@article {4270, title = {Scaling of joint mass and metabolism fluctuations in in silico cell-laden spheroids}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, volume = {118}, year = {2021}, abstract = {

Variations and fluctuations are characteristic features of biological systems and are also manifested in cell cultures. Here, we describe a computational pipeline for identifying the range of three-dimensional (3D) cell-aggregate sizes in which nonisometric scaling emerges in the presence of joint mass and metabolic rate fluctuations. The 3D cell-laden spheroids with size and single-cell metabolic rates described by probability density functions were randomly generated in silico. The distributions of the resulting metabolic rates of the spheroids were computed by modeling oxygen diffusion and reaction. Then, a method for estimating scaling exponents of correlated variables through statistically significant data collapse of joint probability distributions was developed. The method was used to identify a physiologically relevant range of spheroid sizes, where both nonisometric scaling and a minimum oxygen concentration (0.04 mol.m-3) is maintained. The in silico pipeline described enables the prediction of the number of experiments needed for an acceptable collapse and, thus, a consistent estimate of scaling parameters. Using the pipeline, we also show that scaling exponents may be significantly different in the presence of joint mass and metabolic-rate variations typically found in cells. Our study highlights the importance of incorporating fluctuations and variability in size and metabolic rates when estimating scaling exponents. It also suggests the need for taking into account their covariations for better understanding and interpreting experimental observations both in vitro and in vivo and brings insights for the design of more predictive and physiologically relevant in vitro models.

}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2025211118}, url = {https://www.pnas.org/content/118/38/e2025211118}, author = {Botte, Ermes and Biagini, Francesco and Magliaro, Chiara and Rinaldo, Andrea and Maritan, Amos and Ahluwalia, Arti} } @article {3701, title = {Distributed model predictive control for energy management in a network of microgrids using the dual decomposition method}, journal = {Optimal Control Applications and Methods}, year = {2020}, chapter = {1-17}, abstract = {

Summary This paper deals with the application of model predictive control (MPC) to optimize power flows in a network of interconnected microgrids (MGs). More specifically, a distributed MPC (DMPC) approach is used to compute for each MG how much active power should be exchanged with other MGs and with the outer power grid. Due to the presence of coupled variables, the DMPC approach must be used in a suitable way to guarantee the feasibility of the consensus procedure among the MGs. For this purpose, we adopt a tailored dual decomposition method that allows us to reach a feasible solution while guaranteeing the privacy of single MGs (ie, without having to share private information like the amount of generated energy or locally consumed energy). Simulation results demonstrate the features of the proposed cooperative control strategy and the obtained benefits with respect to other classical centralized control methods.

}, keywords = {distributed systems, dual decomposition, microgrids, model predictive control}, doi = {10.1002/oca.2504}, url = {https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/oca.2504}, author = {M. Razzanelli and E. Crisostomi and L. Pallottino and G. Pannocchia} } @article {4083, title = {Evaluation of a Simultaneous Myoelectric Control Strategy for a Multi-DoF Transradial Prosthesis}, year = {2020}, author = {C. Piazza and M. Rossi and M. G. Catalano and A. Bicchi and L. Hargrove} } @inbook {4117, title = {Networked Systems Theory: Distributed Algorithms for Optimal Cooperation of Dynamical Systems}, booktitle = {Analytics for the Sharing Economy: Mathematics, Engineering and Business Perspectives}, year = {2020}, pages = {25{\textendash}37}, publisher = {Springer International Publishing}, organization = {Springer International Publishing}, address = {Cham}, abstract = {

Interconnection of a large number of systems has become a reality from a technological point of view although intelligent connection among smart systems still presents a challenge in several application scenarios. More specifically, when many smart devices must accomplish an overall goal based on information exchanges with other devices, several factors render this task a real challenge, such as, knowing what specific information to exchange, with whom, how to go about it, and when this exchange will occur. Moreover, interconnected devices may require access to or the use of common resources, making the management of the overall system even more complex. The management of shared resources usually sets the goal of optimizing usage while guaranteeing achievement of the overall goals. Algorithms or protocols that grant the device a correct, safe and optimized access to resources play a fundamental role. In this chapter we will provide those algorithms that are fundamental in several different application scenarios that allow for the development of more complex algorithms in order to manage interconnected systems in the management of shared resources.

}, isbn = {978-3-030-35032-1}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-030-35032-1_3}, url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-35032-1_3}, author = {L. Pallottino}, editor = {E. Crisostomi and B. Ghaddar and F. Hausler and J. Naoum-Sawaya and G. Russo and R. Shorten} } @article {3744, title = {Design and Assessment of Control Maps for Multi-Channel sEMG-Driven Prostheses and Supernumerary Limbs}, journal = {Frontiers in neurorobotics}, volume = {13}, year = {2019}, doi = {10.3389/fnbot.2019.00026}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbot.2019.00026/full}, author = {M. Maimeri and C. Della Santina and C. Piazza and M. Rossi and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli} } @article {3745, title = {Design and Assessment of Control Maps for Multi-Channel sEMG-Driven Prostheses and Supernumerary Limbs}, journal = {Frontiers in neurorobotics}, volume = {13}, year = {2019}, doi = {10.3389/fnbot.2019.00026}, author = {M. Maimeri and C. Della Santina and C. Piazza and M. Rossi and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli} } @conference {3708, title = {Dynamic motion control of multi-segment soft robots using piecewise constant curvature matched with an augmented rigid body model}, booktitle = {RoboSoft 2019 - 2019 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics }, year = {2019}, author = {R. K. Katzschmann and C. D. Santina and Y. Toshimitsu and A. Bicchi and D. Rus} } @article {3640, title = {Exact Task Execution in Highly Under-Actuated Soft Limbs: An Operational Space Based Approach}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters}, volume = {Volume: 4 , Issue: 3 , July 2019}, year = {2019}, month = {04/2019}, author = {C. Della Santina and L. Pallottino and D. Rus and A. Bicchi} } @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} } @conference {3325, title = {Dynamic Control of Soft Robots Interacting with the Environment}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics}, year = {2018}, month = {07/2018}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {24 - 28 April 2018, Livorno, Italy}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1109/ROBOSOFT.2018.8404895}, url = {https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8404895}, author = {C. Della Santina and R. K. Katzschmann and A. Bicchi and D. Rus} } @article {3450, title = {Hap-Pro: a wearable haptic device for proprioceptive feedback}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering}, year = {2018}, pages = {1-1}, keywords = {haptic feedback, haptic interfaces, proprioception, Prosthetic hand, Robot sensing systems, Skin, upper extremity prosthesis, Visualization, Wheels}, issn = {0018-9294}, doi = {10.1109/TBME.2018.2836672}, author = {M. Rossi and M. Bianchi and E. Battaglia and M. G. Catalano and A. Bicchi} } @conference {3747, title = {The softpro project: Synergy-based open-source technologies for prosthetics and rehabilitation}, booktitle = {International Symposium on Wearable Robotics}, year = {2018}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-01887-0_71}, author = {C. Piazza and M. G. Catalano and M. Bianchi and E. Ricciardi and D. Pratichizzo and S. Haddadin and Luft, A. R. L. and O. Lambercy and R. Gassert and E. Jakubowitz and H. Van Der Kooij and F. Tonis and F. Bonomo and B. de Jonge and T. Ward and K. Zhao and M. Santello and A. Bicchi} } @conference {3683, title = {Touch-Based Grasp Primitives for Soft Hands: Applications to Human-to-Robot Handover Tasks and Beyond}, booktitle = {2018 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)}, year = {2018}, author = {M. Bianchi and G. Averta and E. Battaglia and C. Rosales and M. Bonilla and A. Tondo and M. Poggiani and G. Santaera and S. Ciotti and M. G. Catalano and A. Bicchi} } @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 {2991, title = {On the adhesion-cohesion balance and oxygen consumption characteristics of liver organoids}, journal = {Plos One}, year = {2017}, month = {03/2017}, abstract = {

Liver organoids (LOs) are of interest in tissue replacement, hepatotoxicity and pathophysiological studies. However, it is still unclear what triggers LO self-assembly and what the optimal environment is for their culture. Hypothesizing that LO formation occurs as a result of a fine balance between cell-substrate adhesion and cell-cell cohesion, we used 3 cell types (hepatocytes, liver sinusoidal endothelial cells and mesenchymal stem cells) to investigate LO self-assembly on different substrates keeping the culture parameters (e.g. culture media, cell types/number) and substrate stiffness constant. As cellular spheroids may suffer from oxygen depletion in the core, we also sought to identify the optimal culture conditions for LOs in order to guarantee an adequate supply of oxygen during proliferation and differentiation. The oxygen consumption characteristics of LOs were measured using an O2 sensor and used to model the O2 concentration gradient in the organoids. We show that no LO formation occurs on highly adhesive hepatic extra-cellular matrix-based substrates, suggesting that cellular aggregation requires an optimal trade-off between the adhesiveness of a substrate and the cohesive forces between cells and that this balance is modulated by substrate mechanics. Thus, in addition to substrate stiffness, physicochemical properties, which are also critical for cell adhesion, play a role in LO self-assembly.

