}, month = {06/2017}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {F{\"u}rstenfeldbruck (Munich), Germany, June 6-9, 2017}, abstract = {

Touch provides an important cue to perceive the physical properties of the external objects. Recent studies showed that tactile sensation also contributes to our sense of hand position and displacement in perceptual tasks. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that, sliding our hand over a stationary surface, tactile motion may provide a feedback for guiding hand trajectory. We asked participants to touch a plate having parallel ridges at different orientations and to perform a self-paced, straight movement of the hand. In our daily-life experience, tactile slip motion is equal and opposite to hand motion. Here, we used a well-established perceptual illusion to dissociate, in a controlled manner, the two motion estimates. According to previous studies, this stimulus produces a bias in the perceived direction of tactile motion, predicted by tactile flow model. We showed a systematic deviation in the movement of the hand towards a direction opposite to the one predicted by tactile flow, supporting the hypothesis that touch contributes to motor control of the hand. We suggested a model where the perceived hand motion is equal to a weighted sum of the estimate from classical proprioceptive cues (e.g., from musculoskeletal system) and the estimate from tactile slip.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {M. Bianchi and A. Moscatelli and S. Ciotti and G. C. Bettelani and F. Fioretti and F. Lacquaniti and A. Bicchi} } @article {3363, title = {Unvealing the principal modes of human upper limb movements through functional analysis}, journal = {Frontiers in Robotics and AI}, volume = {4}, year = {2017}, pages = {37}, abstract = {

The rich variety of human upper limb movements requires an extraordinary coordination of different joints according to specific spatio-temporal patterns. However, unvealing these motor schemes is a challenging task. Principal components have been often used for analogous purposes, but such an approach relies on hypothesis of temporal uncorrelation of upper limb poses in time. To overcome these limitations, in this work, we leverage on functional principal component analysis (fPCA). We carried out experiments with 7 subjects performing a set of most significant human actions, selected considering state-of-the-art grasp taxonomies and human kinematic workspace. fPCA results show that human upper limb trajectories can be reconstructed by a linear combination of few principal time-dependent functions, with a first component alone explaining around 60/70\% of the observed behaviors. This allows to infer that in daily living activities humans reduce the complexity of movement by modulating their motions through a reduced set of few principal patterns. Finally, we discuss how this approach could be profitably applied in robotics and bioengineering, opening fascinating perspectives to advance the state of the art of artificial systems, as it was the case of hand synergies.

}, author = {G. Averta and C. Della Santina and E. Battaglia and F. Felici and M. Bianchi and A. Bicchi} } @article {3137, title = {WALK-MAN: A High-Performance Humanoid Platform for Realistic Environments}, journal = {Journal of Field Robotics}, volume = {34}, year = {2017}, month = {06/2017}, pages = {1 - 34}, abstract = {

In this work, we present WALK-MAN, a humanoid platform that has been developed to operate in realistic unstructured environment, and demonstrate new skills including powerful manipulation, robust balanced locomotion, high-strength capabilities, and physical sturdiness. To enable these capabilities, WALK-MAN design and actuation are based on the most recent advancements of series elastic actuator drives with unique performance features that differentiate the robot from previous state-of-the-art compliant actuated robots. Physical interaction performance is benefited by both active and passive adaptation, thanks to WALK-MAN actuation that combines customized high-performance modules with tuned torque/velocity curves and transmission elasticity for high-speed adaptation response and motion reactions to disturbances. WALK-MAN design also includes innovative design optimization features that consider the selection of kinematic structure and the placement of the actuators with the body structure to maximize the robot performance. Physical robustness is ensured with the integration of elastic transmission, proprioceptive sensing, and control. The WALK-MAN hardware was designed and built in 11 months, and the prototype of the robot was ready four months before DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) Finals. The motion generation of WALK-MAN is based on the unified motion-generation framework of whole-body locomotion and manipulation (termed loco-manipulation). WALK-MAN is able to execute simple loco-manipulation behaviors synthesized by combining different primitives defining the behavior of the center of gravity, the motion of the hands, legs, and head, the body attitude and posture, and the constrained body parts such as joint limits and contacts. The motion-generation framework including the specific motion modules and software architecture is discussed in detail. A rich perception system allows the robot to perceive and generate 3D representations of the environment as well as detect contacts and sense physical interaction force and moments. The operator station that pilots use to control the robot provides a rich pilot interface with different control modes and a number of teleoperated or semiautonomous command features. The capability of the robot and the performance of the individual motion control and perception modules were validated during the DRC in which the robot was able to demonstrate exceptional physical resilience and execute some of the tasks during the competition.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, issn = {1556-4967}, doi = {10.1002/rob.21702}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/rob.21702/epdf}, author = {N. G. Tsagarakis and D. G. Caldwell and F. Negrello and W. Choi and L. Baccelliere and V. G. Loc and J. Noorden and L. Muratore and A. Margan and A. Cardellino and L. Natale and E. Mingo Hoffman and H. Dallali and N. Kashiri and J. Malzahn and J. Lee and P. Kryczka and D. Kanoulas and M. Garabini and M. G. Catalano and M. Ferrati and V. Varricchio and L. Pallottino and C. Pavan and A. Bicchi and A Settimi and A. Rocchi and A. Ajoudani} } @conference {2880, title = {APRICOT: Aerospace PRototypIng COntrol Toolbox. A Modeling and Simulation Environment for Aircraft Control Design}, booktitle = {International Workshop on Modelling and Simulation for Autonomous Systems MESAS 2016}, volume = {9991 of the book series Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS)}, year = {2016}, pages = {139 - 157}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, address = {Rome, Italy, June 15-16, 2016}, abstract = {

A novel MATLAB/Simulink based modeling and simulation environment for the design and rapid prototyping of state-of-the-art aircraft control systems is proposed. The toolbox, named APRICOT, is able to simulate the longitudinal and laterodirectional dynamics of an aircraft separately, as well as the complete 6 degrees of freedom dynamics. All details of the dynamics can be easily customized in the toolbox, some examples are shown in the paper. Moreover, different aircraft models can be easily integrated. The main goal of APRICOT is to provide a simulation environment to test and validate different control laws with different aircraft models. Hence, the proposed toolbox has applicability both for educational purposes and control rapid prototyping. With respect to similar software packages, APRICOT is customizable in all its aspects, and has been released as open source software. An interface with Flightgear Simulator allows for online visualization of the flight. Examples of control design with simulation experiments are reported and commented.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, doi = { 10.1007/978-3-319-47605-6_11}, url = {http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-47605-6_11}, author = {A. Ferrarelli and D. Caporale and A Settimi and L. Pallottino} } @conference {2878, title = {Assessing the Potential of Autonomous Multi-agent Surveillance in Asset Protection from Underwater Threats}, booktitle = {International Workshop on Modelling and Simulation for Autonomous Systems MESAS 2016}, volume = {9991 of the book series Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS)}, year = {2016}, pages = {204 - 213}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, address = {Rome, Italy, June 15-16, 2016}, abstract = {

A Serious Game (SG) system for the assessment of the potential of the multi-vehicle surveillance is presented. The SG system is applied to the problem of protection of strategic assets from underwater asymmetric threats. The SG platform integrates the active sonar performance evaluator able to estimate the real performance on the basis of the environmental conditions. The final goal is to provide new technology tools to realize a Decision Support System (DDS) to support the design phase of a naval unit. The SG system is developed in the framework of the ProDifCon project supported by the (DLTM) (Italy).

}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-47605-6_17}, url = {http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-47605-6_17}, author = {T. Fabbri and S. Nardi and L. Isgr{\`o} and L. Pallottino and A. Caiti} } @article {2844, title = {Assessment of Myoelectric Controller Performance and Kinematic Behavior of a Novel Soft Synergy-inspired Robotic Hand for Prosthetic Applications}, journal = {Frontiers in Neurorobotics}, volume = {10}, year = {2016}, month = {10/2016}, abstract = {

Myoelectric-artificial limbs can significantly advance the state of the art in prosthetics, since they can be used to control mechatronic devices through muscular activity in a way that mimics how the subjects used to activate their muscles before limb loss. However, surveys indicate that dissatisfaction with the functionality of terminal devices underlies the widespread abandonment of prostheses. We believe that one key factor to improve acceptability of prosthetic devices is to attain human-likeness of prosthesis movements, a goal which is being pursued by research on social and human-robot interactions. Therefore, to reduce early abandonment of terminal devices, we propose that controllers should be designed such as to ensure effective task accomplishment in a natural fashion. In this work, we have analyzed and compared the performance of three types of myoelectric controller algorithms based on surface electromyography to control an under-actuated and multi-degrees of freedom prosthetic hand, the SoftHand Pro. The goal of the present study was to identify the myoelectric algorithm that best mimics the native hand movements. As a preliminary step, we first quantified the repeatability of the SoftHand Pro finger movements and identified the electromyographic recording sites for able-bodied individuals with the highest signal-to-noise ratio from two pairs of muscles, i.e. flexor digitorum superficialis/extensor digitorum communis, and flexor carpi radialis/extensor carpi ulnaris. Able-bodied volunteers were then asked to execute reach-to-grasp movements, while electromyography signals were recorded from flexor digitorum superficialis/extensor digitorum communis as this was identified as the muscle pair characterized by high signal-to-noise ratio and intuitive control. Subsequently, we tested three myoelectric controllers that mapped electromyography signals to position of the SoftHand Pro. We found that a differential electromyography-to-position mapping ensured the highest coherence with hand movements. Our results represent a first step towards a more effective and intuitive control of myoelectric hand prostheses.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.3389/fnbot.2016.00011}, url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5066092/}, author = {S. Fani and M. Bianchi and S. Jain and J. Pimenta Neto and S. Boege and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi and M. Santello} } @article {2847, title = {An Attitude Estimation Algorithm for Mobile Robots under Unknown Magnetic Disturbances}, journal = {IEEE/ASME TRANSACTIONS ON MECHATRONICS}, volume = {21}, year = {2016}, pages = {1900-1911}, chapter = {1900}, abstract = {
Attitude estimation is a crucial aspect for navigation and motion control of autonomous vehicles. This concept is particularly true in the case of unavailability of localization sensors when navigation and control rely on dead reckoning strategies; in this case, indeed, the orientation estimate is also used along with speed measurements to update the position estimate. Among the different approaches proposed in the literature, the de facto state of the art in this field is represented by nonlinear complementary filters: they fuse the measurements of angular rate obtained through gyroscopes, and a measurement of gravity and Earth{\textquoteright}s magnetic field vectors respectively obtained through accelerometers and magnetometers. This paper is focused on an attitude estimation strategy for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV). The proposed novelty includes the identification of some critical issues that arise when AUV attitude estimation algorithms are applied in practice.
They are mainly due to the use of low-accuracy low-cost microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors and on different sources of magnetic disturbances. Some strategies to overcome the identified issues are proposed, including the integration of a single-axis fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) that ensures a considerable performance improvement with a moderate cost increase. The proposed strategies for detection of issues and sensor fusion have been experimentally tested and validated in a real application scenario estimating the attitude of an AUV performing a lawn mower path.
The expected performance improvement is confirmed; the obtained results are described and analyzed in this paper.
}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/TMECH.2016.2559941}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7460980/}, author = {R. Costanzi and F. Fanelli and N. Monni and A. Ridolfi and B. Allotta} } @article {2896, title = {A bioreactor with an electro-responsive elastomeric membrane for mimicking intestinal peristalsis}, journal = {Bioinspiration \& Biomimetics}, volume = {12}, year = {2016}, abstract = {

This study describes an actuated bioreactor which mimics the pulsatile contractile motion of the intestinal barrier using electro-responsive elastomers as smart materials that undergo deformation upon electrical stimulation. The device consists of an annular dielectric elastomer actuator working as a radial artificial muscle able to rhythmically contract and relax a central cell culture well. The bioreactor maintained up to 4 h of actuation at a frequency of 0.15 Hz and a strain of 8\%{\textendash}10\%, to those of the cyclic contraction and relaxation of the small intestine. In vitro tests demonstrated that the device was biocompatible and cell-adhesive for Caco-2 cells, which formed a confluent monolayer following 21 days of culture in the central well. In addition, cellular adhesion and cohesion were maintained after 4 h of continuous cyclic strain. These preliminary results encourage further investigations on the use of dielectric elastomer actuation as a versatile technology that might overcome the limitations of commercially available pneumatic driving systems to obtain bioreactors that can cyclically deform cell cultures in a biomimetic fashion.

}, url = {http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-3190/12/1/016001/pdf}, author = {D. Cei and J. Costa and G. Gori and G. Frediani and C. Domenici and F. Carpi and A. Ahluwalia} } @article {2481, title = {Convergence Analysis of Distributed Set-Valued Information Systems}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control}, volume = {61}, year = {2016}, month = {06/2016}, pages = {1477 - 1491}, abstract = {
This paper focuses on the convergence of information in distributed systems of agents communicating over a network.
The information on which the convergence is sought is not represented by real numbers, as often in the literature, rather by sets. The dynamics of the evolution of information across the network is accordingly described by set-valued iterative maps. While the study of convergence of set-valued iterative maps is highly complex in general, this paper focuses on Boolean maps, which are comprised of arbitrary combinations of unions, intersections, and complements of sets. For these important class of systems, we provide tools to study both global and local convergence. A distributed geographic information system, leading to successful information reconstruction from partial and corrupted data, is used to illustrate the applications of the proposed methods.
}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/TAC.2015.2480176}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7272075}, author = {A. Fagiolini and N. Dubbini and S. Martini and A. Bicchi} } @article {2848, title = {Cooperative navigation of AUVs via acoustic communication networking: field experience with the Typhoon vehicles}, journal = {AUTONOMOUS ROBOTS}, volume = {40}, year = {2016}, month = {10/2016}, pages = {1229{\textendash}1244}, abstract = {

A cooperative navigation procedure for a team of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) is described and validated on experimental data. The procedure relies on acoustic communication networking among the AUVs and/or fixed acoustic nodes, and it is suitable as a low-cost solution for team navigation. Embedding the acoustic localization measurements in the communication scheme causes delays and sometimes loss of acoustic data, depending on acoustic propagation conditions. Despite this drawback, the results obtained show that on-board localization estimates have an error of the order of few meters, improving the overall navigation performance and leading the system towards long-term autonomy in terms of operating mission time, without the need of periodic resurfacings dedicated to reset the estimation error. The data were collected during the CommsNet\ {\textquoteright}13 experiment, led by the NATO Science and Technology Organization Center for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE), and the Breaking The Surface\ {\textquoteright}14 workshop, organized by the University of Zagreb.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, issn = {0929-5593}, doi = {10.1007/s10514-016-9594-9}, url = {http://link.springer.com/journal/volumesAndIssues/10514}, author = {B. Allotta and A. Caiti and R. Costanzi and F. Di Corato and D. Fenucci and N. Monni and L. Pugi and A. Ridolfi} } @inbook {2886, title = {From Soft to Adaptive Synergies: The Pisa/IIT SoftHand}, booktitle = {Human and Robot Hands}, volume = {Springer Series on Touch and Haptic Systems}, year = {2016}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, chapter = {101 - 125}, abstract = {

Taking inspiration from the neuroscientific findings on hand synergies discussed in the first part of the book, in this chapter we present the Pisa/IIT SoftHand, a novel robot hand prototype. The design moves under the guidelines of making an hardware robust and easy to control, preserving an high level of grasping capabilities and an aspect as similar as possible to the human counterpart. First, the main theoretical tools used to enable such simplification are presented, as for example the notion of soft synergies. A discussion of some possible actuation schemes shows that a straightforward implementation of the soft synergy idea in an effective design is not trivial. The proposed approach, called adaptive synergy, rests on ideas coming from underactuated hand design, offering a design method to implement the desired set of soft synergies as demonstrated both with simulations and experiments. As a particular instance of application of the synthesis method of adaptive synergies, the Pisa/IIT SoftHand is described in detail. The hand has 19 joints, but only uses one actuator to activate its adaptive synergy. Of particular relevance in its design is the very soft and safe, yet powerful and extremely robust structure, obtained through the use of innovative articulations and ligaments replacing conventional joint design. Moreover, in this work, summarizing results presented in previous papers, a discussion is presented about how a new set of possibilities is open from paradigm shift in manipulation approaches, moving from manipulation with rigid to soft hands.