}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0173206}, url = {http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0173206}, author = {G. Mattei and C. Magliaro and S. Giusti and S. D. Ramachandran and S. Heinz and J. Braspenning and A. Ahluwalia} } @article {3225, title = {Development of a High-Speed Current Injection and Voltage Measurement System for Electrical Impedance Tomography-Based Stretchable Sensors}, journal = {TECHNOLOGIES}, volume = {5}, year = {2017}, keywords = {conductive fabric, EIT, pressure sensor, stretchable, wearable}, doi = {10.3390/technologies5030048}, url = {http://www.mdpi.com/2227-7080/5/3/48}, author = {S. Russo and S. Nefti-meziani and N. Carbonaro and A. Tognetti} } @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} } @article {2841, title = {An Integrated Approach to Characterize the Behavior of a Human Fingertip in Contact with a Silica Window}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Haptics}, volume = {10}, year = {2017}, month = {01/2017}, pages = {123-129}, abstract = {

Understanding the mechanisms of human tactual perception represents a challenging task in haptics and humanoid robotics. A classic approach to tackle this issue is to accurately and exhaustively characterize the mechanical behavior of human fingertip. The output of this characterization can then be exploited to drive the design of numerical models, which can be used to investigate in depth the mechanisms of human sensing. In this work, we present a novel integrated measurement technique and experimental set up for in vivo characterization of the deformation of the human fingertip at contact, in terms of contact area, force, deformation, and pressure distribution. The device presented here compresses the participant{\textquoteright}s fingertip against a flat surface, while the aforementioned measurements are acquired and experimental parameters such as velocity, finger orientation, and displacement (indentation) controlled. Experimental outcomes are then compared and integrated with the output of a 3D finite element (FE) model of the human fingertip, built upon existing validated models. The agreement between numerical and experimental data represents a validation for our approach.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, issn = {1939-1412}, doi = { 10.1109/TOH.2016.2614679}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=7579582}, author = {M. L. D{\textquoteright}Angelo and F. Cannella and M. Bianchi and M. D{\textquoteright}Imperio and E. Battaglia and M. Poggiani and G. Rossi and A. Bicchi and D. G. Caldwell} } @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} } @conference {3215, title = {Preliminary results toward a naturally controlled multi-synergistic prosthetic hand}, booktitle = {International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR)}, year = {2017}, abstract = {

Robotic hands embedding human motor control principles in their mechanical design are getting increasing interest thanks to their simplicity and robustness, combined with good performance. Another key aspect of these hands is that humans can use them very effectively thanks to the similarity of their behavior with real hands. Nevertheless, controlling more than one degree of actuation remains a challenging task. In this paper, we take advantage of these characteristics in a multi-synergistic prosthesis. We propose an integrated setup composed of Pisa/IIT SoftHand 2 and a control strategy which simultaneously and proportionally maps the human hand movements to the robotic hand. The control technique is based on a combination of non-negative matrix factorization and linear regression algorithms. It also features a real-time continuous posture compensation of the electromyographic signals based on an IMU. The algorithm is tested on five healthy subjects through an experiment in a virtual environment. In a separate experiment, the efficacy of the posture compensation strategy is evaluated on five healthy subjects and, finally, the whole setup is successfully tested in performing realistic daily life activities.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, isbn = {978-1-5386-2296-4}, doi = {10.1109/ICORR.2017.8009437}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8009437/}, author = {M. Rossi and C. Della Santina and C. Piazza and G. Grioli and M. G. Catalano and A. Bicchi} } @article {3224, title = {A Quantitative Evaluation of Drive Pattern Selection for Optimizing EIT-Based Stretchable Sensors}, journal = {SENSORS}, volume = {17}, year = {2017}, abstract = {

Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is a medical imaging technique that has been recently used to realize stretchable pressure sensors. In this method, voltage measurements are taken at electrodes placed at the boundary of the sensor and are used to reconstruct an image of the applied touch pressure points. The drawback with EIT-based sensors, however, is their low spatial resolution due to the ill-posed nature of the EIT reconstruction. In this paper, we show our performance evaluation of different EIT drive patterns, specifically strategies for electrode selection when performing current injection and voltage measurements. We compare voltage data with Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) and Boundary Voltage Changes (BVC), and study image quality with Size Error (SE), Position Error (PE) and Ringing (RNG) parameters, in the case of one-point and two-point simultaneous contact locations. The study shows that, in order to improve the performance of EIT based sensors, the electrode selection strategies should dynamically change correspondingly to the location of the input stimuli. In fact, the selection of one drive pattern over another can improve the target size detection and position accuracy up to 0.04. and 0.18, respectively.

}, keywords = {conductive fabric, inverse problem, performance parameters, stretchable sensor}, doi = {10.3390/s17091999}, url = {http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/17/9/1999/htm}, author = {S. Russo and S. Nefti-meziani and N. Carbonaro and A. Tognetti} } @article {3725, title = {SoftHand at the CYBATHLON: A user{\textquoteright}s experience}, journal = {JOURNAL OF NEUROENGINEERING AND REHABILITATION}, year = {2017}, doi = {10.1186/s12984-017-0334-y}, author = {S. B. Godfrey and M. Rossi and C. Piazza and M. G. Catalano and M. Bianchi and G. Grioli and K. Zhao and A. Bicchi} } @article {3258, title = {The SoftHand Pro-H: A Hybrid Body-Controlled, Electrically Powered Hand Prosthesis for Daily Living and Working }, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine}, year = {2017}, note = {

This work was supported by the European Commission project (Horizon 2020 research program) SOFTPRO 688857, the European Research Council under the Advanced Grant SoftHands {\textquotedblleft}A Theory of Soft Synergies for a New Generation of Artificial Hands,{\textquotedblright} ERC-291166, and the Proof of Concept Project SoftHand Pro-H, ERC-2016-PoC 727536.\ 

}, month = {11/2017}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, issn = {1070-9932}, doi = {10.1109/MRA.2017.2751662}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=8110634}, author = {C. Piazza and M. G. Catalano and S. B. Godfrey and M. Rossi and G. Grioli and M. Bianchi and K. Zhao 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} } @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 {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} } @article {2710, title = {fabrication and perivascular implantation of bioactive scaffolds engineered with human adventitial progenitor cells for stimulation of arteriogenesis in peripheral ischemia}, journal = {Biofabrication}, volume = {8}, year = {2016}, month = {03/24}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {10.1088/1758-5090/8/1/015020}, author = {Carrabba, M. and C. De Maria and A. Oikawa and C. Reni and I. Rodriguez-Arabaolaza and H. Spencer and S. Slater and E. Avolio and Z. Dang and G. Spinetti and MADEDDU, P. and G. Vozzi} } @inbook {2714, title = {A Full Body Sensing System for Monitoring Stroke Patients in a Home Environment}, booktitle = {Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies: 7th International Joint Conference, BIOSTEC 2014, Angers, France, March 3-6, 2014, Revised Selected Papers}, year = {2016}, pages = {378 - 393}, publisher = {Springer International Publishing}, organization = {Springer International Publishing}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, isbn = {978-3-319-26128-7}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-26129-4_25}, author = {Klaassen, B. and van Beijnum, B.J.F. and Weusthof, M. H. H. and D. Hofs and van Meulen, F.B. and E. Droog and H. Luinge and S. Laurens and A. Tognetti and F. Lorussi and R. Paradiso and Held, J. and Luft, A. R. L. and Reenalda, J. and Nikamp, C. D. M. and Buurke, J. H. and Hermens, HJ and Veltink, P.} } @article {2652, title = {Hand synergies: Integration of robotics and neuroscience for understanding the control of biological and artificial hands}, journal = {Physics of Life Reviews}, volume = {17}, year = {2016}, month = {07/2016}, pages = {1-23}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1571064516000269}, author = {M. Santello and M. Bianchi and M Gabiccini and E. Ricciardi and G. Salvietti and D Prattichizzo and M. Ernst and A. Moscatelli and H. Jorntell and A. Kappers and K. Kyriakopulos and A Albu-Schaeffer and C. Castellini and A. Bicchi} } @article {3253, title = {The heart side of brain neuromodulation}, journal = {Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A}, volume = {374}, year = {2016}, pages = {20150187}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {S. Rossi and E. Santarnecchi and G. Valenza and M. Ulivelli} } @conference {3228, title = {A highly stretchable artificial sensitive skin using EIT}, booktitle = {Book of abstracts: 16th International Conference on Electrical Bio-Impedance, 17th International Conference on Electrical Impedance Tomography. ICEBI and EIT Stockholm 19{\quotesinglbase}{\"A}{\`\i}23 June 2016}, year = {2016}, pages = {132{\textendash}132}, publisher = {Karolinska Institutet}, organization = {Karolinska Institutet}, address = {Stoccolma}, url = {http://www.icebi2016.org/images/ICEBI_2016_web.pdf}, author = {S. Russo and A. Tognetti and N. Carbonaro and S. Nefti-meziani} } @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 {2834, title = {Polymeric microporous nanofilms as smart platforms for in vitro assessment of nanoparticle translocation and Caco-2 cell culture}, journal = { IEEE Transactions on NanoBioscience }, year = {2016}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = { 10.1109/TNB.2016.2603191}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7552480/}, author = {L. Ricotti and G. Gori and D. Cei and J. Costa and G. Signore and A. Ahluwalia} } @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} } @conference {3230, title = {A Quantitative Evaluation of Drive Patterns in Electrical Impedance Tomography}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 6th EAI International Conference on Wireless Mobile Communication and Healthcare}, year = {2016}, pages = {337{\textendash}344}, keywords = {drive patterns, EIT, Electrical impedance tomography, stretchable sensors}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-58877-3}, author = {S. Russo and N. Carbonaro and A. Tognetti and S. Nefti-meziani} } @conference {2655, title = {Reflex Control of the Pisa/IIT SoftHand during Object Slippage}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference of Robotics and Automation (ICRA2016)}, year = {2016}, pages = {1972 - 1979}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Stockholm, Sweden}, abstract = {

In this work, to guarantee the Pisa/IIT SoftHand{\textquoteright}s

grasp robustness against slippage, three reflex control modes,

namely Current, Pose and Impedance, are implemented and

experimentally evaluated. Towards this objective, ThimbleSense

fingertip sensors are designed and integrated into the thumb

and middle fingers of the SoftHand for real-time detection and

control of the slippage. Current reflex regulates the restoring

grasp forces of the hand by modulating the motor{\textquoteright}s current

profile according to an update law. Pose and Impedance reflex

modes instead replicate this behaviour by implementing an

impedance control scheme. The difference between the two

latter is that the stiffness gain in Impedance reflex mode is

being varied in addition to the hand pose, as a function of

the slippage on the fingertips. Experimental setup also includes

a seven degrees-of-freedom robotic arm to realize consistent

trajectories (e.g. lifting) among three control modes for the sake

of comparison. Different test objects are considered to evaluate

the efficacy of the proposed reflex modes in our experimental

setup. Results suggest that task-appropriate restoring forces

can be achieved using Impedance reflex due to its capability

in demonstrating instantaneous and rather smooth reflexive

behaviour during slippage. Preliminary experiments on five

healthy human subjects provide evidence on the similarity of the

control concepts exploited by the humans and the one realized

by the Impedance reflex, highlighting its potential in prosthetic

applications.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ICRA.2016.7487344}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7487344}, author = {A. Ajoudani and E. Hocaoglu and Altobelli, A and M. Rossi and E. Battaglia and N G Tsagarakis and A. Bicchi} } @article {2660, title = {A synergy-based hand control is encoded in human motor cortical areas}, journal = {eLIFE}, year = {2016}, abstract = {

How the human brain controls hand movements to carry out different tasks is still debated. The concept of\ synergy\ has been proposed to indicate functional modules that may simplify the control of hand postures by simultaneously recruiting sets of muscles and joints. However, whether and to what extent synergic hand postures are encoded as such at a cortical level remains unknown. Here, we combined kinematic, electromyography, and brain activity measures obtained by functional magnetic resonance imaging while subjects performed a variety of movements towards virtual objects. Hand postural information, encoded through kinematic synergies, were represented in cortical areas devoted to hand motor control and successfully discriminated individual grasping movements, significantly outperforming alternative somatotopic or muscle-based models. Importantly, hand postural synergies were predicted by neural activation patterns within primary motor cortex. These findings support a novel cortical organization for hand movement control and open potential applications for brain-computer interfaces and neuroprostheses.