}, issn = {978-3-319-26705-0}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-26706-7_8}, author = {M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and E. Farnioli and A. Serio and M. Bonilla and M. Garabini and C. Piazza and M Gabiccini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2818, title = {A game theoretic approach for antagonistic-task coordination of underwater autonomous robots in asymmetric threats scenarios}, booktitle = {OCEANS 2016}, year = {2016}, month = {12/2016}, abstract = {

This work proposes a game theoretic approach
to tackle the problem of multi-robot coordination
in critical scenarios where communication is
limited and the robots must accomplish different tasks
simultaneously. An important application falls in underwater
robotic framework where robots are used to
protect a ship against asymmetric threats guaranteeing
simultaneously the coverage of the area around the ship
and the tracking of a possible intruder. The problem is
modelled as a potential game for which novel learning
protocols are introduced. Indeed, a general extension
of pay-off based algorithms is herein proposed where
the main difference with state-of-the-art protocols is
that the trajectory optimization is considered instead
of single action optimization. Moreover, the proposed
T-algorithms, steer the robots toward Nash equilibria
that will be shown to correspond to the accomplishment
of different, possibly antagonistic, goals. Finally, performances
of the algorithms, under different scenarios,
have been evaluated in simulations.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/OCEANS-Genova.2015.7271413}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7761346/}, author = {S. Nardi and T. Fabbri and A. Caiti and L. Pallottino} } @conference {2879, title = {Indoor Real-Time Localisation for Multiple Autonomous Vehicles Fusing Vision, Odometry and IMU Data}, booktitle = {International Workshop on Modelling and Simulation for Autonomous Systems MESAS 2016}, volume = {9991 of the book series Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS)}, year = {2016}, pages = {288 - 297}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, address = {Rome, Italy, June 15-16, 2016}, abstract = {

Due to the increasing usage of service and industrial autonomous vehicles, a precise localisation is an essential component required in many applications, e.g. indoor robot navigation. In open outdoor environments, differential GPS systems can provide precise positioning information. However, there are many applications in which GPS cannot be used, such as indoor environments. In this work, we aim to increase robot autonomy providing a localisation system based on passive markers, that fuses three kinds of data through extended Kalman filters. With the use of low cost devices, the optical data are combined with other robots{\textquoteright} sensor signals, i.e. odometry and inertial measurement units (IMU) data, in order to obtain accurate localisation at higher tracking frequencies. The entire system has been developed fully integrated with the Robotic Operating System (ROS) and has been validated with real robots.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, doi = { 10.1007/978-3-319-47605-6_24}, url = {http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-47605-6_24}, author = {A. Faralli and N. Giovannini and S. Nardi and L. Pallottino} } @conference {2893, title = {Motion Primitive Based Random Planning for Loco{\textendash}Manipulation Tasks}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Humanoid Robots (HUMANOIDS 2016)}, year = {2016}, note = {
This work is supported by the European commission project Walk-Man EU FP7-ICT no. 611832 and the ECs Horizon 2020 robotics program ICT-23-2014 under grant agreement 644727 (CogIMon)
}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Cancun, Mexico, 15-17 Nov. 2016 }, abstract = {

Several advanced control laws are available for
complex robotic systems such as humanoid robots and mobile
manipulators. Controls are usually developed for locomotion or
for manipulation purposes. Resulting motions are usually executed
sequentially and the potentiality of the robotic platform
is not fully exploited.
In this work we consider the problem of loco{\textendash}manipulation
planning for a robot with given parametrized control laws
known as primitives. Such primitives, may have not been
designed to be executed simultaneously and by composing
them instability may easily arise. With the proposed approach,
primitives combination that guarantee stability of the system
are obtained resulting in complex whole{\textendash}body behavior.
A formal definition of motion primitives is provided and a
random sampling approach on a manifold with limited dimension
is investigated. Probabilistic completeness and asymptotic
optimality are also proved. The proposed approach is tested
both on a mobile manipulator and on the humanoid robot
Walk-Man, performing loco{\textendash}manipulation tasks.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, isbn = {978-1-5090-4718-5 }, doi = {10.1109/HUMANOIDS.2016.7803402}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7803402/}, author = {A Settimi and D. Caporale and P. Kryczka and M. Ferrati and L. Pallottino} } @conference {2810, title = {Multi{\textendash}object handling for robotic manufacturing}, booktitle = {IECON 2016: 42nd Annual Conference of the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society}, year = {2016}, month = {12/2016}, pages = {6887 - 6893}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Florence, Italy, October 24-27}, abstract = {

The purpose of this work is to move a step toward the automation of industrial plants through full exploitation of autonomous robots. A planning algorithm is proposed to move different objects in desired configurations with heterogeneous robots such as manipulators, mobile robots and conveyor belts.
The proposed approach allows different objects to be handled by different robots simultaneously in an efficient way and avoiding collisions with the environment and self{\textendash}collisions between robots. In particular, the integrated system will be capable of planning paths for a set of objects from various starting points in the environment (e.g. shelves) to their respective final destinations. The proposed approach unifies the active (e.g., grasping by a hand) and passive (e.g., holding by a table) steps involved in moving the objects in the environment by treating them as end{\textendash}effectors with constraints and capabilities.
Time varying graphs will be introduced to model the problem for simultaneous handling of objects by different end{\textendash}effectors.
Optimal exploration of such graphs will be used to determine paths for each object with time constraints. Results will be validated through simulations.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7793936/?reload=true}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7793936/?reload=true}, author = {M. Ferrati and H. Marino and A Settimi and S. Nardi and L. Pallottino} } @article {2845, title = {A new AUV navigation system exploiting unscented Kalman filter}, journal = {OCEAN ENGINEERING}, volume = {113}, year = {2016}, pages = {121-132}, abstract = {

The development of precise and robust navigation strategies for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) is fundamental to reach the high level of performance required by complex underwater tasks, often including more than one AUV. One of the main factors affecting the accuracy of AUVs navigation systems is the algorithm used to estimate the vehicle motion, usually based on kinematic vehicle models and linear estimators. A precise and reliable navigation system is indeed fundamental to AUVs: the Global Positioning System (GPS) signal is not available underwater, thus making it very hard to know the position of the vehicle in real-time. In this paper, the authors present an innovative navigation strategy specifically designed for AUVs, based on the Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF). The new algorithm proves to be effective if applied to this class of vehicles and allows us to achieve a satisfying accuracy improvement compared to standard navigation algorithms. The proposed strategy has been experimentally validated using the navigation data acquired in suitable sea tests performed in Biograd Na Moru (Croatia) in the framework of the FP7 European ARROWS project tests performed during the Breaking the Surface 2014 (BtS 2014) workshop. The vehicles involved are the two Typhoon AUVs, developed and built by the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Florence within the THESAURUS Tuscany Region project for exploration and surveillance of underwater archaeological sites. The experiment, described in the paper, was performed to preliminary test the cooperative navigation between these AUVs. The new algorithm has been initially tested offline, and the validation of the proposed strategy provided accurate results in estimating the vehicle dynamic behaviour.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1016/j.oceaneng.2015.12.058}, author = {B. Allotta and A. Caiti and R. Costanzi and F. Fanelli and D. Fenucci and E. Meli and A. Ridolfi} } @article {2627, title = {No More Heavy Lifting: Robotic Solutions to the Container Unloading Problem}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine}, volume = {23}, year = {2016}, month = {08/2016}, chapter = {94}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1109/MRA.2016.2535098}, url = {https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7553531}, author = {T. Stoyanov and N. Vaskeviciusz and C. A. Mueller and T. Fromm and R. Krug and V. Tincani and R. Mojtahedzadeh and S. Kunaschk and R. M. Ernits and D. R. Canelhas and M. Bonilla and S. Schwertfeger and M. Bonini and H. Halfar and K. Pathak and M. Rohde and G Fantoni and A. Bicchi and A. Birk and A. Lilienthal and W. Echelmeyer} } @article {2724, title = {On the Problem of Moving Objects With Autonomous Robots: A Unifying High-Level Planning Approach}, journal = {IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION LETTERS}, volume = {1}, year = {2016}, month = {01/2016}, pages = {469-476}, abstract = {

Moving objects with autonomous robots is a wide topic that includes single-arm pick-and-place tasks, object regrasping, object passing between two or more arms in the air or using support surfaces such as tables and similar. Each task has been extensively studied and many planning solutions are already present in the literature. In this letter, we present a planning scheme which, based on the use of pre-defined elementary manipulation skills, aims to unify solutions which are usually obtained by means of different planning strategies rooted on hardcoded behaviors. Both robotic manipulators and environment fixed support surfaces are treated as end-effectors of movable and non-movable types, respectively. The task of the robot can thus be broken down into elementary building blocks, which are endeffector manipulation skills, that are then planned at the kinematic level. Feasibility is ensured by propagating unforeseen low-level failures at the higher level and by synthesizing different behaviors. The validity of the proposed solution is shown via experiments on a bimanual robot setup and in simulations involving a more complex setup similar to an assembly line.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/LRA.2016.2519149}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7384694}, author = {H. Marino and M. Ferrati and A Settimi and C. Rosales and M Gabiccini} } @inbook {2888, title = {Quasi-Static Analysis of Synergistically Underactuated Robotic Hands in Grasping and Manipulation Tasks}, booktitle = {Human and Robot Hands}, volume = {Springer Series on Touch and Haptic Systems}, year = {2016}, note = {

This work was supported by the European Commission under the CP-IP grant
no. 248587 {\textquotedblleft}THE Hand Embodied{\textquotedblright}, within the FP7-2007-2013 program, by the
grant no. 600918 {\textquotedblleft}PaCMan{\textquotedblright} - Probabilistic and Compositional Representations of
Objects for Robotic Manipulation - within the FP7-ICT-2011-9 program, the grant
no. 611832 {\textquotedblleft}Walk-Man{\textquotedblright} within the FP7-ICT-2013-10 program, and the grant no.
645599 {\textquotedblleft}SOMA: Soft-bodied Intelligence for Manipulation{\textquotedblright}, funded under H2020-
EU-2115.

}, pages = {211-233}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, abstract = {

As described in Chaps.\ 2{\textendash}5, neuroscientific studies showed that the control of the human hand is mainly realized in a synergistic way. Recently, taking inspiration from this observation, with the aim of facing the complications consequent to the high number of degrees of freedom, similar approaches have been used for the control of robotic hands. As Chap.\ 12 describes SynGrasp, a useful technical tool for grasp analysis of synergy-inspired hands, in this chapter recently developed analysis tools for studying robotic hands equipped with soft synergy underactuation (see Chap.\ 8) are exhaustively described under a theoretical point of view. After a review of the quasi-static model of the system, the Fundamental Grasp Matrix (FGM) and its canonical form (cFGM) are presented, from which it is possible to extract relevant information as, for example, the subspaces of the controllable internal forces, of the controllable object displacements and the grasp compliance. The definitions of some relevant types of manipulation tasks (e.g. the pure squeeze, realized maintaining the object configuration fixed but changing contact forces, or the kinematic grasp displacements, in which the grasped object can be moved without modifying contact forces) are provided in terms of nullity or non-nullity of the variables describing the system. The feasibility of such predefined tasks can be verified thanks to a decomposition method, based on the search of the row reduced echelon form (RREF) of suitable portions of the solution space. Moreover, a geometric interpretation of the FGM and the possibility to extend the above mentioned methods to the study of robotic hands with different types of underactuation are discussed. Finally, numerical results are presented for a power grasp example, the analysis of which is initially performed for the case of fully-actuated hand, and later verifying, after the introduction of a synergistic underactuation, which capacities of the system are lost, and which other are still present.

}, issn = {978-3-319-26705-0}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-26706-7_13}, author = {E. Farnioli and M Gabiccini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2889, title = {Robust Optimization of System Compliance for Physical Interaction in Uncertain Scenarios}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Humanoid Robots (HUMANOIDS2016)}, year = {2016}, note = {
This work was supported by the European Commission projects (FP7 framework) Walk-Man and the European Commission Grant no. H2020- ICT-645599 {\textquotedblleft}SOMA{\textquotedblright}: SOft MAnipulation
}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Cancun, Mexico, 15-17 Nov. 2016 }, abstract = {

Compliance in robot design and control is often introduced to improve the robot performance in tasks where interaction with environment or human is required. However a rigorous method to choose the correct level of compliance is still not available. In this work we use robust optimization as a tool to select the optimal compliance value in a robotenvironment interaction scenario under uncertainties. We propose an approach that can be profitably applied on a variety of tasks, e.g.manipulation tasks or locomotion tasks. The aim is to minimize the forces of interaction considering model constraints and uncertainties. Numerical results show that: i) in case of perfect knowledge of the environment stiff robots behave better in terms of force minimization, ii) in case of uncertainties the optimal stiffness of the robot is lower than the previous case and optimal solutions provide a faster task accomplishment, iii) the optimal stiffness decreases as a function of the uncertainty measure. Experiments are carried out in a realistic set-up in case of bi-manual object handover.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, isbn = {978-1-5090-4718-5 }, doi = { 10.1109/HUMANOIDS.2016.7803381}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7803381/}, author = {Gasparri, G. M. and F. Fabiani and M. Garabini and L. Pallottino and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and R. Persichini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2820, title = {Tactile Augmented Reality for Arteries Palpation in Open Surgery Training}, booktitle = {7th International Conference, MIAR 2016}, volume = {Medical Imaging and Augmented Reality - Volume 9805 of the series Lecture Notes in Computer Science }, year = {2016}, pages = {186-197}, publisher = {Springer International Publishing}, organization = {Springer International Publishing}, address = {Bern, Switzerland, August 24-26, 2016}, abstract = {

Palpation is an essential step of several open surgical procedures for locating arteries by arterial pulse detection. In this context, surgical simulation would ideally provide realistic haptic sensations to the operator. This paper presents a proof of concept implementation of tactile augmented reality for open-surgery training. The system is based on the integration of a wearable tactile device into an augmented physical simulator which allows the real time tracking of artery reproductions and the user finger and provides pulse feedback during palpation. Preliminary qualitative test showed a general consensus among surgeons regarding the realism of the arterial pulse feedback and the usefulness of tactile augmented reality in open-surgery simulators.

}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, isbn = {978-3-319-43774-3}, author = {S. Condino and R. Vigliaoro and M. Bianchi and Morelli, L and M. Ferrari and A. Bicchi and V. Ferrari} } @conference {2883, title = {Toward whole-body loco-manipulation: Experimental results on multi-contact interaction with the Walk-Man robot}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference of Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2016)}, year = {2016}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Danjeon, Korea, October 10-14 2016}, abstract = {

In this paper a quasi-static framework for optimally controlling the contact force distribution is experimentally verified with the full-size compliant humanoid robot Walk-Man. The proposed approach is general enough to cope with multi-contact scenarios, i.e. robot-environment interactions occurring on feet and hands, up to the more general case of whole-body loco-manipulation, in which the robot is in contact with the environment also with the internal limbs, with a consequent loss of contact force controllability. Experimental tests were conducted with the Walk-Man robot (i) standing on flat terrain, (ii) standing on uneven terrain and (iii) interacting with the environment with both feet and a hand touching a vertical wall. Moreover, the influence of unmodeled weight on the robot, and the combination with a higher priority Cartesian tasks are shown. Results are presented also in the attached video.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2016.7759225}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=7759225}, author = {E. Farnioli and M Gabiccini and A. Bicchi} } @article {2846, title = {An unscented Kalman filter based navigation algorithm for autonomous underwater vehicles}, journal = {Mechatronics}, volume = {39}, year = {2016}, month = {11/2016}, pages = {185-195}, abstract = {

Robust and performing navigation systems for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) play a discriminant role towards the success of complex underwater missions involving one or more AUVs. The quality of the filtering algorithm for the estimation of the AUV navigation state strongly affects the performance of the overall system. In this paper, the authors present a comparison between the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) approach, classically used in the field of underwater robotics and an Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF). The comparison results to be significant as the two strategies of filtering are based on the same process and sensors models. The UKF-based approach, here adapted to the AUV case, demonstrates to be a good trade-off between estimation accuracy and computational load. UKF has not yet been extensively used in practical underwater applications, even if it turns out to be quite promising. The proposed results rely on the data acquired during a sea mission performed by one of the two Typhoon class vehicles involved in the NATO CommsNet13 experiment (held in September 2013). As ground truth for performance evaluation and comparison, performed offline, position measurements obtained through Ultra-Short BaseLine (USBL) fixes are used. The result analysis leads to identify both the strategies as effective for the purpose of being included in the control loop of an AUV. The UKF approach demonstrates higher performance encouraging its implementation as a more suitable navigation algorithm even if, up to now, it is still not used much in this field.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mechatronics.2016.05.007}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095741581630037X}, author = {B. Allotta and A. Caiti and L. Chisci and R. Costanzi and F. Di Corato and D. Fantacci and D. Fenucci and E. Meli and A. Ridolfi} } @article {2904, title = {Variable Stiffness Actuators: Review on Design and Components}, journal = { IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics }, volume = {21}, year = {2016}, month = {10/2016}, pages = {2418 - 2430}, abstract = {

Variable stiffness actuators (VSAs) are complex mechatronic devices that are developed to build passively compliant, robust, and dexterous robots. Numerous different hardware designs have been developed in the past two decades to address various demands on their functionality. This review paper gives a guide to the design process from the analysis of the desired tasks identifying the relevant attributes and their influence on the selection of different components such as motors, sensors, and springs. The influence on the performance of different principles to generate the passive compliance and the variation of the stiffness are investigated. Furthermore, the design contradictions during the engineering process are explained in order to find the best suiting solution for the given purpose. With this in mind, the topics of output power, potential energy capacity, stiffness range, efficiency, and accuracy are discussed. Finally, the dependencies of control, models, sensor setup, and sensor quality are addressed.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/TMECH.2015.2501019}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7330025}, author = {S. Wolf and G. Grioli and O. Eiberger and W. Friedl and M. Grebenstein and H. Hoppner and E. Burdet and D. G. Caldwell and R. Carloni and M. G. Catalano and D. Lefeber and S. Stramigioli and N. G. Tsagarakis and M. Van Damme and R. Van Ham and B. Vanderborght and L. C. Visser and A. Bicchi and A Albu-Schaeffer} } @article {2749, title = {The Walk-Man Robot Software Architecture}, journal = {Front. Robot. AI}, year = {2016}, month = {05/2016}, abstract = {

A software and control architecture for a humanoid robot is a complex and large project, which involves a team of developers/researchers to be coordinated and requires many hard design choices. If such project has to be done in a very limited time, i.e., less than 1 year, more constraints are added and concepts, such as modular design, code reusability, and API definition, need to be used as much as possible. In this work, we describe the software architecture developed for Walk-Man, a robot participant at the Darpa Robotics Challenge. The challenge required the robot to execute many different tasks, such as walking, driving a car, and manipulating objects. These tasks need to be solved by robotics specialists in their corresponding research field, such as humanoid walking, motion planning, or object manipulation. The proposed architecture was developed in 10 months, provided boilerplate code for most of the functionalities required to control a humanoid robot and allowed robotics researchers to produce their control modules for DRC tasks in a short time. Additional capabilities of the architecture include firmware and hardware management, mixing of different middlewares, unreliable network management, and operator control station GUI. All the source code related to the architecture and some control modules have been released as open source projects.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = { http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2016.00025}, url = {http://bit.ly/2jAPke2}, author = {M. Ferrati and A Settimi and L. Muratore and N. G. Tsagarakis and L. Natale and L. Pallottino} } @conference {3248, title = {Changes in instantaneous complex dynamics during exercise in Chronic Mountain Sickness}, booktitle = {Computing in Cardiology Conference (CinC), 2015}, year = {2015}, pages = {997{\textendash}1000}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Valenza and F. Faita and L. Pratali and N. Vanello and A Lanata and R. Barbieri and E. P. Scilingo} } @article {2510, title = {Decoupling the role of stiffness from other hydroxyapatite signalling cues in periosteal derived stem cell differentiation}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {5}, year = {2015}, pages = {10778}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/srep10778}, url = {http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/srep10778}, author = {G. Mattei and Ferretti, C. and Tirella, A and A. Ahluwalia and Mattioli-Belmonte, M.} } @article {2498, title = {Design and Validation of an Open-Hardware Print-Head forBioprinting Application}, journal = {Procedia Engineering}, volume = {110}, year = {2015}, pages = {98-105}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {C. De Maria and L. Ferrari and F. Montemurro and G. Vozzi and I. Guerrazzi and Boland, T. and G. Vozzi} } @article {2263, title = {How the autonomic nervous system and driving style change with incremental stressing conditions during simulated driving}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems}, year = {2015}, pages = {1505 - 1517 }, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {10.1109/TITS.2014.2365681}, author = {A Lanata and G. Valenza and A. Greco and C. Gentili and F. Bucchi and F. Frendo and E. P. Scilingo} } @conference {3245, title = {Instantaneous transfer entropy for the study of cardio-respiratory dynamics}, booktitle = {Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), 2015 37th Annual International Conference of the IEEE}, year = {2015}, pages = {7885{\textendash}7888}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Valenza and L. Faes and L. Citi and Orini, M. and R. Barbieri} } @conference {2337, title = {Optimal Contact Force Distribution for Compliant Humanoid Robots in Whole-Body Loco-Manipulation Tasks}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA2015)}, year = {2015}, pages = {5675 - 5681}, address = {Seattle, USA, 25 - 30 May}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ICRA.2015.7139994}, author = {E. Farnioli and M Gabiccini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2478, title = {Potential merits for space robotics from novel concepts of actuation for soft robotics}, booktitle = {Advanced Space Technologies for Robotics and Automation (ASTRA) }, year = {2015}, address = {Noordwijk, The Netherlands May 11-13, 2015}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {G. Mathijssen and S. Terryn and R. Funemont and M. Garabini and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and D. Lefeber and A. Bicchi and B. Vanderborght} } @conference {2559, title = {A Reduced-Complexity Description of Arm Endpoint Stiffness with Applications to Teleimpedance Control}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference of Intelligent Robots and Systems - IROS2015}, year = {2015}, note = {

softhands, wearhap

}, pages = {1017 - 1023}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Hamburg, Germany, 28 Sept - 2 Oct 2015}, abstract = {

Effective and stable execution of a remote task in an uncertain environment requires that the task force and position trajectories of the slave robot be appropriately commanded. To achieve this goal, in teleimpedance control, a reference command which consists of the stiffness and position profiles of the master is computed and realized by the compliant slave robot in real-time. This highlights the need for a suitable and computationally efficient tracking of the human limb stiffness profile in real-time. In this direction, based on the observations in human neuromotor control which give evidence on the predominant use of the arm configuration in directional adjustments of the endpoint stiffness profile, and the role of muscular co-activations which contribute to a coordinated stiffening of the task stiffness in all directions, we propose a novel and computationally efficient model of the arm endpoint stiffness behaviour. With the purpose of real-time tracking of the human arm kinematics, an arm triangle is introduced using three body markers at the shoulder, elbow and wrist joints. In addition, a co-contraction index is defined using muscular activities of a dominant antagonistic muscle pair. Calibration and identification of the model parameters are carried out experimentally, using perturbation-based arm endpoint stiffness measurements in different arm configurations and co-contraction levels of the chosen muscles. Results of this study suggest that the proposed model enables the master to naturally execute a remote task by modulating the direction of the major axes of the endpoint stiffness and its volume using arm configuration and the co-ativation of the involved muscles, respectively.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2015.7353495}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7353495}, author = {A. Ajoudani and C. Fang and N G Tsagarakis and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2338, title = {Sample-Based Motion Planning for Robot Manipulators with Closed Kinematic Chains}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA2015)}, year = {2015}, note = {

softhands pacman walkman

}, pages = {2522 - 2527}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Seattle, USA, 25 - 30 May}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ICRA.2015.7139537}, author = {M. Bonilla and E. Farnioli and L. Pallottino and A. Bicchi} } @article {2080, title = {Variable Stiffness Actuators: the user{\textquoteright}s point of view}, journal = {Int. J. Robotics Research}, volume = {34}, year = {2015}, note = {

Extensions.zip

}, month = {05/2015}, pages = {727-743}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1177/0278364914566515}, url = {http://ijr.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/0278364914566515v1.pdf?ijkey=anmgudvoLz7ZloP\&keytype=finite}, author = {G. Grioli and S. Wolf and M. Garabini and M. G. Catalano and E. Burdet and D. G. Caldwell and R. Carloni and W. Friedl and M. Grebenstein and M. Laffranchi and D. Lefeber and S. Stramigioli and N G Tsagarakis and M. Van Damme and B. Vanderborght and A Albu-Schaeffer and A. Bicchi} } @article {1665, title = {Adaptive Synergies for the Design and Control of the Pisa/IIT SoftHand}, journal = {International Journal of Robotics Research}, volume = {33}, year = {2014}, pages = {768{\textendash}782}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1177/0278364913518998}, author = {M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and E. Farnioli and A. Serio and C. Piazza and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2129, title = {ASCARI: a component based simulator for distributed mobile robot systems}, booktitle = {Modelling \& Simulation for Autonomous Systems - MESAS2014}, volume = { Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Volume 8906, 2014}, year = {2014}, pages = {152-163}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, address = {Rome, 5-6 May 2014}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {M. Ferrati and A Settimi and L. Pallottino} } @conference {2086, title = {A change in the fingertip contact area induces an illusory displacement of the finger}, booktitle = {Eurohaptics}, volume = {LNCS - Free Preview Haptics: Neuroscience, Devices, Modeling, and Applications}, year = {2014}, pages = {72 - 79}, publisher = {Springer-Verlag}, organization = {Springer-Verlag}, address = {Versailles, France), June 2014}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-662-44196-1_10}, author = {A. Moscatelli and M. Bianchi and A. Serio and Al Atassi, O. and S. Fani and A. Terekhov and V. Hayward and M. Ernst and A. Bicchi} } @article {2217, title = {Collagen-gelatin-genipin-hydroxyapatite composite scaffolds colonized by human primary osteoblasts are suitable for bone tissue engineering applications: In vitro evidences}, journal = {Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A}, volume = {102}, year = {2014}, pages = {1415{\textendash}1421}, author = {G. Vozzi and Corallo, C. and Carta, S. and Fortina, M. and Gattazzo, F. and Galletti, M. and N. Giordano} } @article {2228, title = {A Decision Support System for Real-Time Stress Detection During Virtual Reality Exposure}, year = {2014}, pages = {114{\textendash}120}, abstract = {

Virtual Reality (VR) is increasingly being used in combination with psycho-physiological measures to improve assessment of distress in mental health research and therapy. However, the analysis and interpretation of multiple physiological measures is time consuming and requires specific skills, which are not available to most clinicians. To address this issue, we designed and developed a Decision Support System (DSS) for automatic classification of stress levels during exposure to VR environments. The DSS integrates different biosensor data (ECG, breathing rate, EEG) and behavioral data (body gestures correlated with stress), following a training process in which self-rated and clinical-rated stress levels are used as ground truth. Detected stress events for each VR session are reported to the therapist as an aggregated value (ranging from 0 to 1) and graphically displayed on a diagram accessible by the therapist through a web-based interface.

}, doi = {10.3233/978-1-61499-375-9-114}, author = {A. Gaggioli and P. Cipresso and Serino, S. and G. Pioggia and Tartarisco, G. and Baldus, G. and Corda, D. and M. Ferro and N. Carbonaro and A. Tognetti and D. De Rossi and Giakoumis, D. and Tzovaras, D. and Riera, A. and G. Riva} } @article {2242, title = {Enabling variable-stiffness hand rehabilitation orthoses with dielectric elastomer transducers}, journal = {Medical Engineering and Physics}, volume = {36}, year = {2014}, pages = {205{\textendash}211}, abstract = {

Patients affected by motor disorders of the hand and having residual voluntary movements of fingers or wrist can benefit from self-rehabilitation exercises performed with so-called dynamic hand splints. These systems consist of orthoses equipped with elastic cords or springs, which either provide a sustained stretch or resist voluntary movements of fingers or wrist. These simple systems are limited by the impossibility of modulating the mechanical stiffness. This limitation does not allow for customizations and real-time control of the training exercise, which would improve the rehabilitation efficacy. To overcome this limitation, {\textquoteright}active{\textquoteright} orthoses equipped with devices that allow for electrical control of the mechanical stiffness are needed. Here, we report on a solution that relies on compact and light-weight electroactive elastic transducers that replace the passive elastic components. We developed a variable-stiffness transducer made of dielectric elastomers, as the most performing types of electromechanically active polymers. The transducer was manufactured with a silicone film and tested with a purposely-developed stiffness control strategy that allowed for electrical modulations of the force-elongation response. Results showed that the proposed new technology is a promising and viable solution to develop electrically controllable dynamic hand orthoses for hand rehabilitation. ? 2013 IPEM.

}, doi = {10.1016/j.medengphy.2013.10.015}, author = {F. Carpi and G. Frediani and C. Gerboni and J. Gemignani and D. De Rossi} } @conference {2273, title = {Fluid dynamics in porous scaffolds stimulated with cyclic squeeze pressure in the S2PR bioreactor}, booktitle = {Gruppo Nazionale Bioingegneria IV Congresso}, year = {2014}, address = {Pavia, 25-27 June}, abstract = {

In cardiac tissue engineering, the use of bioreactors is fundamental for applying controlled mechanical stimuli on the cells and recreate a physiological environment for cardiomyocytes cultures. This work is focused on an innovative Sensorized Squeeze PRessure (S2PR) bioreactor, able to apply a periodic contactless hydrodynamic pressures on 3D porous constructs. The fluid-dynamic environment inside the bioreactor was fully characterized using computational models, focusing on the pressures and fluid velocity profiles generated in the porous scaffold during the cyclic stimulation.

}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {M. Ferroni and S. Giusti and G. Spatafora and F. Boschetti and A. Ahluwalia} } @conference {2277, title = {Fluid dynamics in porous scaffolds stimulated with cyclic squeeze pressure in the S2PR bioreactor}, booktitle = {Proceedings of ICMMB2014}, year = {2014}, pages = {363{\textendash}68}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {10.6092/unibo/amsacta/4085. In: Proceedings ICMMB A cura di: Zannoli, Romani ; Corazza, Ivan ; Stagni, Rita.}, url = {http://amsacta.unibo.it/4085/1/Proceedings{\.I}CMMB2014.pdf}, author = {M. Ferroni and S. Giusti and G. Spatafora and F. Boschetti and A. Ahluwalia} } @article {2178, title = {Grasping devices and methods in automated production processes }, journal = {CIRP Annals - Manufacturing Technology}, volume = {63}, year = {2014}, pages = {679-701}, abstract = {

In automated production processes grasping devices and methods play a crucial role in the handling of many parts, components and products. This keynote paper starts with a classification of grasping phases, describes how different principles are adopted at different scales in different applications and continues explaining different releasing strategies and principles. Then the paper classifies the numerous sensors used to monitor the effectiveness of grasping (part presence, exchanged force, stick-slip transitions, etc.). Later the grasping and releasing problems in different fields (from mechanical assembly to disassembly, from aerospace to food industry, from textile to logistics) are discussed. Finally, the most recent research is reviewed in order to introduce the new trends in grasping. They provide an outlook on the future of both grippers and robotic hands in automated production processes.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1016/j.cirp.2014.05.006}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0007850614001887}, author = {G Fantoni and Santochi, M. and Dini, G. and Tracht, K. and Scholz-Reiter, B. and Fleischer, J. and Kristoffer Lien, T. and Seliger, G. and Reinhart, G. and Franke, J. and N{\o}rgaard Hansen, H. and Verl, A.} } @conference {2232, title = {Grasping with Soft Hands}, booktitle = {IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots (HUMANOIDS 2014)}, year = {2014}, pages = {581 - 587}, address = {Madrid, Spain, November 18 - 20}, abstract = {

Despite some prematurely optimistic claims, the ability of robots to grasp general objects in unstructured environments still remains far behind that of humans. This is not solely caused by differences in the mechanics of hands: indeed, we show that human use of a simple robot hand (the Pisa/IIT SoftHand) can afford capabilities that are comparable to natural grasping. It is through the observation of such human-directed robot hand operations that we realized how fundamental in everyday grasping and manipulation is the role of hand compliance, which is used to adapt to the shape of surrounding objects. Objects and environmental constraints are in turn used to functionally shape the hand, going beyond its nominal kinematic limits by exploiting structural softness. In this paper, we set out to study grasp planning for hands that are simple {\textemdash} in the sense of low number of actuated degrees of freedom (one for the Pisa/IIT SoftHand) {\textemdash} but are soft, i.e. continuously deformable in an infinity of possible shapes through interaction with objects. After general considerations on the change of paradigm in grasp planning that this setting brings about with respect to classical rigid multi-dof grasp planning, we present a procedure to extract grasp affordances for the Pisa/IIT SoftHand through physically accurate numerical simulations. The selected grasps are then successfully tested in an experimental scenario.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/HUMANOIDS.2014.7041421}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7041421\&queryText\%3DGrasping+with+Soft+Hands}, author = {M. Bonilla and E. Farnioli and C. Piazza and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and M. Garabini and M Gabiccini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2179, title = {Gripping device for heavy and deformable materials handling: concept, design, selection and test}, booktitle = {24th CIRP Design Conference}, year = {2014}, address = {Milan, April 14 - 16}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {Tilli, J. and Brando, A. and G Fantoni} } @inbook {1694, title = {HANDS.DVI: A DeVice-Independent programming and control framework for robotic HANDS}, booktitle = {Gearing up and accelerating cross-fertilization between academic and industrial robotics research in Europe - Technology transfer experiments from the ECHORD project}, volume = {94}, number = {Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics}, year = {2014}, pages = {197-215}, abstract = {

The scientific goal of HANDS.DVI consists of developing a common
framework to programming robotic hands independently from their kinematics,
mechanical construction, and sensor equipment complexity. Recent results on the
organization of the human hand in grasping and manipulation are the inspiration
for this experiment. The reduced set of parameters that we effectively use to control
our hands is known in the literature as the set of synergies. The synergistic
organization of the human hand is the theoretical foundation of the innovative approach
to design a unified framework for robotic hands control. Theoretical tools
have been studied to design a suitable mapping function of the control action (decomposed
in its elemental action) from a human hand model domain onto the
articulated robotic hand co-domain. The developed control framework has been
applied on an experimental set up consisting of two robotic hands with dissimilar
kinematics grasping an object instrumented with force sensors.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-02934-4_10}, author = {G. Salvietti and G. Gioioso and M. Malvezzi and D Prattichizzo and A. Serio and E. Farnioli and M Gabiccini and A. Bicchi and I. Sarakoglou and N G Tsagarakis and D. G. Caldwell} } @conference {2159, title = {Manipulation Framework for Compliant Humanoid COMAN: Application to a Valve Turning Task}, booktitle = {IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots (HUMANOIDS 2014)}, year = {2014}, pages = {664 - 670}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Madrid, Spain, November 18 - 20}, abstract = {