}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13420}, url = {http://elifesciences.org/content/5/e13420v2}, author = {A. Leo and G. Handjaras and M. Bianchi and H. Marino and M Gabiccini and Guidi, A. and E. P. Scilingo and P. Pietrini and A. Bicchi and M. Santello and E. Ricciardi} } @conference {3234, title = {Towards the development of an EIT-based stretchable sensor for multi-touch industrial human-computer interaction systems}, booktitle = {Cross-Cultural Design 8th International Conference, CCD 2016, Held as Part of HCI International 2016, Toronto, ON, Canada, July 17-22, 2016, Proceedings}, volume = {9741}, year = {2016}, pages = {563{\textendash}573}, publisher = {Springer Verlag}, organization = {Springer Verlag}, address = {Dordrecht}, keywords = {Computer Science (all), Theoretical Computer Science}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-40093-855}, url = {http://springerlink.com/content/0302-9743/copyright/2005/}, author = {S. Russo and S. Nefti-meziani and Gulrez, T and N. Carbonaro and A. Tognetti} } @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} } @conference {2538, title = {Effect of Homogenous Object Stiffness on Tri-digit Grasp Properties}, booktitle = {37th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC2015)}, year = {2015}, 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 and under the EU FP7 project WEARHAP {\textquotedblleft}WEARable HAPtics for Humans and Robots{\textquotedblright} no. 601165.
}, pages = {6704 - 6707}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = { Milano, Italy, August 25th-29th, 2015}, abstract = {
This paper presents experimental findings on how humans modulate their muscle activity while grasping objects of varying levels of compliance. We hypothesize that one of the key abilities that allows humans to successfully cope with uncertainties while grasping compliant objects is the ability to modulate muscle activity to control both grasp force and stiffness in a way that is coherent with the task. To that end, subjects were recruited to perform a grasp and lift task with a tripod-grasp device with contact surfaces of variable compliance. Subjects performed the task under four different compliance conditions while surface EMG from the main finger flexor and extensor muscles was recorded along with force and torque data at the contact points. Significant increases in the extensor muscle (the antagonist in the task) and co-contraction levels were found with increasing compliance at the contact points. These results suggest that the motor system may employ a strategy of increasing cocontraction, and thereby stiffness, to counteract the decreased stability in grasping compliant objects. Future experiments will examine the extent to which this phenomenon is also related to specific task features, such as precision versus power grasp and object weight.
}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/EMBC.2015.7319931}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7319931}, author = {S. B. Godfrey and Altobelli, A and M. Rossi and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2592, title = {Electroencephalographic spectral correlates of caress-like affective haptic stimuli}, booktitle = {Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), 2015 37th Annual International Conference of the IEEE}, year = {2015}, note = {

Published

}, pages = {4733{\textendash}4736}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Milano, ITA}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {10.1109/EMBC.2015.7319451}, author = {G. Valenza and A. Greco and M. Nardelli and M. Bianchi and A Lanata and S. Rossi and E. P. Scilingo} } @conference {2398, title = {Electromyographic Mapping of Finger Stiffness in Tripod Grasp: a Proof of Concept}, booktitle = {International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR), 2015}, year = {2015}, note = {

softhands, wearhap

}, pages = {181-186}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Singapore, 11 {\textendash} 14 August 2015}, abstract = {

Effective execution of a manipulation task using prosthetic or robotic hands requires that the motion and the impedance profiles of the\ fingers\ be appropriately commanded. This, however, brings some design and control challenges regarding the individual planning and realization of the\ finger\ motion and\ stiffnesstrajectories. It appears that the central nervous system solves for this complexity in an effective and coordinated manner which has been well-recognized under the\ concept\ of hand synergies. While the exploitation of this\ concept\ in kinematic coordinates has lead to the development of several successful robotic designs and control strategies, its extension to dynamic coordinates, such as coordinated stiffening of the\ fingers, remains to be investigated. Indeed, in this study we provide preliminary evidence on the existence of such coordinated stiffening patterns in human\ fingers\ and establish initial steps towards a real-time and effective modelling of the\ fingerstiffness\ in a\ tripodgrasp. To achieve this goal, the endpoint\ stiffness\ of the thumb, index and middle\ fingers\ of five healthy subjects are experimentally identified and correlated with the electromyography (EMG) signals recorded from a dominant antagonistic pair of the forearm muscles. Our findings suggest that: i) the magnitude of thestiffness\ ellipses at the fingertips grows in a coordinated way, subsequent to the co-contraction of the forearm muscles; ii) the length of the ellipses{\textquoteright} axes appears to have a nearly linear relationship with the co-contraction level of the antagonistic muscle pair.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ICORR.2015.7281196}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7281196}, author = {M. Rossi and Altobelli, A and S. B. Godfrey and A. Ajoudani and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2465, title = {Grasp Planning with Soft Hands using Bounding Box Object Decomposition}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference of Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS2015)}, year = {2015}, note = {

softhands pacman walkman

}, pages = {518 - 523}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Hamburg, Germany, September 28 - October 02, 2015}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2015.7353421}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?arnumber=7353421\&queryText=Grasp\%20Planning\%20with\%20Soft\%20Hands\%20using\%20Bounding\%20Box\%20Object\%20Decomposition\&newsearch=true}, author = {M. Bonilla and D. Resasco and M Gabiccini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {3247, title = {Lower instantaneous entropy of heartbeat dynamics during seizures in untreated temporal lobe epilepsy}, booktitle = {Computing in Cardiology Conference (CinC), 2015}, year = {2015}, pages = {1037{\textendash}1040}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {Barbieri, R. and G. Valenza and L. Citi and F. Placidi and F. Izzi and M. Albanese and M. Marciani and M. Guerrisi and A. Romigi and N. Toschi} } @article {2500, title = {Magnetic-Driven Pointing System: a Feasibility Study}, journal = {Sensors Journal}, volume = {15 (2)}, year = {2015}, month = {02/2015}, pages = {703 - 714}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Russo and C. De Maria and Cerulli, G. and G. Vozzi} } @article {2508, title = {The nano-epsilon dot method for strain rate viscoelastic characterisation of soft biomaterials by spherical nano-indentation}, journal = {Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials}, volume = {50}, year = {2015}, pages = {150{\textendash}159}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {17516161}, doi = {10.1016/j.jmbbm.2015.06.015}, url = {http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1751616115002088}, author = {G. Mattei and G. Gruca and Rijnveld, N. and A. Ahluwalia} } @article {2717, title = {Neuro-fuzzy physiological computing to assess stress levels in virtual reality therapy}, journal = {INTERACTING WITH COMPUTERS}, volume = {27}, year = {2015}, pages = {521{\textendash}533}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0953-5438}, doi = {10.1093/iwc/iwv010}, url = {http://dx.medra.org/10.1093/iwc/iwv010}, author = {Tartarisco, G. and N. Carbonaro and A. Tonacci and G. M. Bernava and A. Arnao and G. Crifaci and P. Cipresso and G. Riva and A. Gaggioli and D. De Rossi and A. Tognetti and G. Pioggia} } @conference {2121, title = {Active gathering of frictional properties from objects}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE/RSJ Intl Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2014)}, year = {2014}, pages = {3982 - 3987 }, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Chicago, USA}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2014.6943122}, author = {C. Rosales and A. Ajoudani and M Gabiccini and A. Bicchi} } @article {1445, title = {Biomechanisch sichere Geschwindigkeitsregelung fur die Mensch-Roboter Interaktion}, journal = {At-Automatisierungstechnik }, volume = {62}, year = {2014}, pages = {175 - 187}, keywords = {Robotics}, issn = {0178-2312}, author = {S. Haddadin and S. Haddadin and A. Khoury and T. Rokahr and S. Parusel and R. Burgkart and A. Bicchi and A Albu-Schaeffer} } @conference {2214, title = {Daily-Life Monitoring of Stroke Survivors Motor Performance: The INTERACTION Sensing System}, year = {2014}, abstract = {

The objective of the INTERACTION Eu project is to develop and validate an unobtrusive and modular system for monitoring daily life activities, physical interactions with the environment and for training upper and lower extremity motor function in stroke subjects. This paper describes the development and preliminary testing of the project sensing platform made of sensing shirt, trousers, gloves and shoes. Modular prototypes were designed and built considering the minimal set of inertial, force and textile sensors that may enable an efficient monitoring of stroke patients. The single sensing elements are described and the results of their preliminary lab-level testing are reported.

}, author = {A. Tognetti and F. Lorussi and N. Carbonaro and D. De Rossi and De Toma, G. and Mancuso, C. and Paradiso, R. and Luinge, H. and Reenalda, J. and Droog, E. and Veltink, P.} } @conference {2215, title = {Daily-life tele-monitoring of motor performance in stroke survivors}, booktitle = {Proceedings of XIII International Symposium on 3D Analysis of Human Movement}, year = {2014}, month = {17 July 2014}, pages = {159{\textendash}162}, abstract = {

The objective of the EU project INTERACTION is to develop an unobtrusive and modular sensing system for objective monitoring of daily-life motor performance of stroke survivors. This will enable clinical professionals to advise their patients about their continued daily-life activity profile and home training, and evaluate and optimize rehabilitation programs.A modular textile-integrated sensing system was developed and performance and capacity measures were proposed and clinically tested in stroke subject.Telemonitoring facilities were developed and tested. In the last stage of the project, the system will be tested during daily-life.

}, author = {Veltink, P.H. and van Meulen, F.B. and van Beijnum, B.J.F. and Klaassen, B. and Hermens, H. J. and Droog, E. and Weusthof, M. H. H. and F. Lorussi and A. Tognetti and Reenalda, J. and Nikamp, C. D. M. and Baten, C. T. M. and Buurke, J. H. and Held, J. and Luft, A. R. L. and Luinge, H. and De Toma, G. and Mancuso, C. and Paradiso, R.} } @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 {2146, title = {Electrodermal Activity in Bipolar Patients during Affective Elicitation}, journal = {IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics}, volume = {18}, year = {2014}, pages = {1865-1873}, author = {A. Greco and G. Valenza and A Lanata and G. Rota and E. P. Scilingo} } @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.} } @article {2196, title = {In vivo assessment of printed microvasculature in a bilayer skin graft to treat full-thickness wounds}, journal = {Tissue Engineering Part A}, year = {2014}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {Yanez, M. and Rincon, J. and Dones, A. and C. De Maria and Gonzales, R. and Boland, T.} } @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 {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 {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.} } @conference {2120, title = {The Patched Intrinsic Tactile Object: a Tool to Investigate Human Grasps}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE/RSJ Intl Conf. on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2014)}, year = {2014}, pages = {1261 - 1268}, address = {Chicago, USA}, abstract = {

In this paper we report on the development of a modular multi-DoF F/T sensor and its use in the implementation of a sensorized object capable of multi-touch detection. The sensor is composed of six 6-axis F/T sensors spatially organized on the faces of a cube. Different calibration methods are presented to directly tackle the coupling phenomena inherent to the spatial organization of the faces and the lightweight construction of the sensor which would have, otherwise, degraded its accuracy. To assess the performances of the calibration methods, a comparison is reported with respect to the measurements obtained with a commercial force/torque sensor considered as ground truth (ATI Delta). Thanks to the modular design and the possibility to cover the sensitive faces with surface patches of different geometry, a variety of sensorized objects with different shapes can be realized. The peculiar feature that all the components of the contact wrench can be measured on each face with high accuracy, renders it a unique tool in the study of grasp force distribution in humans, with envisioned use both in neuroscience investigations and robotic applications.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2014.6942719}, author = {A. Serio and E. Riccomini and V. Tartaglia and I. Sarakoglou and M Gabiccini and N G Tsagarakis and A. Bicchi} } @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} } @article {2210, title = {Psychometric Assessment of Cardio-Respiratory Activity Using a Mobile Platform}, journal = {INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HANDHELD COMPUTING RESEARCH}, volume = {5}, year = {2014}, pages = {13{\textendash}29}, abstract = {

Stress is an increasingly recognized phenomenon that has negative effects on growing numbers of people. Stress assessment is a complex issue, but different studies have shown that monitoring user psychophysi- ological parameter during daily life can be greatly helpful in stress evaluation. In this context, the European Collaborative Project INTERSTRESS is aimed at designing and developing advanced simulation and sensing technologies for the assessment and treatment of psychological stress, based on mobile biosensors.In this study a wearable biosensor platform able to collect physiological and behavioral parameters is reported. The developed mobile platform, in terms of hardware and processing algorithms, is described. Moreover the use of this wearable biosensor platform in combination with advanced simulation technologies, such as virtual reality, offer interesting opportunities for innovative personal health-care solutions to stress.

}, doi = {10.4018/ijhcr.2014010102}, author = {N. Carbonaro and Cipresso, P and A. Tognetti and G. Anania and D. De Rossi and Pallavicini, F and A. Gaggioli and Riva, G} } @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 {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 {2253, title = {An automatic method for myocardial T2(star) curve fitting in thalassemia patients with severe iron overload}, journal = {EUROPEAN HEART JOURNAL}, volume = {34}, year = {2013}, pages = { 837-837}, author = {Meloni, A. and V. Positano and Gulino, L. and L. Landini and M. F. Santarelli and Santamaria, V. and Restaino, G. and Renne, S. and Lombardi, M. and D. Pepe} } @article {1781, title = {Collagen VI regulates satellite cell self-renewal and muscle regeneration}, journal = {Nat Commun}, volume = {4}, year = {2013}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {10.1038/ncomms2964}, author = {Urciuolo, A and M. Quarta and V. Morbidoni and Gattazzo, F and S. Molon and P. Grumati and F. Montemurro and F. S. Tedesco and B. Blaauw and G. Cossu and G. Vozzi and T. A. Rando and Bonaldo, P} } @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} } @conference {1814, title = {A Mobile Biosensor to detect Cardiorespiratory Activity for Stress Tracking}, booktitle = {IEEE 7th International Conference on Pervasive Computing Technologies for Healthcare (PervasiveHealth)}, year = {2013}, pages = {440 - 445 }, address = {Venice, Italy}, abstract = {

Stress is an increasingly recognized phenomenon that has negative effects on growing numbers of people. Stress assessment is a complex issue, but different studies have shown that monitoring user psychophysiological parameter during daily life can be greatly helpful in stress evaluation. In this study a wearable biosensor platform able to collect physiological and behavioral parameters is reported. The developed wearable platform, in terms of hardware and processing algorithms, is described. Moreover the use of this wearable biosensor platform in combination with advanced simulation technologies, such as virtual reality offer interesting opportunities for innovative personal health-care solutions to stress. A recently founded European project, "INTERSTRESS - Interreality in the management and treatment of stress-related disorders," will take into account these relevant aspects.

}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {978-1-4799-0296-5 }, author = {N. Carbonaro and A. Tognetti and G. Anania and D. De Rossi and P. Cipresso and A. Gaggioli and G. Riva} } @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} } @article {1783, title = {A new approach to fabricate agarose microstructures}, journal = {Polymers Advanced Technologies}, year = {2013}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {10.1002/pat.3162}, author = {C. De Maria and J. Rincon and A.A. Duarte and G. Vozzi and Boland, T} } @article {1726, title = {A Permanent-Magnet Exciter for Magneto-Rheological Fluid-Based Haptic Interfaces}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Magnetics}, volume = {49}, year = {2013}, pages = {1390{\textendash}1401}, abstract = {

This paper describes an innovative haptic interface device based on magneto-rheological fluid (MRF). A system of permanent magnets and coils is designed in order to produce a proper distribution of a magnetic field inside the fluid. This distribution, with its spatial resolution, causes the MRF to assume prescribed shapes and softness profiles that can be directly felt and explored by hand. The device is designed using a 3-D finite-elements code taking into account the B-H functions of the nonlinear materials (MRF, permanent magnets, ferromagnetic materials). In order to validate the finite-element model, some experimental magnetic measurements are taken on a simplified prototype. Furthermore, the maps of the flux density and those of the shear stress inside the fluid are carefully analyzed. Finally, the interaction between the operator{\textquoteright}s hand and the MRF is numerically investigated.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, issn = {0018-9464}, doi = {10.1109/TMAG.2012.2233491}, author = {R. Rizzo} } @conference {1482, title = {On the deconvolution analysis of electrodermal activity in bipolar patients}, booktitle = {Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC), 2012 Annual International Conference of the IEEE}, year = {2012}, pages = {6691{\textendash}6694}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {A. Greco and A Lanata and G. Valenza and Rota, G. and N. Vanello and E. P. Scilingo} } @inbook {2002, title = {Immersive Multimodal Interactive Presence}, booktitle = {Immersive Multimodal Interactive Presence}, year = {2012}, pages = {215{\textendash}228}, publisher = {SPRINGER-VERLAG}, organization = {SPRINGER-VERLAG}, chapter = {FMRI Compatible Sensing Glove for Hand Gesture Monitoring}, address = {LONDON {\textendash} GBR}, isbn = {9781447127536}, doi = {10.1007/978-1-4471-2754-3_12}, url = {http://dx.medra.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2754-3_12}, author = {N. Vanello and V. Hartwig and E. P. Scilingo and D. Bonino and E. Ricciardi and A. Tognetti and P. Pietrini and D. De Rossi and L. Landini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2003, title = {INTERACTION, Training and monitoring of daily-life physical interaction with the environment after stroke}, booktitle = {Proceedings of XII International Symposium on 3D Analysis of Human Movement}, year = {2012}, pages = {{\textendash}}, author = {Veltink, PH and van Meulen, FB and van Beijnum, BJF and Hermens, HJ and D. De Rossi and F. Lorussi and A. Tognetti and Buurke, JH and Reenalda, J and Baten, CTM and Simons, CDM and Luft, AR L and Schepers, HM and Luinge, HJ and R. Paradiso and Orselli, R} } @article {1233, title = {On Making Robots Understand Safety: Embedding Injury Knowledge into Control}, journal = {International Journal of Robotics Research}, volume = {31}, year = {2012}, pages = {1578-1602}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1177/0278364912462256 }, author = {S. Haddadin and S. Haddadin and A. Khoury and T. Rokahr and S. Parusel and R. Burgkart and A. Bicchi and A Albu-Schaeffer} } @conference {RSGB12, title = {On the Synthesis of Feasible and Prehensile Robotic Grasps}, booktitle = {International Conference of Robotics and Automation - ICRA 2012}, year = {2012}, month = {May 14 - 18}, pages = {p. 550 - 556}, address = {Saint Paul, MN, USA}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {C. Rosales and R. Suarez and M Gabiccini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1239, title = {Towards variable impedance assembly: the VSA peg-in-hole}, booktitle = {IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots}, year = {2012}, address = {Osaka, Japan}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {L. Balletti and A. Rocchi and F. A. W. Belo and M. G. Catalano and M. Garabini and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1242, title = {A truly safely moving robot has to know what injury it may cause}, booktitle = {International Conference of Intelligent Robots and Systems - IROS 2012}, year = {2012}, month = {October 7 - 12}, pages = {5406-5413}, address = {Vilamoura, Algarve, Portugal}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {S. Haddadin and S. Haddadin and A. Khoury and T. Rokahr and S. Parusel and R. Burgkart and A. Bicchi and A Albu-Schaeffer} } @conference {DRGMP11, title = {Causality as a unifying approach between activation and connectivity analysis of fMRI data}, booktitle = {17-th annual meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping}, year = {2011}, note = {Abstract}, author = {N. Dubbini and E. Ricciardi and A. Gaglianese and S. Marmi and P. Pietrini} } @conference {1474, title = {EEG complexity drug-induced changes in disorders of consciousness: A preliminary report}, booktitle = {Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC, 2011 Annual International Conference of the IEEE}, year = {2011}, pages = {3724{\textendash}3727}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Valenza and Carboncini, MC and Virgillito, A. and Creatini, I. and Bonfiglio, L. and Rossi, B. and A Lanata and E. P. Scilingo} } @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} } @article {1510, title = {Melt Extruded PU Hollow Fibers for Nerve Regeneration: In vivo Study}, journal = {VETERINARY RESEARCH}, year = {2011}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0928-4249}, author = {G. Vozzi and F. Dini and S. Burchielli and C. Salvadori and C. De Maria and V. Chiono and G. Barsotti and G. Ciardelli and F. Carlucci and R. Roni} } @article {1513, title = {Poly(ester urethane) Guides for Peripheral Nerve Regeneration}, journal = {MACROMOLECULAR BIOSCIENCE}, year = {2011}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {1616-5187}, author = {V. Chiono and Sartori, S and Rechichi, A and Tonda-Turo, C and G. Vozzi and Vozzi, F. and D{\textquoteright}Acunto, M and C. Salvadori and F. Dini and G. Barsotti and F. Carlucci and S. Burchielli and Nicolino, S and Audisio, C and Perroteau, I and P. Giusti and G. Ciardelli} } @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 {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 {1533, title = {Mechanical characterization of polymer cartilage scaffold at different pH}, booktitle = {Congresso Nazionale di Bioingegneria 2010}, year = {2010}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {S. Romiti and G. Vozzi and C. De Maria and F. Montemurro} } @conference {2021, title = {A MR Compatible Sensing Glove for Brain Studies}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 16th Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping}, year = {2010}, month = {6-10 Giugno}, pages = {1262 MT{\textendash}PM{\textendash}}, author = {N. Vanello and V. Hartwig and M. Tesconi and E. Ricciardi and G. Zupone and A. Tognetti and D. Bonino and E. P. Scilingo and F. Cutolo and G. Giovannetti and P. Pietrini and D. De Rossi and L. Landini} } @conference {2022, title = {Neural Correlates of Human-Robot Handshaking}, booktitle = {Proc. of the 19th IEEE International Symposium in Robot and Human Interactive Communication}, year = {2010}, note = {