With the purpose of achieving a desired interaction performance for our compliant humanoid robot (COMAN), in this paper we propose a semi-autonomous control framework and evaluate it experimentally in a valve turning setup. The control structure consists of various modules and interfaces to identify the valve, locate the robot in front of it and perform the manipulation. The manipulation module implements four motion primitives (Reach, Grasp, Rotate and Disengage) and realizes the corresponding desired impedance profile for each phase to accomplish the task. In this direction, to establish a stable and compliant contact between the valve and the robot hands, while being able to generate the sufficient rotational torques depending on the valve{\textquoteright}s friction, Rotate incorporates a novel dual-arm impedance control technique to plan and realize a task-appropriate impedance profile. Results of the implementation of the proposed control framework are firstly evaluated in simulation studies using Gazebo. Subsequent experimental results highlight the efficiency of the proposed impedance planning and control in generation of the required interaction forces to accomplish the task.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/HUMANOIDS.2014.7041434}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7041434}, author = {A. Ajoudani and J. Lee and A. Rocchi and M. Ferrati and E. Mingo Hoffman and A Settimi and D. G. Caldwell and A. Bicchi and N G Tsagarakis} } @conference {2180, title = {Method for supporting the selection of robot grippers}, booktitle = {24th CIRP Design Conference}, year = {2014}, address = {Milan, April 14 - 16}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {G Fantoni and Capiferri, S. and Tilli, J.} } @conference {2127, title = {A modular approach for remote operation of humanoid robots in search and rescue scenarios }, booktitle = {Modelling \& Simulation for Autonomous Systems - MESAS2014}, year = {2014}, address = {Rome, 5-6 May 2014}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A Settimi and C. Pavan and V. Varricchio and M. Ferrati and E. Mingo and A. Rocchi and K. Melo and N G Tsagarakis and A. Bicchi} } @article {2194, title = {A new 3D concentration gradient maker and its application in building hydrogels with a 3D stiffness gradient}, journal = {Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine}, year = {2014}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Orsi and Fagnano, M. and C. De Maria and F. Montemurro and G. Vozzi} } @article {2193, title = {New eye phantom for ophthalmic surgery.}, journal = {Journal of biomedical optics}, volume = {19}, year = {2014}, pages = {68001}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {Fogli, G. and G. Orsi and C. De Maria and F. Montemurro and Palla, M. and Rizzo, S. and G. Vozzi} } @conference {2183, title = {Object shaping with a sonotrode}, booktitle = { 25th symposium on Free Form Fabrication}, year = {2014}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {Tilli, J. and G Fantoni and Currenti, S. and Razionale, A. V.} } @article {2153, title = {Peripheral Machine Interfaces: going beyond traditional surface electromyography}, journal = {Frontiers in Neurorobotics}, volume = {8}, year = {2014}, month = {08/2014}, pages = {1 - 17}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.3389/fnbot.2014.00022}, author = {C. Castellini and P. Artemiadis and M. Wininger and A. Ajoudani and M. Alimusaj and A. Bicchi and B. Caputo and W. Craelius and S. Dosen and K. Englehart and D. Farina and A. Gijsberts and S. B. Godfrey and L. Hargrove and M. Ison and T. Kuiken and M. Markovic and P. M. Pilarski and R. Rupp and E. Scheme} } @conference {2222, title = {Realization of a soft-MI electrospun scaffold for tissue engineering applications}, booktitle = {JOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE}, year = {2014}, pages = {255{\textendash}256}, publisher = {WILEY-BLACKWELL 111 RIVER ST, HOBOKEN 07030-5774, NJ USA}, organization = {WILEY-BLACKWELL 111 RIVER ST, HOBOKEN 07030-5774, NJ USA}, author = {G. Criscenti and Cerulli, G. and Saris, D. and Van Blitterswijk, C. and G. Vozzi and Fernandes, H. and Moroni, L.} } @article {2219, title = {Role of IGF1 and IGF1/VEGF on Human Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Bone Healing: Two Sources and Two Fates}, journal = {Tissue Engineering Part A}, year = {2014}, author = {Ferretti, C. and G. Vozzi and Falconi, M. and Orciani, M. and Gesi, M. and Di Primio, R. and Mattioli-Belmonte, M.} } @conference {2181, title = {Shaping of foam-like materials through the use of a sonotrode}, booktitle = { International Conference On Innovative Design And Manufacturing}, year = {2014}, address = {Montreal, Quebec, Canada, August 13-15}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {G Fantoni and Tilli, J. and F. A. W. Belo and Ishak, R.} } @article {2177, title = {Tuning of the freezing and melting points of [Hmim][NO3] by the addition of water and nitrate salts }, journal = {RSC Advances}, volume = {4}, year = {2014}, pages = {40407 - 40413}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {10.1039/c4ra06290f}, author = {Di Francesco, F. and Ferrari, F. and Moni, L. and Melai, B. and Bernazzania, L. and Chiappe, C.} } @conference {2182, title = {Underwater drilling of foam-like materials and wax using ultrasound technology}, booktitle = {International Conference On Innovative Design And Manufacturing}, year = {2014}, address = {Montreal, Quebec, Canada, August 13-15}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {Tilli, J. and G Fantoni and Currenti, S.} } @conference {2160, title = {Upper-body Impedance Control with an Intuitive Stiffness Emulation for a Door Opening Task}, booktitle = {IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots (HUMANOIDS 2014)}, year = {2014}, pages = {713 - 719}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Madrid, Spain, November 18 - 20}, abstract = {

The advent of humanoids has brought new challenges in the real-world application. As a part of ongoing efforts to foster functionality of the robot accommodating a real environment, this paper introduces a recent progress on a door opening task with our compliant humanoid, CoMan. We presents a task-prioritized impedance control framework for an upper body system that includes a dual-arm, a waist, two soft hands, and 3D camera. Aimed to create desired responses to open the door, a novel stiffness modulation method is proposed, incorporating a realtime optimization. As a preliminary experiment, a full door-opening scenario (approaching to the door and reaching, grasping, rotating and pulling the door handle) is demonstrated under a semi-autonomous operation with a pilot. The experimental result shows the effectiveness and efficacy of the proposed impedance control approach. Despite of uncertainties from sensory data, the door opening task is successfully achieved and safe and robust interaction is established without creating excessive forces.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/HUMANOIDS.2014.7041441}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7041441}, author = {J. Lee and A. Ajoudani and E. Mingo Hoffman and A. Rocchi and A Settimi and M. Ferrati and A. Bicchi and N G Tsagarakis and D. G. Caldwell} } @conference {2037, title = {Velvet Fingers: Grasp Planning and Execution for an Underactuated Gripper with Active Surfaces}, booktitle = {2014 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2014}, pages = {3669 - 3675}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Hong Kong, May 31 2014-June 7 2014}, abstract = {

In this work we tackle the problem of planning grasps for an underactuated gripper which enable it to retrieve target objects from a cluttered environment. Furthermore, we investigate how additional manipulation capabilities of the gripping device, provided by active surfaces on the inside of the fingers, can lead to performance improvement in the grasp execution process. To this end, we employ a simple strategy, in which the target object is {\textquoteleft}pulled-in{\textquoteright} towards the palm during grasping which results in firm enveloping grasps. We show the effectiveness of the suggested methods by means of experiments conducted in a real-world scenario.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ICRA.2014.6907390 }, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=6907390}, author = {R. Krug and T. Stoyanov and M. Bonilla and V. Tincani and N. Vaskeviciusz and G Fantoni and A. Birkz and A. Lilienthal and A. Bicchi} } @article {2241, title = {Wearable Wireless Tactile Display for Virtual Interactions with Soft Bodies}, journal = {Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology}, volume = {2}, year = {2014}, abstract = {

We describe here a wearable, wireless, compact, and lightweight tactile display, able to mechanically stimulate the fingertip of users, so as to simulate contact with soft bodies in virtual environments. The device was based on dielectric elastomer actuators, as high-performance electromechanically active polymers. The actuator was arranged at the user{\textquoteright}s fingertip, integrated within a plastic case, which also hosted a compact high-voltage circuitry. A custom-made wireless control unit was arranged on the forearm and connected to the display via low-voltage leads. We present the structure of the device and a characterization of it, in terms of electromechanical response and stress relaxation. Furthermore, we present results of a psychophysical test aimed at assessing the ability of the system to generate different levels of force that can be perceived by users.

}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {10.3389/fbioe.2014.00031}, url = {http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4150388/}, author = {G. Frediani and D. Mazzei and D. De Rossi and F. Carpi} } @conference {2077, title = {Yarp Based Plugins for Gazebo Simulator}, booktitle = {2014 Modelling and Simulation for Autonomous Systems Workshop (MESAS)}, year = {2014}, address = {Roma, Italy, 5 -6 May 2014}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {Mingo, E and Traversaro, S and Rocchi, A and M. Ferrati and A Settimi and Romano, F and Natale, L and A. Bicchi and Nori, F and N G Tsagarakis} } @article {2254, title = {3D CMR Mapping of Metabolism by Hyperpolarized 13C-Pyruvate in Ischemia-Reperfusion}, journal = {JACC-CARDIOVASCULAR IMAGING }, volume = {6}, year = {2013}, pages = {743-744}, doi = {10.1016/j.jcmg.2012.11.023}, author = {Aquaro, G. D. and Frijia, F. and V. Positano and Menichetti, L. and M. F. Santarelli and Ardenkjaer-Larsen, J. H. and Wiesinger, F. and Lionetti, V. and Romano, S. L. and Bianchi, G. and Neglia, D. and G. Giovannetti and Schulte, R. and Recchia, f. A. and L. Landini and Lombardi, M.} } @article {1780, title = {Collagen-gelatin-genipin-hydroxyapatite composite scaffolds colonized by human primary osteoblasts are suitable for bone tissue engineering applications: In vitro evidences}, journal = {J Biomed Mater Res A}, year = {2013}, month = {06/2013}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Vozzi and C. Corallo and S. Carta and M. Fortina and Gattazzo, F and M. Galletti and N. Giordano} } @article {1786, title = {Collagen-gelatin-genipin-hydroxyapatite composite scaffolds colonized by human primary osteoblasts are suitable for bone tissue engineering applications: In vitro evidences}, journal = {Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A}, year = {2013}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {10.1002/jbm.a.34823}, author = {G. Vozzi and C. Corallo and S. Carta and M. Fortina and Gattazzo, F and M. Galletti and N. Giordano} } @article {1725, title = {A Complete Observability Analysis of the Planar Bearing Localization and Mapping for Visual Servoing with Known Camera Velocities}, journal = {International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems}, volume = {10}, year = {2013}, abstract = {

This paper presents an analysis of planar bearing localization and mapping for visual servoing with known camera velocities. In particular, we investigate what is the subset of camera locations and environmental features that can be retrieved from dynamic observations obtained by a planar bearing sensor (nearly e.g., a pinhole camera). Results assume that the camera{\textquoteright}s linear and angular velocities are available, which is equivalent to consider a unicycle vehicle carrying an onboard camera. Results hold if other system inputs are considered, e.g., an omnidirectional vehicle. The theoretical results may guide the design of nonlinear observers to estimate the variables of interest in real time to be applied to visual servoing schemes. An example of such an observer is discussed and simulated.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.5772/54603}, url = {http://www.intechopen.com/books/international_journal_of_advanced_robotic_systems/a-complete-observability-analysis-of-the-planar-bearing-localization-and-mapping-for-visual-servoing}, author = {F. A. W. Belo and P Salaris and D. Fontanelli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1667, title = {Controlling the active surfaces of the Velvet Fingers: sticky to slippy fingers}, booktitle = {IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, IROS 2013}, year = {2013}, month = {November 3-7}, pages = {5494 - 5499}, address = {Tokyo, Japan}, abstract = {

Industrial grippers are often used for grasping, while in-hand re-orientation and positioning are dealt with by other means. Contact surface engineering has been recently proposed as a possible mean to introduce dexterity in simple grippers, as in the Velvet Fingers smart gripper, a novel concept of end-effector combining simple under-actuated mechanics and high manipulation possibilities, thanks to conveyors which are built in the finger pads. This paper undergoes the modeling and control of the active conveyors of the Velvet Fingers gripper which are rendered able to emulate different levels of friction and to apply tangential thrusts to the contacted objects. Through the paper particular attention is dedicated to the mechanical implementation, sense drive and control electronics of the device. The capabilities of the prototype are showed in some grasping and manipulation experiments.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2013.6697152}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/login.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=6697152\&url=http\%3A\%2F\%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org\%2Fxpls\%2Fabs_all.jsp\%3Farnumber\%3D6697152}, author = {V. Tincani and G. Grioli and M. G. Catalano and M. Bonilla and M. Garabini and G Fantoni and A. Bicchi} } @article {2256, title = {Design of a quadrature surface coil for hyperpolarized 13C MRS cardiac metabolism studies in pigs}, journal = {CONCEPTS IN MAGNETIC RESONANCE PART B-MAGNETIC RESONANCE ENGINEERING}, volume = {43b}, year = {2013}, pages = {69 - 77}, doi = {10.1002/cmr.b.21235}, author = {G. Giovannetti and Frijia, F. and V. Hartwig and Attanasio, S. and Menichetti, L. and N. Vanello and V. Positano and Ardenkjaer-Larsen, J. H. and Lionetti, V. and Aquaro, G. D. and De Marchi, D. and Schulte, R. and Wiesinger, F. and L. Landini and Lombardi, M. and M. F. Santarelli} } @conference {1702, title = {Distributed Multi{\textendash}level Motion Planning for Autonomous Vehicles in Large Scale Industrial Environments}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies \& Factory Automation (ETFA)}, year = {2013}, month = {09/2013}, pages = {1-8}, abstract = {

In this paper we propose a distributed coordination algorithm for safe and efficient traffic management of heterogeneous robotic agents, moving within dynamic large scale industrial environments. The algorithm consists of a distributed resource{\textendash}sharing protocol involving a re{\textendash}planning strategy. Once every agent is assigned with a desired motion path, the algorithm ensures ordered traffic flows of agents, that avoid inter{\textendash}robot collision and system deadlock (stalls). The algorithm allows multi{\textendash}level representation of the environment, i.e. large or complex rooms may be seen as a unique resource with given capacity at convenience, which makes the approach appealing for complex industrial environments. Under a suitable condition on the maximum number of agents with respect to the capacity of the environment, we prove that the algorithm correctly allows mutual access to shared resources while avoiding deadlocks. The proposed solution requires no centralized mechanism, no shared memory or ground infrastructure support. Only a local inter{\textendash}robot communication is required, i.e. every agent must communicate with a limited number of other spatially adjacent robots. We finally show the effectiveness of the proposed approach by simulations, with application to an industrial scenario.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ETFA.2013.6647973 }, author = {L. Cancemi and A. Fagiolini and L. Pallottino} } @conference {1798, title = {Gelatin-Hydroxyapatite hydrogels to investigate periosteal derived progenitor cells (PDPCs) response for tissue engineering applications}, booktitle = {Advanced Cell Culture}, year = {2013}, address = {Liverpool, UK}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Mattei and Tirella, A and Mattioli-Belmonte, M. and Ferretti, C and A. Ahluwalia} } @conference {1760, title = {Global Path Planning for Competitive Robotic Cars}, booktitle = {IEEE Conference on Decision and Control}, year = {2013}, pages = {4510 - 4516}, address = {Florence, Italy}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {T. Rizano and D. Fontanelli and L. Palopoli and L. Pallottino and P Salaris} } @article {1821, title = {Grasp Analysis Tools for Synergistic Underactuated Robotic Hands}, journal = {International Journal of Robotic Reasearch}, volume = {32}, year = {2013}, month = {11/2013}, pages = {1553 - 1576}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {M Gabiccini and E. Farnioli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1706, title = {Grasp Compliance Regulation in Synergistically Controlled Robotic Hands with VSA}, booktitle = {IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, IROS 2013}, year = {2013}, month = {November 3-7}, pages = {3015 -3022}, address = {Tokyo, Japan}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2013.6696783 }, author = {E. Farnioli and M Gabiccini and M. Bonilla and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1438, title = {Implementation and Control of the Velvet Fingers: a Dexterous Gripper with Active Surfaces}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA2013)}, year = {2013}, pages = {2744 - 2750}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, url = {10.1109/ICRA.2013.6630955 }, author = {V. Tincani and G. Grioli and M. G. Catalano and M. Garabini and S. Grechi and G Fantoni and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1995, title = {An Innovative Multisensor Controlled Prosthetic Hand}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the XIII Mediterranean Conference on Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing}, year = {2013}, pages = {93{\textendash}96}, publisher = {Springer International Publishing}, organization = {Springer International Publishing}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-00846-2_23}, url = {http://dx.medra.org/10.1007/978-3-319-00846-2_23}, author = {N. Carbonaro and G. Anania and Bacchereti, M. and Donati, G. and Ferretti, G. and Pellicci, L. and Parrini, G. and Vitetta, N. and D. De Rossi and A. Tognetti} } @article {2251, title = {Magnetic resonance butterfly coils: Design and application for hyperpolarized C-13 studies}, journal = {MEASUREMENT }, volume = {46}, year = {2013}, pages = {3282-3290}, doi = {10.1016/j.measurement.2013.06.031}, author = {G. Giovannetti and Frijia, F. and Attanasio, S. and Menichetti, L. and V. Hartwig and N. Vanello and Ardenkjaer-Larsen, J. H. and De Marchi, D. and V. Positano and Schulte, R. and L. Landini and Lombardi, M. and M. F. Santarelli} } @article {2259, title = {Modified cine inversion recovery pulse sequence for the quantification of myocardial T1 and gadolinium partition coefficient}, journal = {JOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING}, volume = {37}, year = {2013}, pages = {109-118}, doi = {10.1002/jmri.23807}, author = {Milanesi, M. and Barison, A. and Positano, V. and Masci, P. G. and De Marchi, D. and Marinelli, L. and Hardy, C. J. and Foo, T. K. and L. Landini and Lombardi, M.} } @conference {1940, title = {Neural correlates of haptic pop-out of shape discrimination in the human brain}, booktitle = {19th Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping}, year = {2013}, address = {Seattle, USA, June2013}, author = {A. Leo and M. Feurra and S. Rossi and A. Kappers and A. Bicchi and D Prattichizzo and Cristea, I. and David, D. and P. Pietrini and E. Ricciardi} } @conference {1583, title = {Packet-based dynamic control for nonlinear networked systems}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Decision and Control (CDC2013)}, year = {2013}, pages = {6597,6603}, address = {Florence, Italy}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/CDC.2013.6760933}, author = {S. Falasca and M. Gamba and L. Greco and A. Chaillet and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1582, title = {Packet-Based Dynamic Control of a Furuta Pendulum over Ethernet}, booktitle = {Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation (MED {\textquoteright}13)}, year = {2013}, month = {25-28 June 2013 }, pages = {464 - 470}, address = {Platanias-Chania, Crete, Greece}, abstract = {