http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-78649822141\&partnerID=40\&md5=e485b7dd908e69afd535dc7792a8e5b3

}, month = {13-15, Settembre}, pages = {555{\textendash}561}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {NEW YORK {\textendash} USA}, doi = {10.1109/ROMAN.2010.5598624}, url = {http://dx.medra.org/10.1109/ROMAN.2010.5598624}, author = {N. Vanello and D. Bonino and E. Ricciardi and M. Tesconi and E. P. Scilingo and V. Hartwig and A. Tognetti and G. Zupone and F. Cutolo and G. Giovannetti and P. Pietrini and D. De Rossi and L. Landini} } @article {1516, title = {NEW BIOARTIFICIAL SYSTEMS AND BIODEGRADABLE SYNTHETIC POLYMERS FOR CARDIAC TISSUE ENGINEERING: A PRELIMINARY SCREENING}, journal = {BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING. APPLICATIONS, BASIS, COMMUNICATIONS}, year = {2010}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {1016-2372}, author = {Rosellini, E and Cristallini, C and Barbani, N and G. Vozzi and D{\textquoteright}Acunto, M and G. Ciardelli and P. Giusti} } @conference {1464, title = {A pervasive activity management and rehabilitation support system for the elderly}, booktitle = {Pervasive Computing and Communications Workshops (PERCOM Workshops), 2010 8th IEEE International Conference on}, year = {2010}, pages = {813{\textendash}816}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Pioggia and Tartarisco, G. and G. Valenza and Ricci, G. and Volpi, L. and Siciliano, G. and Bonfiglio, S.} } @article {2017, title = {Smart Garments for Emergency Operators: The ProeTEX Project}, journal = {IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN BIOMEDICINE}, volume = {14}, year = {2010}, pages = {694{\textendash}701}, issn = {1089-7771}, doi = {10.1109/TITB.2010.2045003}, url = {http://dx.medra.org/10.1109/TITB.2010.2045003}, author = {Curone, D. and Secco, E. L. and A. Tognetti and G. Loriga and Dudnik, G. and Risatti, M. and Whyte, R. and Bonfiglio, A. and G. Magenes} } @article {1515, title = {Three-dimensional microfabricated scaffolds with cardiac extracellular matrix-like architecture}, journal = {INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL ORGANS}, year = {2010}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0391-3988}, author = {Rossellini, E and G. Vozzi and Barbani, N and P. Giusti and Cristallini, C} } @article {1541, title = {Development of a RGDS-peptide modified polyurethane for tissue regeneration}, journal = {ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY}, volume = {611}, year = {2009}, pages = {249{\textendash}250}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0065-2598}, author = {Rechichi, A and Sartori, S and CAPORALE, A and G. Ciardelli and G. Vozzi and MAZZUCCO, L and PEGGION, E and P. Giusti} } @article {1543, title = {Preparation and characterization of alginate/gelatin blend films for cardiac tissue engineering}, journal = {JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH. PART A}, volume = {91}, year = {2009}, pages = {447-453}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {1549-3296}, doi = {10.1002/jbm.a.32216}, author = {Rosellini, E and Cristallini, C and Barbani, N and G. Vozzi and P. Giusti} } @article {1538, title = {Simplified cell culture method for the diagnosis of atypical Primary Ciliary}, journal = {THORAX}, volume = {64}, year = {2009}, pages = {1077-81}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0040-6376}, doi = {10.1136/thx.2008}, author = {M. PIFFERI and F. Montemurro and CANGIOTTI, A M and RAGAZZO, V and DI CICCO, M and Vinci, B. and G. Vozzi and MACCHIA, P and BONER, A L} } @article {1295, title = {Underwater vehicle technology in the European research project VENUS}, journal = {UNDERWATER TECHNOLOGY}, volume = {28}, year = {2009}, pages = {175{\textendash}185}, keywords = {Robotics}, issn = {1756-0543}, doi = {10.3723/ut.28.175}, url = {http://dx.medra.org/10.3723/ut.28.175}, author = {G. Conte and L. Gambella and D. Scaradozzi and S. M. Zanoli and A. Caiti and V. Calabr{\`o} and A. Alcocer and J. Alves and B. Cardeira and R. Cunha and F. Curado and P. Oliveira and A. Oliveira and A. Pascoal and M. Rufino and L. Sebasti{\~a}o and C. Silvestre} } @conference {1633, title = {Analisi del battito ciliare nella discinesia ciliare tramite algoritmi di motion detection}, booktitle = {Discinesie ciliarie e malattie respiratorie croniche del bambino: dalla diagnosi differenziale alla qualit{\`a}~ della vita}, year = {2008}, pages = {{\textendash}}, address = {14-15 March 2008, Pisa, Italy}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. MANTOVANI and M. A. Guzzardi and RAGAZZO, V and M. PIFFERI and G. Vozzi} } @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} } @article {1629, title = {Degradable block polyurethanes from nontoxicbuilding blocks as scaffold materials to support cell growth and proliferation}, journal = {JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH. PART A}, year = {2008}, pages = {{\textendash}}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {1549-3296}, author = {Rechichi, A and G. Ciardelli and D{\textquoteright}Acunto, M and G. Vozzi and P. Giusti} } @article {1630, title = {Electroactive Carbon Nanotube Actuators: Soft-Lithographic Fabrication and Electro-chemical Modelling}, journal = {MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING. C, BIOMIMETIC MATERIALS, SENSORS AND SYSTEMS}, year = {2008}, pages = {{\textendash}}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0928-4931}, author = {A. Mazzoldi and M. Tesconi and A. Tognetti and W. Rocchia and G. Vozzi and G. Pioggia and A. Ahluwalia and D. De Rossi} } @conference {1643, title = {Nanotechnology in Tissue Engineering}, booktitle = {Congresso Nazionale di Bioingegneria 2008}, year = {2008}, pages = {{\textendash}}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Ciardelli and V. Chiono and Rechici, A and Sartori, S and G. Vozzi and Bignardi, C and Georgiev, G and P. Giusti} } @article {1553, title = {Optimization of PAM Scaffolds for Neural Tissue Engineering: Preliminary Study on an SH-SY5Y Cell Line}, journal = {TISSUE ENGINEERING, PART A}, year = {2008}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {1937-3341}, author = {KULLENBERG, J and ROSATINI, F and G. Vozzi and BIANCHI, F and A. Ahluwalia and C. Domenici} } @article {1557, title = {PAM-microfabricated polyurethane scaffolds: in vivo and in vitro preliminary studies}, journal = {MACROMOLECULAR BIOSCIENCE}, year = {2008}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {1616-5187}, author = {G. Vozzi and Rechichi, A and F. Dini and C. Salvadori and Vozzi, F. and S. Burchielli and F. Carlucci and ARISPICI, M and G. Ciardelli and P. Giusti and A. Ahluwalia} } @conference {RMSBR08, title = {A Permanent Magnets Exciter for MRFs-based Haptic Interfaces}, booktitle = {IEEE Conference on Electromagnetic Field Computation}, year = {2008}, address = {Atene}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {R. Rizzo and A. Musolino and E. P. Scilingo and A. Bicchi and M. Raugi} } @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} } @inbook {HB08-2, title = {The Sense of Touch and its Rendering: Progresses in Haptics Research}, series = {Springer Tracts in Advanced Robotics (STAR)}, volume = {45/2008}, year = {2008}, pages = {155-178}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, type = {Chapter}, chapter = {Rheological Device}, address = {Berlin, Heidelberg}, abstract = {