This paper presents experimental results of the application of Packet-Based Control approach with dynamic controller on a real plant: the Furuta Pendulum. Despite its easiness of realization, Furuta Pendulum presents some features useful for our purposes, such as pretty non-linear dynamics, unstable equilibrium point and heavy dynamical inaccuracies. The network communication channel has been implemented using an Ethernet network. Packet-Based controller has been tested and compared with a classic local controller for different time-varying actuation delays. Results obtained corroborate the validity of the proposed architecture and highlight the robustness of this approach in the presence of actuation delays.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, issn = {978-1-4799-0995-7}, doi = {10.1109/MED.2013.6608763}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=6608763\&queryText\%3Dfalasca+gamba}, author = {T. Fabbri and D. Fenucci and S. Falasca and M. Gamba and A. Bicchi} } @article {1563, title = {On the Robust Synthesis of Logical Consensus Algorithms for Distributed Intrusion Detection}, journal = {Automatica}, volume = {49}, year = {2013}, pages = {2339 - 2350}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, doi = {10.1016/j.automatica.2013.04.033}, author = {A. Fagiolini and A. Bicchi} } @article {1784, title = {Silk Fibroin/Gelatin Blend Films Crosslinked with Enzymes for Biomedical Applications}, year = {2013}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {10.1002/mabi.201300156}, author = {P. Taddei and V. Chiono and A. Anghileri and G. Vozzi and G. Freddi and G. Ciardelli} } @conference {1788, title = {A Strategy for Dynamic Controller Emulation in Packet-Based Networked Control}, booktitle = {International Conference on Informatics in Control (ICINCO {\textquoteright}13)}, year = {2013}, pages = {29-38}, address = {Reykjav{\'\i}k, Iceland}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, doi = {10.5220/0004427100290038}, author = {S. Falasca and M. Gamba and A. Bicchi} } @article {1999, title = {Struttura protesica per amputazione mano}, volume = {PI2013A000004}, year = {2013}, pages = {{\textendash}}, author = {Bacchereti, M. and N. Carbonaro and GABRIELE, D. and FERRETTI, L. and PELLICCI, G. and A. Tognetti and Vitetta, N.} } @booklet {2229, title = {Struttura protesica per amputazione mano}, year = {2013}, author = {Bacchereti, M. and N. Carbonaro and G. Dalle Mura and FERRETTI, L. and PELLICCI, G. and A. Tognetti and Vitetta, N.} } @conference {1758, title = {A time expanded network based algorithm for safe and efficient distributed multi-agent coordination}, booktitle = {IEEE Conference on Decision and Control}, year = {2013}, pages = {2805 - 2810}, address = {Florence, Italy}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {M. Ferrati and L. Pallottino} } @article {2252, title = {Transmit-Only/Receive-Only Radiofrequency System for Hyperpolarized C-13 MRS Cardiac Metabolism Studies in Pigs}, journal = {APPLIED MAGNETIC RESONANCE}, volume = {44}, year = {2013}, pages = {1125-1138}, doi = {10.1007/s00723-013-0477-3}, author = {G. Giovannetti and Frijia, F. and V. Hartwig and Menichetti, L. and V. Positano and Ardenkjaer-Larsen, J. H. and Lionetti, V. and Aquaro, G. D. and De Marchi, D. and Schulte, R. and Wiesinger, F. and L. Landini and Lombardi, M. and M. F. Santarelli} } @article {1698, title = {Variable Impedance Actuators: a Review}, journal = {Robotics and Autonomous Systems}, volume = {61}, year = {2013}, note = {

Available online 6 August 2013

}, month = {12/2013}, pages = {1601{\textendash}1614}, abstract = {

Variable Impedance Actuators (VIA) have received increasing attention in recent years as many novel applications involving interactions with an unknown and dynamic environment including humans require actuators with dynamics that are not well-achieved by classical stiff actuators. This paper presents an overview of the different VIAs developed and proposes a classification based on the principles through which the variable stiffness and damping are achieved. The main classes are active impedance by control, inherent compliance and damping actuators, inertial actuators, and combinations of them, which are then further divided into subclasses. This classification allows for designers of new devices to orientate and take inspiration and users of VIA{\textquoteright}s to be guided in the design and implementation process for their targeted application.

}, keywords = {Robotics, Soft robotics, Variable Impedance Actuators}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921889013001188}, author = {B. Vanderborght and A Albu-Schaeffer and A. Bicchi and E. Burdet and D. G. Caldwell and R. Carloni and M. G. Catalano and O. Eiberger and W. Friedl and G. Ganesh and M. Garabini and M. Grebenstein and G. Grioli and S. Haddadin and H. Hoppner and A. Jafari and M. Laffranchi and D. Lefeber and F. Petit and S. Stramigioli and N G Tsagarakis and M. Van Damme and R. Van Ham and L. C. Visser and S. Wolf} } @conference {1188, title = {Adaptive Synergies for a Humanoid Robot Hand}, booktitle = {IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots}, year = {2012}, note = {

Best Paper Award

}, pages = {7-14}, address = {Osaka, Japan}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and A. Serio and E. Farnioli and C. Piazza and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1801, title = {Continuous functionally graded materials (cFGMs) for TE}, booktitle = {TERMIS 3rd World Congress}, year = {2012}, address = {Vienna, Austria}, abstract = {

Biological structures are not uniform but possess spatially distributed functions and properties, or functional gradients. To ensure functional, mechanical and structural integration, a tissue engineered (TE) scaffold has to reproduce these functional gradients. However the fabrication of functionally graded materials is challenging and usually an experimental trial-and-error approach is used. In this work we present a controlled method for the fabrication of cFGMs using the gravitational sedimentation of discrete solid particles within a primary fluid phase. To have an overall control over particle distribution, a time-varying dynamic viscosity solution (i.e. thermo-sensitive) was used as fluid phase. Computational fluid dynamic models were developed to have a fine control over particle distribution. Biomimetic osteochondral cFGMs scaffolds were fabricated using hydroxyapatite (HA) and gelatin. Glutaraldehyde was used to covalently bind gelatin-HA graded scaffolds. Mechanical properties were measured and correlated as a function of HA volume fraction. SEM-EDX analysis was used to further characterise HA content and its distribution within gelatin-HA cFGMs. Finally gelatin-HA cFGMs scaffold were seeded using periosteum derived progenitor cells, to investigate how the HA gradient modulates cell response. This approach represents an innovative yet simple tool for the fabrication of tailored cFGMs with biologically and physiologically relevant gradients for TE applications.

}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Mattei and A. Ahluwalia and Ferretti, C and Mattioli-Belmonte, M. and Tirella, A} } @article {1475, title = {Gait and Anthropometric Profile Biometrics: A Step Forward}, journal = {Second Generation Biometrics: The Ethical, Legal and Social Context}, year = {2012}, pages = {105{\textendash}127}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {Ioannidis, D. and Tzovaras, D. and Mura, G.D. and M. Ferro and G. Valenza and A. Tognetti and G. Pioggia} } @conference {FGB12, title = {Grasp and Manipulation Analysis for Synergistic Underactuated Hands Under General Loading Conditions}, booktitle = {International Conference of Robotics and Automation - ICRA 2012}, year = {2012}, month = {May 14 - 18}, pages = {2836 - 2842}, address = {Saint Paul, MN, USA}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {M Gabiccini and E. Farnioli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1496, title = {Rheological characterization of vitreous humoranalogous}, booktitle = {Congresso Nazionale di Bioingegneria 2012 Atti}, year = {2012}, pages = {207 - 208}, address = {Roma, Italy}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {Fogli, G and G. Orsi and G. Vozzi} } @conference {1243, title = { Velvet fingers: A dexterous gripper with active surfaces}, booktitle = {International Conference of Intelligent Robots and Systems - IROS 2012}, year = {2012}, month = {October 7 - 12}, pages = {1257 - 1263 }, address = {Vilamoura, Algarve, Portugal}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {V. Tincani and M. G. Catalano and E. Farnioli and M. Garabini and G. Grioli and G Fantoni and A. Bicchi} } @conference {MFB11, title = {Behavior classification, security, and consensus in societies of robots}, booktitle = {Automatica.it 2011}, year = {2011}, note = {

poster presentation

}, month = {September, 7 - 9}, address = {Pisa, Italy}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {S. Martini and A. Fagiolini and A. Bicchi} } @article {1514, title = {Cooperation of Biological and Mechanical Signals in Cardiac Progenitor Cell Differentiation}, journal = {ADVANCED MATERIALS}, year = {2011}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0935-9648}, author = {S. Pagliari and A.C. Vilela-Silva and G. Forte and F. Pagliari and C. Mandoli and G. Vozzi and S. Pietronave and M. Prat and S. Licoccia and A. Ahluwalia and E. Traversa and M. Minieri and P. Di Nardo} } @conference {MFP11, title = {Decentralized Coordination System for Multiple AGVs in a Structured Environment}, booktitle = {2011 Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control}, year = {2011}, month = {Aug 28 - Sept 1}, pages = {6005 - 6010}, address = {Milano, italy}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {S. Manca and A. Fagiolini and L. Pallottino} } @conference {MFZB11, title = {Decentralized Species Classification in Societies of Autonomous and Heterogenous Robots}, booktitle = {2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2011}, month = {May 9 - 13}, pages = {32 - 39}, address = {Shangai, China}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {S. Martini and A. Fagiolini and G. Zichittella and M. Egerstedt and A. Bicchi} } @article {GFB11, title = {Design and Stability Analysis for Anytime Control via Stochastic Scheduling}, journal = {IEEE Trans. on Automat. Contr.}, volume = {56}, number = {3}, year = {2011}, pages = {571 - 585}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Greco and D. Fontanelli and A. Bicchi} } @article {1285, title = {A flexible bioreactor system for constructing in vitro tissue and organ models.}, journal = {Biotechnol Bioeng}, volume = {108}, year = {2011}, month = {Sep}, pages = {2129{\textendash}2140}, abstract = {

To develop in vitro models of cells, tissues and organs we have designed and realized a series of cell culture chambers. Each chamber is purpose designed to simulate a particular feature of the in vivo environment. The bioreactor system is user friendly, and the chambers are easy to produce, sterilize and assemble. In addition they can be connected together to simulate inter-organ or tissue cross-talk. Here we discuss the design philosophy of the bioreactor system and then describe its construction. Preliminary results of validation tests obtained with hepatocytes and endothelial cells are also reported. The results show that endothelial cells are extremely sensitive to small levels of shear stress and that the presence of heterotypic signals from endothelial cells enhances the endogenous metabolic function of hepatocytes.

}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bit.23164}, author = {Vozzi, F. and D. Mazzei and Vinci, B. and G. Vozzi and Sbrana, T. and Ricotti, L. and Forgione, N. and A. Ahluwalia} } @inbook {1789, title = {{Inherently Bio-Active Scaffolds: Intelligent Constructs to Model the Stem Cell Niche}}, booktitle = {Myocardial Tissue Engineering}, series = {Studies in Mechanobiology, Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials}, volume = {6}, year = {2011}, pages = {29{\textendash}47}, publisher = {Springer Berlin Heidelberg}, organization = {Springer Berlin Heidelberg}, address = {Berlin, Heidelberg}, abstract = {

The oft-abused phrase {\^a}{\texteuro}{\oe}genes load the gun, environment pulls the trigger{\^a}{\texteuro} can be applied to stem cells and stem cell niches as well as to cell{\^a}{\texteuro}{\textquotedblleft}material interfaces. Much is known about cell{\^a}{\texteuro}{\textquotedblleft}material interaction in general, perhaps a little less about how these interactions condition cell phenotype. With the increasing interest in stem cells and, in particular, their applications in tissue regeneration, the regulation of the stem cell microenvironment through modulation of intuitive or smart materials and structures, or what we term IBAS (Inherently Bio-Active Scaffolds) is poised to become a major field of research. Here, we discuss how cardiac regeneration strategies have undergone a gradual shift from the emphasis on biochemical signals and basic biology to one in which the material or scaffold plays a major role in establishing an equilibrium state. From being a constant battle or tug-of-war between the cells and synthetic environments, we conceive IBAS as intuitively responding to the cell{\^a}{\texteuro}{\texttrademark}s requirements to instate a sort of equilibrium in the system.

}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, isbn = {978-3-642-18055-2}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-642-18056-9}, url = {http://www.springerlink.com/content/j3k541l113233424/}, author = {P. Di Nardo and M. Minieri and Tirella, A and G. Forte and A. Ahluwalia}, editor = {Boccaccini, A. R. and Harding, S. E.} } @article {1508, title = {LTI Models for 3-Iodothyronamine Time Dynamics: A Multiscale View.}, journal = {IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING}, volume = {58}, year = {2011}, pages = {3153 - 3157}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0018-9294}, author = {G. Orsi and Frascarelli, S and R. Zucca and G. Vozzi} } @article {1473, title = {A neuron-astrocyte transistor-like model for neuromorphic dressed neurons}, journal = {Neural Networks}, year = {2011}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Valenza and G. Pioggia and Armato, A. and M. Ferro and E. P. Scilingo and D. De Rossi} } @conference {FLGGMCFSB11, title = {Packet-based control}, booktitle = {Automatica.it 2011}, year = {2011}, note = {

poster presentation

}, month = {September, 7 - 9}, address = {Pisa, Italy}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {S. Falasca and G. Lorefice and L. Greco and M. Gamba and S. Melani and A. Chaillet and D. Fontanelli and R. Schiavi and C Belsito} } @conference {GFP11, title = {Resource aware control}, booktitle = {Automatica.it 2011}, year = {2011}, month = {September}, address = {Pisa, Italy}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {L. Greco and D. Fontanelli and L. Palopoli} } @conference {MDBGB11, title = {Robust Network Agreement on Logical Information}, booktitle = {2011 Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control - IFAC 2011}, year = {2011}, month = {August 28 - Sept}, pages = {13905 - 13911}, address = {Milano, italy}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {S. Martini and D. Di Baccio and A. Fagiolini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {GFMB11, title = {Structural Properties of Compliant Grasps with Underactuated Robotic Hands}, booktitle = {XX Congresso Aimeta}, year = {2011}, note = {

ISBN 978-88-906340-1-7 (online); ISBN 978-88-906340-0-0 (print)

}, month = {September, 12}, address = {Bologna, Italy}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {M Gabiccini and E. Farnioli and M. Malvezzi and A. Bicchi} } @article {1509, title = {Tuning polycaprolactone-carbon nanotube composites for bone tissue engineering scaffolds}, journal = {MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. C, BIOMIMETIC MATERIALS, SENSORS AND SYSTEMS}, year = {2011}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0928-4931}, author = {Mattioli-Belmonte, M. and G. Vozzi and Whulanza, Y and Seggiani, M and Fantauzzi, V and Orsini, G and A. Ahluwalia} } @article {1276, title = {Contenitore per alimenti caldi e simili}, year = {2010}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {PI2009A000145}, author = {M. Bonini and R. Casati and M. Falorni and G Fantoni and M. Massei and D. Mazzei and M. Mazzuoli and G. Renucci} } @conference {FBCABB-ICRA10, title = {Design and Control of a Novel 3D Casting Manipulator}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA2010)}, year = {2010}, month = {May 3 - 8}, pages = {4169 - 4174}, address = {Anchorage, Alaska}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and F. A. W. Belo and M. G. Catalano and S. Alicino and F. Bonomo and A. Bicchi} } @article {QFGPB10, title = {Design of Embedded Controllers Based on Anytime Computing}, journal = {IEEE Trans. Industrial Infor.}, volume = {6}, number = {4}, year = {2010}, pages = {492 - 502}, abstract = {