In this work we investigate the possibility of mimicking haptic perception by using rheological materials. An analysis of the rheological behaviour of some "smart fluids", such as Electro-rheological Fluids (ERFs) and Magneto-rheological Fluids (MRFs), is provided to design new haptic interfaces capable of reproducing shape and compliance of some virtual objects. Some theoretical design considerations are discussed and supported by magnetic simulations implemented by means of a numerical code. Several prototypes were designed and realized through a progressive enhancement of performance up to a final 3D immersive device. Furthermore, to assess performance a set of psychophysical tests was carried out and experimental results in terms of softness and shape recognition are reported.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {N. Sgambelluri and E. P. Scilingo and R. Rizzo and A. Bicchi}, editor = {A. Bicchi and M. Buss and M. Ernst and A. Peer} } @article {VHTRTZGCSSGPSBPDRL08, title = {Sensing Glove for Brain Studies: Design and assessment of its Compatibility for fMRI with a Robust Test}, journal = {IEEE - ASME Transactions on Mechatronics}, volume = {13}, number = {3}, year = {2008}, pages = {345-354}, abstract = {

In this paper, we describe a biomimetic-fabric-based sensing glove that can be used tomonitor hand posture and gesture. Our device is made of a distributed sensor network of piezoresistive conductive elastomers integrated into an elastic fabric. This solution does not affect natural movement and hand gestures, and can be worn for a long time with no discomfort. The glove could be fruitfully employed in behavioral and functional studies with functional MRI (fMRI) during specific tactile or motor tasks. To assess MR compatibility of the system, a statistical test on phantoms is introduced. This test can also be used for testing the compatibility of mechatronic devices designed to produce different stimuli inside the MR environment. We propose a statistical test to evaluate changes in SNR and time-domain standard deviations between image sequences acquired under different experimental conditions. fMRI experiments on subjects wearing the glove are reported. The reproducibility of fMRIresults obtained with andwithout the glove was estimated. A good similarity between the activated regions was found in the two conditions.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {N. Vanello and V. Hartwig and M. Tesconi and E. Ricciardi and A. Tognetti and G. Zupone and R. Gassert and D. Chapuis and N. Sgambelluri and E. P. Scilingo and G. Giovannetti and V. Positano and M. F. Santarelli and A. Bicchi and P. Pietrini and D. De Rossi and L. Landini} } @article {1628, title = {Surface modification of a synthetic polyurethane by plasma glow discharge: preparation and characterisation of bioactive monolayers}, journal = {REACTIVE \& FUNCTIONAL POLYMERS}, volume = {68}, year = {2008}, pages = {809{\textendash}821}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {1381-5148}, author = {Sartori, S and Rechichi, A and G. Vozzi and D{\textquoteright}Acunto, M and HEINE, E and P. Giusti and G. Ciardelli} } @article {BRB07, title = {Tactile flow explains haptic counterparts of common visual illusions}, journal = {Brain Res Bull.}, volume = {75}, number = {6}, year = {2008}, month = {April 15}, pages = {737-741}, abstract = {

Interaction with the external world requires the ability to perceive dynamic changes in complex sensorial input and react promptly. Here we show that perception of dynamic stimuli in the visual and tactile sensory modalities share fundamental psychophysical aspects that can be explained by similar computational models. In vision, optic flow provides information on relative motion between the individual and the content of percept. For instance, radial patterns of optic flow are used to estimate time before contact with an approaching object4. Similarly, in the tactile modality, radial patterns of stimuli provide information on softness of probed objects3. Optic flow is also invoked to explain several visual illusions, including the well-known "barber-pole" effect10. Here we introduce a computational model of tactile flow, which is intimately related to existing models for the visual counterpart. The model accounts for psychophysical aspects of dynamic tactile perception and predicts illusory phenomena in the tactile domain, analogous to the barber-pole effect. When subjects touched translating pads with differently oriented gratings, they perceived a direction of motion that was significantly biased towards the orientation of the gratings. Therefore, these findings indicate that visual and tactile flow share similarities at the psychophysical and computational level and may be intended for similar perceptive goals. Results of this analysis have impact on the engineering of better haptic and multimodal interfaces for human-computer interaction.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi and E. P. Scilingo and E. Ricciardi and P. Pietrini} } @article {1655, title = {Acute retinal ganglion cell injury caused by intraocular pressure spikes is mediated by endogenous extracellular ATP}, journal = {EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE}, volume = {25}, year = {2007}, pages = {2741{\textendash}2754}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0953-816X}, author = {RESTA, V. and NOVELLI, E. and G. Vozzi and SCARPA, C. and CALEO, M. and A. Ahluwalia and SOLINI, A. and SANTINI, E. and PARISI, V. and DI VIRGILIO, F. and GALLI-RESTA, L.} } @conference {1662, title = {Bioactive polyurethanes trough new functionalisation stretegies}, booktitle = {Biotechnical functionalisation of renewable polymeric materials}, year = {2007}, month = {16-17 April}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Ciardelli and Sartori, S and Rechichi, A and CAPORALE, A and S. BRONCO and G. Vozzi and P. Giusti} } @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 {1270, title = {Design and realisation of drop-free trocar for ophthalmic applications}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Symp. Industrial Electronics ISIE 2007}, year = {2007}, pages = {2810{\textendash}2814}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {10.1109/ISIE.2007.4375056}, author = {Guerrini, P. and G. Vozzi and A. Ahluwalia and D. Mazzei and Palla, M. and Rizzo, S.} } @article {BHM07, title = {The Effect of Visual Experience on the Development of Functional Architecture in hMT+}, journal = {Cerebral Cortex}, volume = {17}, number = {12}, year = {2007}, note = {

[Epub ahead of print]

}, month = {March 19}, pages = {2933 - 2939}, publisher = {Oxford University Press}, abstract = {

We investigated whether the visual hMT+ cortex plays a role in supramodal representation of sensory flow, not mediated by visual mental imagery. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to measure neural activity in sighted and congenitally blind individuals during passive perception of optic and tactile flows. Visual motion-responsive cortex, including hMT+, was identified in the lateral occipital and inferior temporal cortices of the sighted subjects by response to optic flow. Tactile flow perception in sighted subjects activated the more anterior part of these cortical regions but deactivated the more posterior part. By contrast, perception of tactile flow in blind subjects activated the full extent, including the more posterior part. These results demonstrate that activation of hMT+ and surrounding cortex by tactile flow is not mediated by visual mental imagery and that the functional organization of hMT+ can develop to subserve tactile flow perception in the absence of any visual experience. Moreover, visual experience leads to a segregation of the motion-responsive occipitotemporal cortex into an anterior subregion involved in the representation of both optic and tactile flows and a posterior subregion that processes optic flow only.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {E. Ricciardi and N. Vanello and L. Sani and C. Gentili and E. P. Scilingo and L. Landini and M. Guazzelli and A. Bicchi and J. V. Haxby and P. Pietrini} } @inbook {HCVRSGSPPLB07, title = {Electrocutaneous stimulation of skin mechanoreceptors for tactile studies with functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging}, booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Healthcare Information Systems}, year = {2007}, pages = {497 - 503}, publisher = {Medical Information Science}, organization = {Medical Information Science}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {V. Hartwig and C. Cappelli and N. Vanello and E. Ricciardi and E. P. Scilingo and G. Giovannetti and M. F. Santarelli and V. Positano and A. Bicchi and P. Pietrini and L. Landini} } @article {RSSRB07, title = {Electromagnetic Modeling and Design of Haptic Interfaces Prototypes Based on MagnetoRheological Fluids}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Magnetics}, volume = {43}, number = {9-1}, year = {2007}, pages = {3586-3600}, abstract = {

This paper deals with design and implementation of innovative haptic interfaces based on Magnetorheological fluids (MRFs). This pioneering research work consists in developing 2D and quasi-3D MRF-based devices capable of suitably energizing the fluid with a magnetic field in order to build figures which can be directly squeezed by hands. These devices are able to properly create a distribution of magnetic field over time and space inducing the fluid to assume desired shape and compliance. We implemented different prototypes whose synthesis and design phase, here described in detail, was prepared by preliminary simulations obtained by means of software based on a 3D Finite Element code. In this way, both magnetic field and shear stress profiles inside the fluid can be carefully predicted. Finally, performance of these devices was evaluated and assessed.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {R. Rizzo and N. Sgambelluri and E. P. Scilingo and M. Raugi and A. Bicchi} } @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} } @article {1656, title = {Microfabrication of fractal polymeric structures for capillary morphogenesis: applications in therapeutic angiogenesis and in the engineering of vascularized tissue}, journal = {JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH. PART B, APPLIED BIOMATERIALS}, volume = {81}, year = {2007}, pages = {462{\textendash}468}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {1552-4981}, author = {BIANCHI, F and ROSI, M. and G. Vozzi and EMANUELI, C. and MADEDDU, P. and A. Ahluwalia} } @conference {1661, title = {Molecularly Imprinted Polymers with Recognition Properties Toward Fibronectin H-Gly-Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser-OH Sequence}, booktitle = {European Polymer Congress 2007}, year = {2007}, month = {2-6 July}, address = {Portoroz, Slovenia}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {Rechichi, A and Rosellini, E and G. Ciardelli and Barbani, N and G. Vozzi and P. Giusti and Cristallini, C} } @conference {VHTZSTRSBPDRL07, title = {An MRI Compatibility Study of a Fabric Sensing Glove for Sensory-Motor Brain Activity Exploration}, booktitle = {The 10th Annual International Workshop on Presence}, year = {2007}, pages = {79-83}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {N. Vanello and V. Hartwig and M. Tesconi and G. Zupone and N. Sgambelluri and A. Tognetti and E. Ricciardi and E. P. Scilingo and A. Bicchi and P. Pietrini and D. De Rossi and L. Landini}, editor = {Laura Moreno, Starlab Barcelona, S.L.} } @article {1654, title = {New biomedical devices with selective peptide recognition properties. Part 1: Characterization and cytotoxicity of molecularly imprinted polymers}, journal = {JOURNAL OF CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR MEDICINE}, year = {2007}, pages = {{\textendash}}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {1582-1838}, author = {Rechichi, A and Cristallini, C and VITALE, U. and G. Ciardelli and Barbani, N and G. Vozzi and P. Giusti} } @conference {1659, title = {New strategies in polymer functionalisation}, booktitle = {Biosurf, 28-31 August 2007}, year = {2007}, pages = { European Cells and Materials Vol. 14. Suppl. 3}, address = {Zurich (Switzerland)}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {Sartori, S and Rechichi, A and G. Ciardelli and CAPORALE, A and G. Vozzi and MAZZUCCO, L} } @conference {SSBRR, title = {Advanced Modeling and preliminary psychophysical experiments for a free-hand haptic device}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE/RSJ Int. Conf. on Robots and Intelligent Systems - IROS06}, year = {2006}, month = {October}, pages = {1558-1563}, abstract = {

In this paper we report on a new improved free-hand haptic interface based on magnetorheological fluids (MRFs). MRFs are smart materials which change their rheology according to an external magnetic field. The new architecture here proposed results from the development and improvement of earlier prototypes. The innovative idea behind this device is to allow subjects interacting directly with an object, whose rheology is rapidly and easily changeable, freely moving their hands without rigid mechanical linkages. Numerical advanced simulation tests using algorithms based on finite element methods have been implemented, in order to analyze and predict the spatial distribution of the magnetic field. A special focus was laid on investigating on how the magnetic filed profile is altered by the introduction of the hand. Possible solutions were proposed to overcome this perturbation. Finally some preliminary psychophysical tests in order to assess the performance of the device are reported and discussed.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {N. Sgambelluri and E. P. Scilingo and A. Bicchi and R. Rizzo and M. Raugi} } @conference {ricciardi05:_brain, title = {Brain response to visual, tactile and auditory flow in sighted and blind individuals supports a supramodal functional organization in hMT complex}, booktitle = {Proc. 12th International Conference on Functional Mapping of Human Brain Mapping}, volume = {31}, number = {1}, year = {2006}, note = {

Florence

}, pages = {512 TH-P}, publisher = {Elsevier}, organization = {Elsevier}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {E. Ricciardi and L. Sani and C. Gentili and D. Bonino and N. Vanello and J. V. Haxby and E. Seifritz and M. Guazzelli and L. Landini and A. Bicchi and Di Salle, F and P. Pietrini} } @conference {HCV06, title = {A Compatible Electrocutaneous Display for functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging application}, booktitle = {Proc. 28th IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Conference}, year = {2006}, note = {(poster presentation)}, pages = {100-102}, abstract = {In this paper we propose an MR (Magnetic Resonance) compatible electrocutaneous stimulator able to inject an electric current, variable in amplitude and frequency, into the fingertips in order to elicit tactile skin receptors (mechanoreceptors). The desired goal is to evoke specific tactile sensations selectively stimulating skin receptors by means of an electric current in place of mechanical stimuli. The field of application ranges from functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) tactile studies to augmented reality technology. The device here proposed is designed using safety criteria in order to comply with the threshold of voltage and current permitted by regulations. Moreover, MR safety and compatibility criteria were considered in order to perform experiments inside the MR scanner during an fMRI acquisition for functional brain activation analysis. Psychophysical laboratory tests are performed in order to define the different evoked tactile sensation. After verifying the device MR safety and compatibility on a phantom, a test on a human subject during fMRI acquisition is performed to visualize the brain areas activated by the simulated tactile sensation.}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {V. Hartwig and C. Cappelli and N. Vanello and E. Ricciardi and E. P. Scilingo and G. Giovannetti and M. F. Santarelli and V. Positano and L. Landini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {SRSRB06, title = {Free Hand Haptic Interfaces Based on Magnetorheological Fluids}, booktitle = {Proc. 14th Symp. on Haptic Interfaces for Virtual Environment and Teleoperator Systems}, year = {2006}, note = {

Poster presentation

}, month = {March}, pages = {367-371}, abstract = {

This paper is concerned with exploring the possibility of using Magneto-Rheological Fluids (MRF) as haptic interface. MRF are special materials capable of changing their rheological behaviour with an external magnetic field. This property suggested us to use MRF to mimic virtual objects whose compliance can be gradually modulated. Several architectures of prototypes have been envisaged. The general scheme of both prototypes refers to a Haptic Black Box (HBB) concept, intended as a box where the operator can poke his/her bare hand, and interact with the virtual object by freely moving the hand without mechanical constraints. In this way sensory receptors on the whole operator

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {N. Sgambelluri and R. Rizzo and E. P. Scilingo and M. Raugi and A. Bicchi} } @article {1404, title = {GIS tools application for risk assessment of toxic waste buried in seafloor sediments}, journal = {CHEMISTRY IN ECOLOGY}, year = {2006}, pages = {S145{\textendash}S161}, keywords = {Robotics}, issn = {0275-7540}, doi = {10.1080/02757540600670828}, url = {http://dx.medra.org/10.1080/02757540600670828}, author = {A. Caiti and R. Minciardi and M. Palmese and M. Robba and R. Sacile and A. Trucco} } @article {BRRS-TM, title = {Analysis and Design of an Electromagnetic System for the Characterization of Magneto-Rheological Fluids for Haptic Interfaces}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Magnetics}, volume = {41}, number = {5}, year = {2005}, pages = {1876 - 1879}, abstract = {

In this paper the synthesis and design of a new device for the energization and characterization of Magneto-Rheological Fluids (MRF) for haptic interfaces are presented. Due to the core structure and feeding conditions, only a 3D numerical analysis provides an accurate prediction of the electromagnetic quantities and the rheological behavior of an excited specimen. The design constraints are shown in details and the results in terms of magnetic field inside the fluid and its spatial resolution are discussed.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {A. Bicchi and M. Raugi and R. Rizzo and N. Sgambelluri} } @article {pietrini2005ois, title = {Oltre le immagini sensoriali: la rappresentazione degli oggetti nella via visiva ventrale}, journal = {Neurological Sciences}, volume = {26}, year = {2005}, pages = {S81{\textendash}S83}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {P. Pietrini and E. Ricciardi and C. Gentili and D. Bonino and N. Vanello and L. Sani and S. Danti and M. Guazzelli and A. Bicchi and TE Vecchi} } @conference {SRPB-05, title = {Optic and tactile flow: does a supramodal response exist?}, booktitle = {International multisensory research forum, 6th Annual meeting}, year = {2005}, month = {June}, address = {Rovereto, Italy}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {E. P. Scilingo and E. Ricciardi and P. Pietrini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {ricciardi05:_supram_mt, title = {Supramodal response of human MT+ complex to visual and tactile perception of flow as demonstrated by fMRI studies in sighted and congenitally blind individuals}, booktitle = {11th annual meeting of the organization for Human Brain Mapping}, volume = {1}, year = {2005}, note = {

Toronto

}, pages = {129-129}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {E. Ricciardi and L. Sani and C. Gentili and N. Vanello and J. V. Haxby and L. Landini and A. Bicchi and P. Pietrini} } @conference {SRSRB04, title = {Analysis and Design of a New Haptic Box Display Based on Magneto-Rheological Fluids}, booktitle = {Proc. Int. Conf. Eurohaptics 2004}, year = {2004}, month = {June}, pages = {442-445}, address = {Munich, Germany}, abstract = {

In this paper we describe a design of an innovative immersive Haptic Black Box (HBB) based on Magneto Rheological Fluids (MRF). By exploiting results from an accurate analysis performed on a previously operating haptic display a new device capable of exciting the MRF with improved performance in terms of magnetic field intensity and spatial resolution has been developed. Due to the core structure and feeding conditions, only a 3D numerical analysis, taking into account the material non-linearity, provides an accurate prediction of the excitation field and, consequently, of the rheological behavior of the uid. The results of the present paper will be used in subsequent work where the realization of the prototype and the results of several psychophysical tests on excited MRF in terms of softness and/or shape reconstruction will be described.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {N. Sgambelluri and R. Rizzo and E. P. Scilingo and M. Raugi and A. Bicchi} } @conference {BRRS, title = {Analysis and Design of an Electromagnetic System for the Characterization of Magneto-Rheological Fluids for Haptic Interfaces}, booktitle = {Proc. 11th Biennial IEEE Conference on Electromagnetic Field Computation (CEFC 2004).}, year = {2004}, month = {June}, address = {Seoul, Korea}, abstract = {

In this paper the synthesis and design of a new device for the energization and characterization of Magneto-Rheological Fluids (MRF) for haptic interfaces are presented. Due to the core structure and feeding conditions, only a 3D numerical analysis provides an accurate prediction of the electromagnetic quantities and the rheological behavior of an excited specimen. The design constraints are shown in details and the results in terms of magnetic field inside the fluid and its spatial resolution are discussed.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {A. Bicchi and M. Raugi and R. Rizzo and N. Sgambelluri} } @conference {DPSB04, title = {A compatibility test for tactile displays designed for fMRI studies.}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the EuroHaptics 2004 (Technische Universitat Munchen, Germany June 5-7, 2004)}, year = {2004}, pages = {456-458}, abstract = {

The purpose of this document is to provide a compatibility test for mechatronic devices to be used within a diagnostic MR environment. In order to design new devices that can produce tactile stimuli of different nature inside the MRI environment, compatibility tests with several materials and mechatronic devices are reported. Results of these experiments are analyzed in order to evaluate artefacts caused by the presence and actuation of the devices.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {V. Hartwig and N. Vanello and R. Gassert and D. Chapuis and M. F. Santarelli and V. Positano and E. Ricciardi and P. Pietrini and L. Landini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {RS04, title = {Design of a System for the Energization of MagnetoRheological Fluids}, booktitle = {Proc. Int. Conf. Progress in Electromagnetic Research Symposium (PIERS2004)}, year = {2004}, month = {March}, pages = {921-924}, address = {Pisa, Italy}, abstract = {

In a previous paper, a device for the characterization of MagnetoRheological Fluids (MRF) has been described. The MRF consist of micro-sized, magnetically active particles dispersed in a carrier medium. When exposed to a magnetic field, MRF change their own consistency turning from fluid to near-solid state responding to the applied field within milliseconds. This interesting property, suggests the possibility to use magnetorheological fluids to mimic the compliance of biological tissues in order to realize a haptic display, such as in surgical training for minimally invasive surgery and/or open surgery simulations [2]. In this scenario the operator could interact with a virtual object which simulate several biological tissues by magnetically tuning the rheological properties of the fluid. In this paper an accurate analysis of an immersive device for the magnetic excitation of the fluid is presented. In particular such analysis is focused on a system of ferromagnetic "pistons", that, properly positioned in the device, can address the magnetic flux in the MRF.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {R. Rizzo and N. Sgambelluri} } @conference {HBM04, title = {Perception of Optic and Tactile Flow Both Activate V5/MT cortical complex in the human brain}, booktitle = {10th Annual Meeting of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping}, year = {2004}, abstract = {