In this paper, we present a methodology for designing embedded controllers based on the so-called anytime control paradigm. A control law is split into a sequence of subroutine calls, each one fulfilling a control goal and refining the result produced by the previous one. We propose a design methodology to define a feedback controller structured in accordance with this paradigm and show how a switching policy of selecting the controller subroutines can be designed that provides stability guarantees for the closed-loop system. The cornerstone of this construction is a stochastic model describing the probability of executing, in each activation of the controller, the different subroutines. We show how this model can be constructed for realistic real-time task sets and provide an experimental validation of the approach.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Quagli and D. Fontanelli and L. Greco and L. Palopoli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2024, title = {Interreality: The use of advanced technologies in the assessment and treatement of psychological stress}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2010 10th International Conference on Intelligent Systems Design and Applications ISDA{\textquoteright}10}, year = {2010}, month = {29 Nov- 1 Dec}, pages = {1047{\textendash}1051}, doi = {10.1109/ISDA.2010.5687047}, url = {http://dx.medra.org/10.1109/ISDA.2010.5687047}, author = {G. Pioggia and N. Carbonaro and G. Anania and A. Tognetti and Tartarisco, G. and M. Ferro and D. De Rossi and G. Riva} } @conference {FBQB10, title = {A Modular and Layered Cosimulator for Networked Control Systems}, booktitle = {Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation}, year = {2010}, month = {June, 23 - 25}, pages = {273 - 279}, address = {Marrakech, Morocco}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {S. Falasca and C Belsito and A. Quagli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {FMEBG, title = {Observability and Controllability Detection of Multi-Agent Systems through Decentralized Laplacian Spectrum Estimation}, booktitle = {International Conference on Decision and Control - CDC 2010}, year = {2010}, pages = {5775 - 5780}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {M. Franceschelli and S. Martini and M. Egerstedt and A. Bicchi and A. Giua} } @conference {PFB_2010, title = {On Optimal Cooperative Patrolling}, booktitle = {IEEE Conf. on Decision and Control}, year = {2010}, month = {December}, address = {Atlanta, GA, USA}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {F. Pasqualetti and A. Franchi and F. Bullo} } @conference {1528, title = {Resident cardiac stem cells on PAM scaffold for Heart tissue engineering application}, booktitle = {Congress of the European Society of Biomechanics, ESB 2010}, year = {2010}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {M. Nardi and C. De Maria and G. Forte and P. Di Nardo and A. Ahluwalia and G. Vozzi} } @conference {FMDBB10, title = {A Self-Routing Protocol for Distributed Consensus on Logical Information}, booktitle = {IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems}, year = {2010}, month = {October, 18 - 22}, pages = {5151 - 5156}, address = {Taipei, Taiwan}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and S. Martini and D. Di Baccio and A. Bicchi} } @article {SPFB10, title = {Shortest Paths for a Robot with Nonholonomic and Field-of-View Constraints}, journal = {IEEE Trans. on Robotics}, volume = {26}, number = {2}, year = {2010}, pages = {269 - 281}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {P Salaris and D. Fontanelli and L. Pallottino and A. Bicchi} } @article {BFP10, title = {Towards a Society of Robots: Behaviors, Misbehaviors, and Security}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine}, volume = {17}, number = {4}, year = {2010}, month = {December}, pages = {26 - 36}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi and A. Fagiolini and L. Pallottino} } @inbook {FSBB10, title = {Visual Servoing via Advanced Numerical Methods}, volume = {401}, year = {2010}, pages = {335 - 360}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, chapter = {Unicycle{\textendash}like Robots with Eye-In-Hand Monocular Cameras: from PBVS Towards IBVS}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {D. Fontanelli and P Salaris and F. A. W. Belo and A. Bicchi}, editor = {Graziano Chesi and Koichi Hashimoto} } @conference {FontanelliP09, title = {An Algorithm for WSN Clock Synchronization: Uncertainty and Convergence Rate Trade Off}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Intl. Workshop on Advanced Methods for Uncertainty Estimation in Measurement (AMUEM)}, year = {2009}, month = {6-7 July}, pages = {74{\textendash}79}, address = {Bucarest, Romania}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {D. Fontanelli and D. Petri} } @conference {FCB-CDC09, title = {Constructive robustness analysis of a limited-information feedback approach for nonlinear systems}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE International Conference on Decision and Control}, year = {2009}, month = {December, 16 - 1}, address = {Shangai, China}, abstract = {

We analyze the robustness properties of a recently introduced strategy for stabilization with limited information. We show that if the nominal closed-loop system can be made Input-to-State Stable (ISS) with respect to measurement errors, parameter uncertainty and exogenous disturbances then this robustness is preserved when only limited information is available on the plant. More precisely, if a sufficiently bandwidth is available on the communication network, then the resulting closed-loop is semiglobally practically ISS.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Franci and A. Chaillet} } @conference {FontanelliPP09, title = {Convergence of Distributed WSN Algorithms: The Wake-Up Scattering Problem}, booktitle = {Proc. of Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control}, year = {2009}, month = {April 13{\textendash}15}, pages = {180{\textendash}193}, publisher = {Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg}, organization = {Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg}, address = {San Francisco}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {D. Fontanelli and L. Palopoli and R. Passerone}, editor = {R. Majumdar and P. Tabuada} } @conference {QFGPB-ETFA09, title = {Designing Real-Time Embedded Controllers using the Anytime Computing Paradigm}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technology and Factory Automation}, year = {2009}, month = {September, 12 - }, pages = {1 - 8}, address = {Palma de Mallorca, Spain}, abstract = {

In this paper we present a methodology for designing embedded controllers with a variable accuracy. The adopted paradigm is the so called any-time control, which derives from the computing paradigm known as "imprecise computation". The most relevant contributions of the paper are a procedure for designing an incremental control law, whose different pieces cater for increasingly aggressive control requirements, and a modelling technique for the execution platform that allows us to design provably correct switching policies for the controllers. The methodology is validated by both simulations and experimental results.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ETFA.2009.5347086}, author = {A. Quagli and D. Fontanelli and L. Greco and L. Palopoli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {FMDB-NecSys09, title = {Distributed Consensus on Boolean Information}, booktitle = {1st IFAC Workshop on Estimation and Control of Networked Systems (NecSys{\textquoteright}09)}, year = {2009}, month = {September, 24 - }, pages = {72 - 77}, address = {Venice, Italy}, abstract = {

In this paper we study the convergence towards consensus on information in a distributed system of agents communicating over a network. The particularity of this study is that the information on which the consensus is seeked is not represented by real numbers, rather by logical values or compact sets. Whereas the problems of allowing a network of agents to reach a consensus on logical functions of input events, and that of agreeing on set-valued information, have been separately addressed in previous work, in this paper we show that these problems can indeed be attacked in a unified way in the framework of Boolean distributed information systems. Based on a notion of contractivity for Boolean dynamical systems, a necessary and suficient condition ensuring the global convergence toward a unique equilibrium point is presented. This result can be seen as a first step toward the de nition of a unified framework to uniformly address all consensus problems on Boolean algebras.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and S. Martini and N. Dubbini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {FBB-ICRA09, title = {Dynamic Distributed Intrusion Detection for Secure Multi-Robot Systems}, booktitle = {Int. Conference of Robotics and Automation}, year = {2009}, month = {May, 12 - 17}, pages = {2723 - 2728}, address = {Kobe, Japan}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and F. Babboni and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2029, title = {Event Related Biometrics: Towards an Unobtrusive Sensing Seat System for Continuous Human Authentication}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the ISDA 2009 - 9th International Conference on Intelligent Systems Design and Applications}, year = {2009}, pages = {679{\textendash}682}, doi = {10.1109/ISDA.2009.256}, url = {http://dx.medra.org/10.1109/ISDA.2009.256}, author = {M. Ferro and G. Pioggia and A. Tognetti and Dalle Mura, G. and D. De Rossi} } @conference {FontanelliMP09, title = {A Flexible Linear Control Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks Synchronization}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Intl. Instrumentation and Measurement Technology Conference (I2MTC)}, year = {2009}, month = {May 5-7}, pages = {384{\textendash}389}, address = {Singapore}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {D. Fontanelli and D. Macii and D. Petri} } @conference {FontanelliPP09cdc, title = {On the global convergence of a class of distributed algorithms for maximizing the coverage of a WSN}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Decision and Control}, year = {2009}, month = {December}, pages = {7885 - 7890}, address = {Shanghai (China)}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {D. Fontanelli and L. Palopoli and R. Passerone} } @conference {SFB-ICRA09, title = {Integration of Active and Passive Compliance Control for Safe Human-Robot Coexistence}, booktitle = {Int. Conference of Robotics and Automation}, year = {2009}, month = {May, 12 - 17}, pages = {259 - 264}, address = {Kobe, Japan}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {R. Schiavi and F. Flacco and A. Bicchi} } @conference {FontanelliPPMP09, title = {Lifetime and Coverage Maximization in Wireless Sensor Networks}, booktitle = {Proc. IFAC Workshop on Estimation and Control of Networked Systems}, year = {2009}, month = {24-26 September}, address = {Venice, Italy}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {D. Fontanelli and L. Palopoli and R. Passerone and D. Macii and D. Petri} } @conference {MaciiFP09, title = {A Master{\textendash}Slave Synchronization Model for Enhanced Servo Clock Design}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Symp. on Precision Clock Synchronization for Measurement, Control and Communication (ISPCS)}, year = {2009}, note = {

DOI: 10.1109/ISPCS.2009.5340199

}, month = {October 12-16}, pages = {1{\textendash}6}, address = {Brescia (Italy)}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {D. Macii and D. Fontanelli and D. Petri} } @article {1539, title = {Melt-extruded guides for peripheral nerve regeneration. Part I: Poly(epsilon-caprolactone)}, journal = {BIOMEDICAL MICRODEVICES}, year = {2009}, pages = {1037-1050}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {1387-2176}, author = {V. Chiono and G. Vozzi and Vozzi, F. and C. Salvadori and F. Dini and F. Carlucci and ARISPICI, M and S. Burchielli and DI SCIPIO, F and GEUNA, S and FORNARO, M and TOS, P and Nicolino, S and Audisio, C and Perroteau, I and CHIARAVALLOTI, A and C. Domenici and P. Giusti and G. Ciardelli} } @conference {DLFSB-IROS09, title = {Nonlinear Decoupled Motion-Stiffness Control and Collision Detection/Reaction for the VSA-II Variable Stiffness Device}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent RObots and Systems}, year = {2009}, month = {October, 11 - 15}, pages = {5487-5494}, address = {St. Louis MO USA}, abstract = {

Variable Stiffness Actuation (VSA) devices are being used to jointly address the issues of safety and performance in physical human-robot interaction. With reference to the VSA-II prototype, we present a feedback linearization approach that allows the simultaneous decoupling and accurate tracking of motion and stiffness reference profiles. The operative condition that avoids control singularities is characterized. Moreover, a momentum-based collision detection scheme is introduced, which does not require joint torque sensing nor information on the time-varying stiffness of the device. Based on the residual signal, a collision reaction strategy is proposed that takes advantage of the proposed nonlinear control to rapidly let the arm bounce away after detecting the impact, while limiting contact forces through a sudden reduction of the stiffness. Simulations results are presented to illustrate the performance of the overall approach. Extensions to the multi-dof case of robot manipulators equipped with VSA-II devices are also considered.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Physical Human-Robot Interaction (pHRI), Robotics}, author = {A. De Luca and F. Flacco and R. Schiavi and A. Bicchi} } @conference {AsaulaFP09, title = {A Probabilistic Methodology for Predicting Injuries to Human Operators in Automated Production lines}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Emerging Technologies and Factory Automation (ETFA)}, year = {2009}, month = {22-26 September}, pages = {1 - 8}, address = {Mallorca, Spain}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {R. Asaula and D. Fontanelli and L. Palopoli} } @conference {ACBBGSFB-IROS09, title = {A Rough-Terrain, Casting Robot for the ESA Lunar Robotics Challenge}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent RObots and Systems}, year = {2009}, month = {October, 11 - 15}, pages = {3336-3342}, address = {St. Louis MO USA}, abstract = {

This paper describes the design and implementation of DAVID, a lunar vehicle developed for the European Space Agency (ESA) Lunar Robotics Challenge, presenting severe terrain negotiation and sample acquisition challenges. We discuss in some detail two of the main innovative aspects of our entry to the challenge, i.e. the locomotion system and the sample acquisition system. Motivated by the challenge specifications, a range of different locomotion systems were considered, among which we chose a simple, rugged and effective wheeled system. We provide an account of the choice of five different types of wheels, which were designed, analyzed and experimentally tested in conditions similar to the challenge. The system eventually turned out to be very effective in negotiating 89\% slopes of volcanic terrain on the challenge site, Mount Teide in Tenerife. To reduce the distance to be traveled on the difficult terrain and avoid risks in reaching the lowest parts of a crater, the vehicle was endowed with an innovative sample acquisition system, i.e. a casting manipulator. Casting manipulation is a technique in which the end-effector is thrown, the sample material is acquired, and the end-effector is retrieved using a light tether that acts as a

}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {S. Alicino and M. G. Catalano and F. Bonomo and F. A. W. Belo and G. Grioli and R. Schiavi and A. Fagiolini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {FMDB-NESTER09, title = {Safety and Security in Networked Robotics Systems via Logical Consensus}, booktitle = {International Workshop on Networked embedded and control system technologies: European and Russian R\&D cooperation (NESTER{\textquoteright}09)}, year = {2009}, month = {July, 2 - 5}, address = {Milan, Italy}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {S. Martini and A. Fagiolini and G. Dini and A. Bicchi} } @article {2026, title = {A SENSING SEAT FOR HUMAN AUTHENTICATION}, journal = {IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INFORMATION FORENSICS AND SECURITY}, volume = {4}, year = {2009}, pages = {451{\textendash}459}, issn = {1556-6013}, author = {M. Ferro and G. Pioggia and A. Tognetti and N. Carbonaro and D. De Rossi} } @conference {FMB-CASE09, title = {Set-Valued Consensus for Distributed Clock Synchronization}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Conference on Automation Science and Engineering}, year = {2009}, month = {August, 22-25}, pages = {116 - 121}, address = {Bangalore}, abstract = {

This paper addresses the clock synchronization problem in a wireless sensor network (WSN) and proposes a distributed solution that consists of a form of consensus, where agents are able to exchange data representing intervals or sets. The solution is based on a centralized algorithm for clock synchronization, proposed by Marzullo, that determines the smallest interval that is in common with the maximum number of measured interval. We first show how to convert such an algorithm into a problem involving only operations on sets, and then we convert it into a set

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and S. Martini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {PSFB-CDC09, title = {Shortest Paths for Non-holonomic Vehicles with Limited Field of View Camera}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE International Conference on Decision and Control}, year = {2009}, month = {December, 16 - 1}, pages = {8434 - 8439}, address = {Shangai, China}, abstract = {

This paper presents a complete characterization of shortest paths for unicycle-like nonholonomic mobile robots equipped with a pinhole camera rigidly fixed with limited Field-Of-View (FOV). We preliminarily provide an alphabet of optimal control words and then we demonstrate how to obtain the partition induced by shortest path in the vehicle plane. The word univocally associated to a region encodes the shortest path from any starting point in that region to the goal point of the mobile robot without violating the FOV constraints.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Pallottino and P Salaris and D. Fontanelli and A. Bicchi} } @inbook {FSBB09_STAR, title = {Visual appearance mapping for optimal vision based servoing}, series = {Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics (STAR)}, volume = {54 - Experimental Robotics}, year = {2009}, month = {March 28}, pages = {353 - 362}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {D. Fontanelli and P Salaris and F. A. W. Belo and A. Bicchi}, editor = {B. Siciliano and O. Khatib and Groen, F.} } @article {FDSBB09, title = {Visual Servoing in the Large}, journal = {International Journal of Robotics Research}, volume = {28}, number = {6}, year = {2009}, month = {June}, pages = {802 - 814}, abstract = {

In this paper we consider the problem of maneuvering an autonomous robot in complex unknown environments using vision. The goal is to accurately servo a wheeled vehicle to a desired posture using only feedback from an on-board camera, taking into account the nonholonomic nature of the vehicle kinematics and the limited field-ofview of the camera. With respect to existing visual servoing schemes, which achieve similar goals locally (i.e. when the desired and actual camera views are sufficiently similar), we propose a method to visually navigate the robot through an extended visual map before eventually reaching the desired goal. The map comprises a set of images, previously stored in an exploratory phase, that convey both topological and metric information regarding the connectivity through feasible robot paths and the geometry of the environment, respectively. Experimental results on a laboratory setup are reported showing the practicality of the proposed approach.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {D. Fontanelli and A. Danesi and F. A. W. Belo and P Salaris and A. Bicchi} } @conference {GFB08, title = {Anytime Control Algorithms for Real-Time Embedded Systems}, booktitle = {Int Conf of Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control}, series = {Lecture Notes in Computer Science}, volume = {4981/2008}, year = {2008}, pages = {158 - 171}, publisher = {Springer-Verlag}, organization = {Springer-Verlag}, address = {St. Louis, MO}, abstract = {

In this paper we consider the problem of designing controllers for linear plants to be implemented in embedded platforms under stringent real-time constraints. These include preemptive scheduling schemes, under which the maximum execution time allowed for control software tasks is uncertain. We propose an {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}anytime control{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} design approach, consisting in a hierarchy of controllers for the same plant. Higher controllers in the hierarchy provide better closed-loop performance, while typically requiring a larger worst-case execution time. We provide a procedure for the design of controllers which, together with a conditioning process of the stochastic scheduling, provides better performance than prevailing worst case-based design, while guaranteeing almost sure stability of the resulting switching system.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {D. Fontanelli and L. Greco and A. Bicchi}, editor = {M. Egerstedt and B. Mishra} } @conference {FPVDB08, title = {Consensus-based Distributed Intrusion Detection for Multi-Robot Systems}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2008}, pages = {120 - 127}, abstract = {

This paper addresses a security problem in robotic multi-agent systems, where agents are supposed to cooperate according to a shared protocol. A distributed Intrusion Detection System (IDS) is proposed here, that detects possible non- cooperative agents. Previous work by the authors showed how single monitors embedded on-board the agents can detect non- cooperative behavior, using only locally available information. In this paper, we allow such monitors to share the collected information in order to overcome their sensing limitation. In this perspective, we show how an agreement on the type of behavior of a target-robot may be reached by the monitors, through execution of a suitable consensus algorithm. After formulating a consensus problem over non-scalar quantities, and with a generic update function, we provide conditions for the consensus convergence and an upper bound to its transient duration. Effectiveness of the proposed solution is finally shown through simulation of a case study.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and M. Pellinacci and M. Valenti and G. Dini and A. Bicchi} } @article {1549, title = {Criticality of the Biological and Physical Stimuli Array Inducing Resident Cardiac Stem Cell Determination}, journal = {STEM CELLS}, volume = {26}, year = {2008}, pages = {2093{\textendash}2103}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {1066-5099}, author = {G. Forte and CAROTENUTO, F and F. Pagliari and S. Pagliari and COSSA, P and FIACCAVENTO, R and A. Ahluwalia and G. Vozzi and Vinci, B. and SERAFINO, A and RINALDI, A and E. Traversa and CAROSELLA, L and M. Minieri and P. Di Nardo} } @conference {FTBD08, title = {Decentralized Deployment of Mobile Sensors for Optimal Connected Sensing Coverage}, booktitle = {Distributed Computing in Sensor Systems}, series = {Lecture Notes in Computer Science}, volume = {5067/2008}, year = {2008}, pages = {486 - 491}, publisher = {Springer Berlin / Heidelberg}, organization = {Springer Berlin / Heidelberg}, abstract = {

In this paper, we address the optimal connected sensing coverage problem, i.e., how mobile sensors with limited sensing capabilities can cooperatively adjust their locations so as to maximize the extension of the covered area while avoiding any internal "holes", areas that are not covered by any sensor. Our solution consists in a distributed motion algorithm that is based on an original extension of the Voronoi tessellation.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69170-9_34}, author = {A. Fagiolini and L. Tani and A. Bicchi and G. Dini} } @conference {FBZ08, title = {Generalized Fibonacci Dynamical Systems}, booktitle = {Int. Conf. On Fibonacci Numbers and their applications}, year = {2008}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Balestrino and A. Fagiolini and G. Zini} } @conference {FVB-CDC08Ext, title = {Logical Consensus for Distributed Network Agreement}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Decision and Control}, year = {2008}, note = {

Extended Version

}, pages = {5250 - 5255}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and E.M. Visibelli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {SBFGB08, title = {Optimal Paths in a Constrained Image Plane for Purely Image-Based Parking}, booktitle = {IROS}, year = {2008}, month = {22-26 Sept}, pages = {1673-1680}, abstract = {

This paper presents a correct solution to the optimal feedback control for a nonholonomic vehicle with limited field-of-view. Previous work on this subject has shown that the search for a shortest path can be limited to simple families of trajectories. We preliminarily provide an extension of the alphabet of optimal control words, to cover some regions of the vehicle plane where the synthesis of turns out to be suboptimal. The main contribution of this paper is an algorithm to translate the optimal synthesis to the image plane, thus enabling a purely image-based optimal control scheme. This allows better performance and increases the robustness of the overall process, avoiding the need of slowly-converging and error-prone parameter estimation algorithms. Simulations and experiments are reported which demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {P Salaris and F. A. W. Belo and D. Fontanelli and L. Greco and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1796, title = {PAM Composite Scaffold of PCL and Carbon NanoTubes for Bone Tissue Regeneration}, booktitle = {National Conference of Bioengineering}, year = {2008}, pages = {369}, address = {Pisa, Italy}, abstract = {

poster

}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {Mattioli-Belmonte, M. and Fantauzzi, V and K KYRIAKIDOU and Tirella, A and A. Ahluwalia and G. Vozzi} } @conference {AMC08, title = {Physical Human-Robot Interaction: Dependability, Safety, and Performance}, booktitle = {Proc. 10th Intl. Workshop Advanced Motion Control}, year = {2008}, pages = {9-14}, abstract = {

In this paper we discuss the problem of achieving good performance in accuracy and promptness by a robot manipulator under the condition that safety is guaranteed throughout task execution. Intuitively, while a rigid and powerful structure of the arm would favor its performance, lightweight compliant structures are more suitable for safe operation. The quantitative analysis of the resulting design trade-off between safety and performance has a strong impact on how robot mechanisms and controllers should be designed for human-interactive applications. We discuss few different possible concepts for safely actuating joints, and focus on aspects related to the implementation of the mechanics and control of this new class of robots.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Physical Human-Robot Interaction (pHRI), Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi and M. Bavaro and G. Boccadamo and D. De Carli and R. Filippini and G. Grioli and M. Piccigallo and A. Rosi and R. Schiavi and S. Sen and G. Tonietti} } @conference {1461, title = {Real-time discrimination of multiple cardiac arrhythmias for wearable systems based on neural networks}, booktitle = {Computers in Cardiology, 2008}, year = {2008}, pages = {1053{\textendash}1056}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Valenza and A Lanata and M. Ferro and E. P. Scilingo} } @conference {MED08-GFB, title = {Robust Almost Sure Stability for Uncertain Stochastically Scheduled Anytime Controllers}, booktitle = {Control and Automation, 16 th Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation}, year = {2008}, pages = {249 - 254}, abstract = {

In this paper we consider closed loop stability of a number of different software tasks implementing a hierarchy of real-time controllers for a given plant, i.e.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {D. Fontanelli and L. Greco and A. Bicchi} } @conference {BFDS08, title = {Tolerating Malicious Monitors in Detecting Misbehaving Robots}, booktitle = {IEEE International Workshop on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics}, year = {2008}, pages = {108 - 114}, address = {Tohoku University Aobayama Campus, Sendai, Japan}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and A. Bicchi and G. Dini and I. M. Savino} } @article {FSB08, title = {Toward Soft Robot you can Depend on}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine}, volume = {15}, number = {3}, year = {2008}, pages = {31 - 41}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {R. Filippini and S. Sen and A. Bicchi} } @conference {DFB, title = {Visual Servoing on Image Maps}, booktitle = {Experimental Robotics}, series = {Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics (STAR)}, volume = {39}, year = {2008}, note = {

proceedings of the 2006 symposium of experimental robotics

}, pages = {277 - 286}, publisher = {Springer Berlin / Heidelberg}, organization = {Springer Berlin / Heidelberg}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Danesi and D. Fontanelli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {iser08, title = {Visual SLAM for Servoing for Appearance Based Topological Maps}, booktitle = {Proc. Ints. Symp. Experimental Robotics}, series = {Experimental Robotics}, volume = {39/2008}, year = {2008}, pages = {277-286}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {P Salaris and F. A. W. Belo and D. Fontanelli and A. Bicchi}, editor = {Springer-Verlag} } @conference {GFB07, title = {Almost Sure Stability of Anytime Controllers via Stochastic Scheduling}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Decision and Control}, year = {2007}, month = {December}, pages = {5640-5645}, abstract = {

In this paper we consider scheduling the execution of a number of different software tasks implementing a hierarchy of real-time controllers for a given plant. Controllers are considered to be given and ordered according to a measure of the performance they provide. Software tasks implementing higher-performance controllers are assumed to require a larger worst-case execution time. Control tasks are to be scheduled within given availability limits on execution time, which change stochastically in time. The ensuing switching system is prone to instability, unless a very conservative policy is enforced of always using the simplest, least performant controller. The presented method allows to condition the stochastic scheduling of control tasks so as to obtain a better exploitation of computing capabilities, while guaranteeing almost sure stability of the resulting switching system.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Greco and D. Fontanelli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1470, title = {An Artificial Neural Network approach for Haptic Discrimination in Minimally Invasive Surgery}, booktitle = {Robot and Human interactive Communication, 2007. RO-MAN 2007. The 16th IEEE International Symposium on}, year = {2007}, pages = {25{\textendash}30}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {N. Sgambelluri and G. Valenza and M. Ferro and G. Pioggia and E. P. Scilingo and D. De Rossi and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1657, title = {Cardiac and Mesenchymal Stem Cell Growth and Selective Differentiation on Three Dimensional Bioerodable Scaffolds}, booktitle = {Termis Eu-Meeting London (UK) 4-7 September 2007 Tissue Engineering 2007, 13 (7): 1647}, year = {2007}, pages = {{\textendash}}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Forte and CAROTENUTO, F and G. Vozzi and COSSA, P and FIACCAVENTO, R and M. Minieri and F. Pagliari and S. Pagliari and Romano, R. and A. Ahluwalia and E. Traversa and P. Di Nardo} } @conference {filippini2007cda, title = {A Comparative Dependability Analysis of Antagonistic Actuation Arrangements for Enhanced Robotic Safety}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2007}, pages = {4349{\textendash}4354}, abstract = {In this paper we introduce an analysis of dependability of an elementary yet critical component of robotic systems designed to operate in environments shared with humans, i.e. the joint-level actuation system. We consider robot joints that implement the Variable Impedance Actuation (VIA) paradigm. The VIA has been demonstrated to be an effective mean to achieve high performance while constantly keeping injury risks to humans by accidental impacts below a given threshold. The paper describe possible implementations of the VIA concept which use the Antagonistic Actuation (AA) in three different arrangements. This study follows a previously reported paper dealing with safety. Here a detailed comparative dependability and performability analysis in front of possible specific failure modes is conducted, whose results provide additional and useful guidelines for design of safe and dependable actuation systems for physical human-robot interaction. }, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {R. Filippini and S. Sen and G. Tonietti and A. Bicchi} } @article {PSFB06-TRO, title = {Decentralized cooperative policy for conflict resolution in multi-vehicle systems}, journal = {IEEE Trans. on Robotics}, volume = {23}, number = {6}, year = {2007}, pages = {1170-1183}, abstract = {

In this paper we propose a novel policy for steering multiple vehicles between assigned independent start and goal configurations and ensuring collision avoidance. The policy rests on the assumption that agents are all cooperating by implementing the same traffic rules. However, the policy is completely decentralized, as each agent decides its own motion by applying those rules only on locally available information, and totally scalable, in the sense that the amount of information processed by each agent and the computational complexity of the algorithms are not increasing with the number of agents in the scenario. The proposed policy applies to systems in which new vehicle may enter the scene and start interacting with existing ones at any time, while others may leave. Under mild conditions on the initial configurations, the policy is shown to be safe, i.e. to guarantee collision avoidance throughout the system evolution. In the paper, conditions are discussed on the desired configurations of agents under which the ultimate convergence of all vehicles to their goals can also be guaranteed. To show that such conditions are actually necessary and sufficient, which turns out to be a challenging liveness verification problem for a complex hybrid automaton, we employ a probabilistic verification method. The paper finally reports on simulations for systems of several tens of vehicles, and with some experimental implementation showing the practicality of the approach.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Pallottino and V. G. Scordio and E. Frazzoli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {FVPDB:CDC07, title = {Decentralized Intrusion Detection for Secure Cooperative Multi-Agent Systems}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Decision and Control}, year = {2007}, pages = {1553-1558}, abstract = {

In this paper we address the problem of detecting faulty behaviors of cooperative mobile agents. A novel decentralized and scalable architecture that can be adopted to realize a monitor of the agents

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and G. Valenti and L. Pallottino and G. Dini and A. Bicchi} } @booklet {FPD{\textquoteright}07, title = {Decentralized Intrusion Detection in Cooperative Multi-Agent Systems}, year = {2007}, note = {

Poster Presentation

}, month = {April}, abstract = {

We address the problem of detecting faulty behaviors of robots belonging to a multi-agent system. Our objective is to develop a scalable architecture that can be adopted to realize a completely decentralized intrusion detector monitoring the agents{\textquoteright} behavior. We want the solution to be independent from the set of {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}rules{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} describing the interaction among the agents, and from their dynamics; (non-invasive) mainly based on HW/SW components that are already present on-board of each agent. We focus on systems with decentralized cooperation schemes where cooperation is obtained by sharing a set of {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}rules{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} by which each agent plans its next {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}action{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} and where some of the agents may act not according to the rules due to spontaneous failure, tampering, or malicious introduction.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and L. Pallottino and G. Dini} } @conference {FontanelliRS07, title = {A Fast RANSAC{\textendash}Based Registration Algorithm for Accurate Localization in Unknown Environments using LIDAR Measurements}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Automation Science and Engineering}, year = {2007}, month = {September}, address = {Scottsdale, AZ, USA}, abstract = {

The problem of accurate localization using only measurements from a LIDAR sensor is analyzed in this paper. The sensor is rigidly fixed on a generic moving platform, which moves on a plane. Practical on{\textendash}line applications of localization algorithms impose constraints on the execution time, problem that is addressed in this paper and compared with other existing solutions. Due to the nature of the sensor adopted, the localization algorithm is based on a fast and accurate {\em registration} algorithm, which is able to deal with noisy measurements, outliers and dynamic environments. The proposed solution relies on the RANSAC algorithm in combination with a Huber kernel in order to cope with typical nuisances in LIDAR measurements. The robust registration is successively used in combination with an Extended Kalman Filter to track the trajectory of the LIDAR over time, hence to solve the localization problem. Simulations and experimental results are reported to show the feasibility of the proposed approach.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {D. Fontanelli and L. Ricciato and S. Soatto} } @conference {FVPDB:CASE07, title = {Local Monitor Implementation for Decentralized Intrusion Detection in Secure Multi-Agent Systems}, booktitle = {3rd IEEE Conference on Automation Science and Engineering}, year = {2007}, pages = {454{\textendash}459}, abstract = {

This paper focuses on the detection of misbehaving agents within a group of mobile robots. A novel approach to automatically synthesize a decentralized Intrusion Detection System (IDS) as well as an efficient implementation of local monitors are presented. In our scenario, agents perform possibly different independent tasks, but cooperate to guarantee the entire system

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and G. Valenti and L. Pallottino and G. Dini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {PSFB07-ACC, title = {Probabilistic verification of decentralized multi-agent control strategies: a case study in conflict avoidance}, booktitle = {American Control Conference (ACC)}, year = {2007}, pages = {170-175}, abstract = {

Many challenging verification problems arise from complex hybrid automata that model decentralized control systems. As an example, we will consider decentralized policies that steer multiple vehicles in a shared environment: properties of safety and liveness, such as collision avoidance and ultimate convergence of all vehicles to their goals, must be verified. To formally verify the behavior of proposed policies, it is desired to identify the broadest class of start and goal configurations, such that safety and liveness would be guaranteed. Simple conditions are proposed to identify such a class: ideally, a formal proof that such conditions are necessary and sufficient for safety and liveness is requested. Unfortunately, in decentralized control frameworks classical approaches are difficult to apply. Hence, probabilistic verification method can be applied to quantify the accuracy and the confidence of the veridicity of the desired predicate. The probabilistic verification method is applied to a recently proposed cooperative and completely decentralized collision avoidance policy for non-holonomic vehicles.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Pallottino and A. Bicchi and E. Frazzoli} } @conference {GFBP-07, title = {Steering Dynamical Systems with Finite Plans and Limited Path Length}, booktitle = {European Control Conference}, year = {2007}, pages = {4686-4690}, abstract = {

Complex dynamical systems can be steered by using symbolic input plans. These plans must have a finite descriptive length, and can be expressed by means of words chosen in an alphabet of symbols. In this way, such plans can be sent through a limited capacity channel to a remote system, where they are decoded in suitable control actions. The choice of this symbols is essential to efficiently encode steering plans. To this aim, in this paper, we state the problem of finding symbols maximizing the interval of points reachable by the system along paths with constrained length. We focus on the problem with two symbols, and compare the results with those produced by plans not accounting for the length constraint. Moreover, the behavior of a simple helicopter, steered by both kinds of plans, has been simulated, in order to illustrate the power of the overall control system, and to emphasize the improvements introduced by the new plans.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Greco and A. Fagiolini and A. Bicchi and B. Piccoli} } @article {BBEFKP06, title = {Symbolic Planning and Control of Robot Motion: Finding the Missing Pieces of Current Methods and Ideas}, journal = {Robotics and Automation Magazine}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, year = {2007}, pages = {61-70}, abstract = {

Approaches to robot motion planning and control that involve tools such as automata, languages, temporal logics, and grammars, have been recently termed "symbolic." In this article, we review some existing results, discuss their relevance and applicability, and outline some of the main open questions and challenges in the area.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {C. Belta and A. Bicchi and M. Egerstedt and E. Frazzoli and E. Klavins and G. J. Pappas} } @conference {FSB07, title = {Variable Impedance Actuations for Physical Human Cooperating Robots: a Comparative Analysis of Performance, Safety and Dependability}, booktitle = {Proc. IARP-IEEE/RAS-EURON Workshop on Technical Challenges for Dependable Robots in Human Environments.}, year = {2007}, month = {April}, abstract = {

An antagonistic actuation with variable stiffness is proposed for ensuring safety and performance in human friendly robotic applications. Various arrangements are analysed with respect to performance, safety and dependability. The results are expected to provide useful guidelines for choosing an actuation mechanism and its implementation for human-robot interactive applications.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {R. Filippini and S. Sen and A. Bicchi} } @conference {FontanelliVGCB06, title = {Adaptive non Linear Control of Dynamic Mobile Robots with Parameters Uncertainty}, booktitle = {Int. IFAC Symp. on Robot Control}, year = {2006}, month = {September}, address = {Bologna, Italy}, abstract = {

Research of a modular stabilizing control law for uncertain, nonholonomic mobile systems with actuators limitation has been investigated. Modular design allows the definition of a stabilizing control law for the kinematic model. The presence of uncertainties in the actuators parameters or in the vehicle dynamics has been treated both adding suitable components to the Lyapunov function and using parameters adaptation laws (e.g. adaptive control and backstepping techniques). Simulations are reported for the set point stabilization of a unicycle like vehicle showing the feasibility of the proposed approach. Torque limitations for a unicycle like vehicle has been investigated using backstepping techniques for the vehicle tracking problem. Simulations are reported.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {D. Fontanelli and R. Viviani and L. Greco and A. Caiti and A. Bicchi} } @booklet {FontanelliG-TR06, title = {Any Time Control}, year = {2006}, month = {March}, publisher = {Interdepartmental Research Center E. Piaggio, University of Pisa}, address = {Pisa, Italy}, abstract = {