V5/MT complex responds selectively to perception of optic flow (Morrone et al., Nature Neurosci , 2001). Since similarities exist between visual and tactile perception, we hypothesized that tactile flow might also rely on V5/MT response. We and others have shown recently that visual extrastriate cortical areas respond both during visual and tactile recognition of objects, indicating that these regions are organized in a supramodal fashion. In this study, we measured neural response evoked during visual and tactile perception of coherently moving dot patterns to test the hypothesis that V5/MT may be supramodally organized and may respond also to tactile stimulation.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {N. Vanello and E. Ricciardi and D. Dente and N. Sgambelluri and E. P. Scilingo and C. Gentili and L. Sani and V. Positano and M. F. Santarelli and M. Guazzelli and J. V. Haxby and L. Landini and A. Bicchi and P. Pietrini} } @conference {RVDSSGSPSGHLBP04, title = {Perception of visual and tactile flow activates common cortical areas in the human brain.}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the EuroHaptics 2004 (Technische Universitat Munchen, Germany June 5-7, 2004)}, year = {2004}, pages = {290-292}, abstract = {

We report results of a pilot study using functional magnetic resonance imaging aimed at determining the neural correlates of tactile flow. We hypothesized that brain response to tactile flow would involve the same cortical areas (V5/MT) that respond to optic flow. Our results showed that V5/MT cortex indeed is activated by tactile flow perception. These findings are consistent with a supramodal organization of brain regions involved in optic and tactile flow processing.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {E. Ricciardi and N. Vanello and D. Dente and N. Sgambelluri and E. P. Scilingo and C. Gentili and L. Sani and V. Positano and M. F. Santarelli and M. Guazzelli and J. V. Haxby and L. Landini and A. Bicchi and P. Pietrini} } @article {LRSTD04, title = {Wearable, Redundant Fabric-Based Sensor Arrays for Reconstruction of Body Segment Posture}, journal = {IEEE Sensors Journal}, volume = {4}, number = {6}, year = {2004}, month = {December}, pages = {807-818}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {F. Lorussi and W. Rocchia and E. P. Scilingo and A. Tognetti and D. De Rossi} } @conference {BCQRTB01, title = {Breaking the Lab{\textquoteright}s Walls: Tele-Laboratories at the University of Pisa}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2001}, pages = {1903-1908}, address = {Seoul, Korea}, keywords = {Telelab}, author = {A. Bicchi and A. Coppelli and F. Quarto and L. Rizzo and F. Turchi and A. Balestrino} } @conference {BLT01, title = {Compliant design for intrinsic safety: general issues and preliminary design}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Symp. Intelligent Robots and Systems}, year = {2001}, month = {October}, pages = {1864-1869}, address = {Maui, Hawaii}, abstract = {

In this paper, we describe some initial results of a project aiming at development of a programmable-compliance, inherently safe robot arm for applications in anthropic environmnets. In order to obtain safety in spite of worst-case situations (such as unexpected delays in teleoperation, or even controller failure), we will consider achieving compliance by mechanical rather than by control design. We first describe some of the control problems that the presence of large, possibly unknown mechanical compliance typically introduces, and present a result that shows the possibility to cope with these uncertainties in an adaptive way. In the second part of the paper we describe the initial development of a new prototype arm under construction in our laboratory. The arm is designed to achieve arbitrary position tracking in 3D with controlled effective compliance at the joints.

}, keywords = {Physical Human-Robot Interaction (pHRI), Robot Arms}, author = {A. Bicchi and S. Lodi Rizzini and G. Tonietti} } @conference {BLT01-iarp, title = {Compliant robot arm design for intrinsic safety}, booktitle = {Proc. IARP/RAS Workshop on Technical Challenges for Dependable Robots in Human Environments}, year = {2001}, pages = {100-106}, abstract = {In this paper, we describe some initial results of a project aiming at development of a programmable-compliance, inherently safe robot arm for applications in anthropic environmnets. In order to obtain safety in spite of worst-case situations (such as unexpected delays in teleoperation, or even controller failure), we will consider achieving compliance by mechanical rather than by control design. We first describe some of the control problems that the presence of large, possibly unknown mechanical compliance typically introduces, and present a result that shows the possibility to cope with these uncertainties in an adaptive way. In the second part of the paper we describe the initial development of a new prototype arm under construction in our laboratory. The arm is designed to achieve arbitrary position tracking in 3D with controlled effective compliance at the joints.}, keywords = {Physical Human-Robot Interaction (pHRI), Robot Arms}, author = {A. Bicchi and S. Lodi Rizzini and G. Tonietti}, editor = {G. Giralt and P. Corke} } @conference {DLMWS-01, title = {Strain-amplified electroactive polymer actuator for haptic interfaces}, booktitle = {Proceedings of SPIE}, year = {2001}, month = {July}, pages = {43-53}, address = {Newport Beach, USA}, keywords = {Bioengineering, Haptics}, author = {D. De Rossi and F. Lorussi and A. Mazzoldi and W. Rocchia and E. P. Scilingo} } @conference {BBCRS00, title = {Hybrid Tracking Control for Spark-Ignition Engines}, booktitle = {Proc. 39th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control}, volume = {4}, year = {2000}, month = {December}, pages = {3126-31}, address = {Sydney, NSW, Australia}, keywords = {Automotive, Autonomous Vehicles, Hybrid and Embedded Control Systems}, author = {A. Balluchi and A. Bicchi and C. Caterini and C. Rossi and A. L. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli} } @inbook {CB00, title = {Observer Design for Locally Observable Analytic Systems: Convergence, Separation Property, and Redundancy}, booktitle = {Nonlinear Control in the Year 2000}, series = {LNCIS}, volume = {258}, year = {2000}, pages = {315-330}, publisher = {Springer-Verlag}, organization = {Springer-Verlag}, address = {Berlin Heidelberg, Germany}, keywords = {Localization and Mapping, Nonlinear Control Systems}, author = {F. Conticelli and A. Bicchi}, editor = {A. Isidori and F. F. Lamnabhi-Lagarrigue and W. Respondek} } @inbook {BP00-WAFR, title = {Optimal planning for coordinated vehicles with bounded curvature}, booktitle = {Algorithmic and Computational Robotics: New Directions}, volume = {1}, year = {2000}, note = {

The Workshop on Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics

}, pages = {167-172}, publisher = {A K Peters, MA}, organization = {A K Peters, MA}, abstract = {

In this paper we consider the problem of planning motions of a system of multiple vehicles moving in a plane. Each vehicle is modelled as a kinematic system with velocity constraints and curvature bounds. Vehicles can not get closer to each other than a predefined safety distance. For such system of multiple vehicles, we consider the problem of planning optimal paths in the absence of obstacles. The case when a constant distance between vehicles is enforced (such as when cooperative manipulation of objects is performed by the vehicle team) is also considered.

}, keywords = {Air Traffic Management Systems, Autonomous Vehicles, Navigation and Planning}, author = {A. Bicchi and L. Pallottino}, editor = {B. Donald and K. Lynch and D. Rus} } @conference {BBPRS98, title = {Hybrid Optimization Problems in Automotive Applications}, booktitle = {Proc. IFAC International Workshop on Motion Control}, year = {1998}, note = {(invited paper)}, month = {September}, pages = {273-278}, address = {Grenoble, France}, keywords = {Automotive, Hybrid and Embedded Control Systems}, author = {A. Balluchi and A. Bicchi and G. Padroni and C. Rossi and A. L. Sangiovanni-Vincentelli} } @article {1412, title = {A multiquadrics-based algorithm for the acceleration of simulated annealing optimization procedures}, journal = {IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON MAGNETICS}, volume = {32}, year = {1996}, pages = {1198{\textendash}1201}, issn = {0018-9464}, doi = {10.1109/20.497458}, url = {http://dx.medra.org/10.1109/20.497458}, author = {P. Alotto and A. Caiti and G. Molinari and M. Repetto} } @inbook {BD88, title = {Intrinsic Tactile Sensing for Artificial Hands}, booktitle = {Robotics Research - IV}, year = {1988}, pages = {83-90}, publisher = {MIT Press}, organization = {MIT Press}, address = {Cambridge, MA, USA}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi and P. Dario}, editor = {R. Bolles and B. Roth} } @article {1740, title = {Prosthetic vascular graft monitoring by ultrasound using piezoelectric polymers (PZP)}, journal = {TRANSACTIONS - AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR ARTIFICIAL INTERNAL ORGANS}, volume = {30}, year = {1984}, pages = {{\textendash}}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0066-0078}, author = {P. Dario and P.D. Richardson and M. Bertoncini and D. De Rossi and L.A. Trudell and P.M. Galletti} } @article {1739, title = {The electromechanical connection: piezoelectric polymers in artificial organs}, journal = {TRANSACTIONS - AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR ARTIFICIAL INTERNAL ORGANS}, volume = {6}, year = {1983}, pages = {1{\textendash}11}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0066-0078}, author = {D. De Rossi and P.M. Galletti and P. Dario and P.D. Richardson} } @article {1737, title = {Method of evaluating the thermal stability of the pyroelectric properties of polyvinylidene fluoride: effects of poling temperature and field}, journal = {JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS}, volume = {53}, year = {1982}, pages = {6520{\textendash}6525}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0021-8979}, author = {D. De Rossi and A. S. De Reggi and M. G. Broadhurst and S. C. Roth and G. T. Davis} } @article {1730, title = {A liquid crystal fiberoptic catheter for blood flow measurement by thermodilution}, journal = {JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MEDICINE AND ALLIED SCIENCES}, volume = {23}, year = {1979}, pages = {173{\textendash}177}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0392-0208}, author = {P. Dario and D. De Rossi and A. Riva and A. Benassi and A. L{\textquoteright}Abbate} } @article {1729, title = {Electro-optic behaviour of a field-induced twisted structure with quasi homeotropic boundary conditions}, journal = {JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS}, volume = {49}, year = {1978}, pages = {1139{\textendash}1142}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0021-8979}, author = {D. De Rossi and J. Robert} }