It is widely accepted in the control community that the Computer Controlled Systems (briefly, CCSs), have a lot of advantages based primarily on the high reconfigurability of the controller platform and the ability of making complex yet fast decisions. Such positive features make the CCS a useful platform for multitasking control, i.e. using only one single-processor platform to control several plants. Within this framework, the computer has to share its computational time to solve several critical tasks, each one with its priority. Taking into account schedulability and real time operating systems problems, it is just a step forward to realize that tasks with low priority could be interrupted any time, with unpredictable distributions, and it is just a logical intuition that not all the tasks can be at the highest priority. From a control point of view, each control task should compute a control input to the controlled system to prevent instability or to ensure the performances. This field seems to be at the border between the control community and the computer science community and it has not been widely investigated. Some work has been presented introducing more general scheduling models and methods for control systems, where control design methodology takes the availability of computing resources into account and allows the trade{\textendash}offs between control performance and computer resources utilization, and also introducing the idea of any time CCS without solutions. In literature, the Control Server is introduced, allowing the separation between scheduling and control design by treating the controllers as scalable real{\textendash}time components. Jitter and latency is included in the model and cannot be taken over. Furthermore, the interrupt time, the I/O operations and the overrun handling are not taken into account, simply imposing only soft real time control tasks. Useful tools for the analysis of real time control performance are the Jitterbug and the True Time that analyze the control performance once the control tasks are implemented as soft real time tasks.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {D. Fontanelli and L. Greco} } @conference {LSFD-06, title = {Bi-modal Transducer-based Wearable System for Cardiac Monitoring}, booktitle = {Fourth IASTED International Conference on Biomedical Engineering}, year = {2006}, month = {February}, pages = {92-97}, address = {Innsbruck, Austria}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {A Lanata and E. P. Scilingo and R. Francesconi and D. De Rossi} } @conference {FTB06, title = {Casting Robotic end-effectors to reach far objects in space and planetary missions}, booktitle = {Proc. of the 9th ESA Workshop on Advanced Space Technologies for Robotics and Automation}, year = {2006}, pages = {28-30}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and A. Torelli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {PSFB-MTNS06, title = {Decentralized and scalable conflict resolution strategy for multi-agents systems}, booktitle = {Int. Symp. on Mathematical Theory of Networks and Systems}, year = {2006}, abstract = {

A decentralized cooperative collision avoidance control policy for planar vehicle recently proposed is herein considered. Given some simple conditions on initial configurations of agents, the policy is known to ensure safety (i.e., collision avoidance) for an arbitrarily large number of vehicles. The method is highly scalable, and effective solutions can be obtained for several tens of autonomous agents. On the other hand, the liveness property of the policy, i.e. the capability of negotiating a solution in finite time, is not yet completely understood. First a 3D workspace extension is proposed. Furthermore, based on a condition on target configuration previously proposed, some general results on the liveness property are reported. Finally, qualitative evaluations on the strategy and on the proposed target sparsity condition are pointed out.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Pallottino and V. G. Scordio and E. Frazzoli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {PSFB06, title = {Probabilistic verification of a decentralized policy for conflict resolution in multi-agent systems}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2006}, note = {

Correct version

}, pages = {2448-2453}, abstract = {

In this paper, we consider a decentralized cooperative control policy proposed recently for steering multiple non-holonomic vehicles between assigned start and goal configurations while avoiding collisions. The policy is known to ensure safety (i.e., collision avoidance) for an arbitrarily large number of vehicles, if initial configurations satisfy certain conditions. The method is highly scalable, and effective solutions can be obtained for several tens of autonomous agents. On the other hand, the liveness property of the policy, i.e. the capability of negotiating a solution in finite time, is not yet completely understood. In this paper, we introduce a condition on the final vehicle configurations, which we conjecture to be sufficient for guaranteeing liveness. Because of the overwhelming complexity of proving the sufficiency of such condition, we assess the correctness of the conjecture in probability through the analysis of the results of a large number of randomized experiments.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Pallottino and V. G. Scordio and E. Frazzoli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {DFPSSDB06, title = {A scalable platform for safe and secure decentralized traffic management of multiagent mobile systems}, booktitle = {ACM Workshop on Real-World Wireless Sensor Networks}, year = {2006}, abstract = {

In this paper we describe the application of wireless sensor networking techniques to address the realization of a safe and secure decentralized traffic management system. We consider systems of many heterogeneous autonomous vehicles moving in a shared environment. Each vehicle is assumed to have different and possibly unspecified tasks, but they cooperate to avoid collisions. We are interested in designing a scalable architecture capable of accommodating a very large and dynamically changing number of vehicles, guaranteeing their safety (i.e., collision avoidance), the achievement of their goals, and security against potential adversaries. By properly distributing and revoking cryptographic keys we are able to protect communications from an external adversary as well as to detect non-cooperative, possibly malicious vehicles and trigger suitable countermeasures. In our architecture, scalability is obtained by decentralization, i.e. each vehicle is regarded as an autonomous agent capable of processing information concerning its own state and the state of only a fixed, small number of {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}neighboring{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} agents. Ad-hoc wireless sensor networks are employed to provide support for this architecture.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Danesi and A. Fagiolini and I. Savino and L. Pallottino and R. Schiavi and G. Dini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {FGBPM06, title = {Symbolic Control for Underactuated Differentially Flat Systems}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2006}, pages = {1649-1654}, abstract = {

In this paper we address the problem of generating input plans to steer complex dynamical systems in an obstacle-free environment. Plans considered admit a finite description length and are constructed by words on an alphabet of input symbols, which could be e.g. transmitted through a limited capacity channel to a remote system, where they can be decoded in suitable control actions. We show that, by suitable choice of the control encoding, finite plans can be efficiently built for a wide class of dynamical systems, computing arbitrarily close approximations of a desired equilibrium in polynomial time. Moreover, we illustrate by simulations the power of the proposed method, solving the steering problem for two examples in the class of underactuated systems, which have attracted wide attention in the recent literature.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and L. Greco and A. Bicchi and B. Piccoli and A. Marigo} } @booklet {BCFGV05, title = {Adaptive nonlinear control of dynamic mobile robots with parameters uncertainty}, year = {2005}, publisher = {Dipartimento di Sistemi Elettrici e Automazione, Universit\à di Pisa}, abstract = {

Research of a modular stabilizing control law for uncertain, nonholonomic mobile systems with actuators limitation has been investigated. Modular design allows the definition of a stabilizing control law for the kinematic model. The presence of uncertainties in the actuators parameters or in the vehicle dynamics has been treated both adding suitable components to the Lyapunov function and using parameters adaptation laws (e.g. adaptive control and backstepping techniques). Simulations are reported for the set point stabilization of a unicycle like vehicle showing the feasibility of the proposed approach. Torque limitations for a unicycle like vehicle has been investigated using backstepping techniques for the vehicle tracking problem. Simulations are reported.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi and A. Caiti and D. Fontanelli and L. Greco and R. Viviani} } @conference {PSFB05, title = {Decentralized Cooperative Conflict Resolution for Multiple Nonholonomic Vehicles}, booktitle = {Proc. AIAA COnf. on Guidance, Navigation and Control}, year = {2005}, abstract = {

In this paper, we consider the problem of collision-free motion planning for multiple nonholonomic planar vehicles. Each vehicle is capable of moving at constant speed along paths with bounded curvature, and is aware of the position and heading of other vehicles within a certain sensing radius. No other information exchange is required between vehicles. We propose a spatially decentralized, cooperative hybrid control policy that ensures safety for arbitrary numbers of vehicles. Furthermore, we show that under certain conditions, the policy avoids dead- and livelock, and eventually all vehicles reach their intended targets. Simulations and experimental results are presented and discussed.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Pallottino and V. G. Scordio and E. Frazzoli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {FAB05, title = {Visual-based Feedback Control of Casting Manipulation}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2005}, note = {

(ICRA05 B. Wegbreit Award for Best Manipulation Paper)

}, pages = {2203-2208}, abstract = {

In this paper, we present a method to control casting manipulation by means of real-time visual feedback. Casting manipulation is a technique to deploy a robotic end-effector at large distances from the robot{\textquoteright}s base, by throwing the end-effector and controlling its ballistic flight using forces transmitted through a light tether connected to the end-effector itself. The tether cable can also be used to retrieve the end-effector and exert forces on the robot{\textquoteright}s environment. Previous work has shown that casting manipulation is able to catch objects at a large distance, proving it viable for applications such as sample acquisition and return, rescue, etc. In previous experiments, the position of the target object was known exactly. In this paper, we present a first attempt at closing a real-time control loop on casting manipulation using visual feedback of moving targets. As accurate planning methods developed for off-line open-loop planning cannot be used in real-time, we develop a simplified model and control algorithm, whose effectiveness is demonstrated through experiments.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and H. Arisumi and A. Bicchi} } @article {MFB03, title = {A Hybrid-Control Approach to the Parking Problem of a Wheeled Vehicle Using Limited View-Angle Visual Feedback}, journal = {Int. Jour. of Robotics Research}, volume = {23}, number = {4-5}, year = {2004}, month = {April-May}, pages = {437-448}, abstract = {

In this paper we consider the mobile robot parking problem, i.e. the stabilization of a wheeled vehicle to a given position and orientation, using only visual feedback from low-cost cameras. The practically most relevant problem of keeping the tracked features in sight of the camera while maneuvering to park the vehicle is taken into account. This constraint, often neglected in the literature, combines with the nonholonomic nature of the vehicle kinematics in a challenging controller design problem. We provide an effective solution to such problem by using a combination of previous results on non-smooth control synthesis and recently developed hybrid control techniques. Simulations and experimental results on a laboratory vehicle are reported, showing the practicality of the proposed approach.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {P. Murrieri and D. Fontanelli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {DFB04, title = {Towards Cooperative Visual-Based Localization, Mapping, and Servoing}, year = {2004}, note = {

Proc. IEEE Mediterranean Conf.

}, abstract = {

In this paper we consider the problem of navigating an autonomous robot using primarily vision for localizing the robot, building a map of the environment, and navigating through viapoints to goals. A visual servo scheme is used that can steer the wheeled vehicle among images. Goal images do not necessarily correspond to images physically taken from the desired vehicle posture, as servoing to reconstructed virtual images is possible. A topological image map is constructed to support this, based on images grabbed by on-board cameras, along with a global feature-based metric map, using extended Kalman filter techniques. The method also enables a team of multiple vehicles to merge their information, and to coordinate navigation using each other{\textquoteright}s images. Realistic assumptions on limited communication bandwidth between agents and available memory storage are taken into account considering informative, memory-safe maps. Simulations and preliminary experimental results on a laboratory setup are reported.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robics}, author = {A. Danesi and D. Fontanelli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {DFMSB03, title = {Cooperative Simultaneous Localization and Map Building for Servoing}, booktitle = {Proceedings of Multiagent Robotic Systems Trends and Industrial Application - Robocup 2003 Conference}, year = {2003}, month = {July}, address = {Padova}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Danesi and D. Fontanelli and P. Murrieri and V. G. Scordio and A. Bicchi} } @article {PFB02-TITS, title = {Conflict Resolution Problems for Air Traffic Management Systems Solved with Mixed Integer Programming}, journal = {IEEE Trans. Intelligent Transportation Systems}, volume = {3}, number = {1}, year = {2002}, month = {March}, pages = {3-11}, abstract = {

This paper considers the problem of solving conflicts arising among several aircraft that are assumed to move in a shared airspace. Aircraft can not get closer to each other than a given safety distance in order to avoid possible conflicts between different airplanes. For such system of multiple aircraft, we consider the path planning problem among given waypoints avoiding all possible conflicts. In particular we are interested in optimal paths, i.e. we want to minimize the total flight time. We propose two different formulations of the multi-aircraft conflict avoidance problem as a mixed-integer linear program: in the first case only velocity changes are admissible maneuvers, in the second one only heading angle changes are allowed. Due to the linear formulation of the two problems, solutions may be obtained quickly with standard optimization software, allowing our approach to be implemented in real time.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Pallottino and E. Feron and A. Bicchi} } @conference {MFBENEA02, title = {Controllo Ibrido di Veicoli su Ruote con Retroazione Visiva}, booktitle = {Proc. 1st. Natl. Conf. and Exhibit on Autonomous Intelligent Systems and Advanced Robotics}, year = {2002}, month = {October}, pages = {197-199}, address = {ENEA, Frascati}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {P. Murrieri and D. Fontanelli and A. Bicchi} } @inbook {MFB02, title = {Visual-servoed parking with limited view angle}, booktitle = {Experimental Robotics VIII}, series = {Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics (STAR)}, volume = {5}, year = {2002}, pages = {254-263}, publisher = {Springer Verlag}, organization = {Springer Verlag}, abstract = {

In this paper the problem of stabilizing a wheeled vehicle of unicycle type to a set point, using only visual feedback, is considered. The practically most relevant problem of keeping the tracked features in sight of the camera while maneuvering to park the vehicle is taken into account. This constraint, often neglected in the literature, combines with the nonholonomic nature of the vehicle kinematics in a challenging controller design problem. We provide an effective solution to such problem by using a combination of previous results on non-smooth control synthesis, and recently developed hybrid control techniques. Simulations and experimental results on a laboratory vehicle are reported, showing the practicality of the proposed approach.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {P. Murrieri and D. Fontanelli and A. Bicchi}, editor = {B. Siciliano and P. Dario} } @conference {PFB01-AIAA, title = {Mixed Integer Programming for Aircraft Conflict Resolution}, booktitle = {AIAA Guidance, Navigation and Control Conference and Exhibit}, year = {2001}, abstract = {

This paper considers the problem of solving conflicts between several aircraft. Considering the case when only aircraft heading changes are allowed, we propose a formulation of the multi-aircraft conflict avoidance problem as a mixed-integer linear program, whose solution may be obtained within seconds with standard optimization software. While such a problem formulation and solution is still unsuitable for operational implementation, it may be used as part of a real or fast-time simulation.

}, keywords = {Air Traffic Management Systems, Autonomous Vehicles, Navigation and Planning}, author = {L. Pallottino and E. Feron and A. Bicchi} } @inbook {MB98, title = {Rolling bodies with regular surfaces: the holonomic case}, booktitle = {Differential geometry and control}, series = {Proceedings of Symposia in Pure Mathematics}, volume = {64}, year = {1999}, pages = {241-256}, publisher = {American Mathematical Society}, organization = {American Mathematical Society}, author = {A. Marigo and A. Bicchi}, editor = {G. Ferreyra and R. Gardner and H. Hermes and H. Sussmann} } @inbook {DBBF92, title = {Multiple Sensing for Dexterous End Effectors}, booktitle = {Robots with redundancy: design, sensing and control}, year = {1992}, publisher = {Springer Verlag}, organization = {Springer Verlag}, address = {Berlin Heidelberg, Germany}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {P. Dario and M. Bergamasco and A. Bicchi and A. Fiorillo}, editor = {A. K. Bejczy} } @conference {BBDF88, title = {Integrated Tactile Sensing for Gripper Fingers}, booktitle = {Proc. Int. Conf. on Robot Vision and Sensory Control}, year = {1988}, publisher = {I. F. S. Publications Ltd.}, organization = {I. F. S. Publications Ltd.}, address = {Zuerich, Switzerland}, keywords = {Haptics, Robot Hands, Tactile Sensors}, author = {A. Bicchi and M. Bergamasco and P. Dario and A. Fiorillo} } @article {1770, title = {A Biomimetic tactile array with stress-component-selective sensing capabilities}, journal = {MATERIALS SCIENCE}, volume = {13}, year = {1987}, pages = {47{\textendash}50}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0137-1339}, author = {D. De Rossi and C. Domenici and A. Nannini and R. Francesconi} } @conference {DBFF87, title = {Multiple Sensing Fingertip for Robot Active Touch}, booktitle = {Proc. Int. Conf. on Advanced Robotics}, year = {1987}, address = {Versailles, France}, keywords = {Haptics, Robot Hands, Sensors}, author = {P. Dario and A. Bicchi and D. Femi and A. Fiorillo} } @inbook {BDP86, title = {On the Control of a Sensorized Artificial Finger for Tactile Exploration of Objects}, booktitle = {Robot Control}, series = {IFAC Proceedings Series, vol.9}, year = {1986}, pages = {251-256}, publisher = {Pergamon Press Books}, organization = {Pergamon Press Books}, address = {Oxford, U. K.}, keywords = {Haptics, Robot Hands, Sensors}, author = {A. Bicchi and P. Dario and P. C. Pinotti}, editor = {L. Basanez and G. Ferrate and G. N. Saridis} } @inbook {DBFBF86, title = {A Sensorized Scenario for Basic Investigation on Active Touch}, booktitle = {Robot Sensors: Tactile and Non-Vision}, series = {International Trends in Manufacturing Technology Series, vol. 2}, year = {1986}, pages = {237-245}, publisher = {I. F. S. Publications Ltd.}, organization = {I. F. S. Publications Ltd.}, address = {Kempston, Bedford, U. K.}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {P. Dario and A. Bicchi and A. Fiorillo and G. Buttazzo and R. Francesconi}, editor = {Alan Pugh} } @article {1744, title = {Multisensor piezoelectric polymer insole for pedobarography}, journal = {FERROELECTRICS}, volume = {60}, year = {1984}, pages = {163{\textendash}174}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0015-0193}, author = {A. Pedotti and R. Assente and G. Fusi and D. De Rossi and P. Dario and C. Domenici} } @article {1745, title = {PVF2 Catheter-tip transducers for pressure, sound and flow measurement}, journal = {FERROELECTRICS}, volume = {60}, year = {1984}, pages = {149{\textendash}162}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0015-0193}, author = {P. Dario and D. De Rossi and R. Bedini and R. Francesconi and M.G. Tivella} } @article {1748, title = {Pyroelectric sensing station for automatic recognition of position and orientation of objects}, journal = {INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MACHINE TOOL DESIGN \& RESEARCH}, volume = {24}, year = {1984}, pages = {145{\textendash}160}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0020-7357}, author = {L.R Wang and P. Dario and D. De Rossi and R. Francesconi and P. C. Pinotti} } @article {3654, title = {Combined Sensing, Cognition, Learning and Control to Developing Future Neuro-Robotics Systems: A Survey}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems ( Early Access )}, author = {J. Li and Z. Li and F. Chen and A. Bicchi and Y. Sun and T. Fukuda} }