@article {4318, title = {Comparison between rigid and soft poly-articulated prosthetic hands in non-expert myo-electric users shows advantages of soft robotics.}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {11}, year = {2021}, month = {12/2021}, chapter = {1}, abstract = {

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

}, isbn = {ISSN 2045-2322}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-02562-y}, url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-02562-y}, author = {Capsi-Morales, Patricia and Piazza, Cristina and Catalano, Manuel G. and Grioli, Giorgio and Schiavon, Lisa and Fiaschi, Elena and Bicchi, Antonio} } @article {4178, title = {A Configurable Architecture for Two Degree-of-Freedom Variable Stiffness Actuators to Match the Compliant Behavior of Human Joints}, journal = {Frontiers in Robotics and AI}, volume = {8}, year = {2021}, month = {03/2021}, abstract = {

Living beings modulate the impedance of their joints to interact proficiently, robustly, and safely with the environment. These observations inspired the design of soft articulated robots with the development of Variable Impedance and Variable Stiffness Actuators. However, designing them remains a challenging task due to their mechanical complexity, encumbrance, and weight, but also due to the different specifications that the wide range of applications requires. For instance, as prostheses or parts of humanoid systems, there is currently a need for multi-degree-of-freedom joints that have abilities similar to those of human articulations. Toward this goal, we propose a new compact and configurable design for a two-degree-of-freedom variable stiffness joint that can match the passive behavior of a human wrist and ankle. Using only three motors, this joint can control its equilibrium orientation around two perpendicular axes and its overall stiffness as a one-dimensional parameter, like the co-contraction of human muscles. The kinematic architecture builds upon a state-of-the-art rigid parallel mechanism with the addition of nonlinear elastic elements to allow the control of the stiffness. The mechanical parameters of the proposed system can be optimized to match desired passive compliant behaviors and to fit various applications (e.g., prosthetic wrists or ankles, artificial wrists, etc.). After describing the joint structure, we detail the kinetostatic analysis to derive the compliant behavior as a function of the design parameters and to prove the variable stiffness ability of the system. Besides, we provide sets of design parameters to match the passive compliance of either a human wrist or ankle. Moreover, to show the versatility of the proposed joint architecture and as guidelines for the future designer, we describe the influence of the main design parameters on the system stiffness characteristic and show the potential of the design for more complex applications

}, keywords = {articulated soft robotics, artificial joints, humanoids, prostheses, variable stiffness}, issn = {2296-9144}, doi = {10.3389/frobt.2021.614145}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/frobt.2021.614145}, author = {S. Lemerle and M. G. Catalano and A. Bicchi and G. Grioli} } @conference {4179, title = {Compliance Control of a Cable-Suspended Aerial Manipulator using Hierarchical Control Framework}, booktitle = {2020 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)}, year = {2020}, pages = {7196-7202}, doi = {10.1109/IROS45743.2020.9340703}, author = {C. Gabellieri and Y. S. Sarkisov and A. Coelho and L. Pallottino and K. Kondak and M. J. Kim} } @article {4293, title = {Control architecture for human-like motion with applications to articulated soft robots}, journal = {Frontiers in Robotics and AI}, volume = {7}, year = {2020}, author = {Angelini, Franco and Della Santina, Cosimo and Garabini, Manolo and Bianchi, Matteo and Bicchi, Antonio} } @article {3649, title = {A Century of Robotic Hands}, journal = {Annual Review of Control, Robotics, and Autonomous Systems}, volume = {2}, year = {2019}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-control-060117-105003}, url = {https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-control-060117-105003}, author = {C. Piazza and G. Grioli and M. G. Catalano and A. Bicchi} } @article {4296, title = {A compact soft articulated parallel wrist for grasping in narrow spaces}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters}, volume = {4}, year = {2019}, pages = {3161{\textendash}3168}, author = {Negrello, Francesca and Mghames, Sariah and Grioli, Giorgio and Garabini, Manolo and Catalano, Manuel Giuseppe} } @conference {3719, title = {Comparison of Three Hand Pose Reconstruction Algorithms Using Inertial and Magnetic Measurement Units}, booktitle = {18th IEEE-RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots, Humanoids 2018}, year = {2019}, doi = {10.1109/HUMANOIDS.2018.8624929}, url = {https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8624929}, author = {P. J. Kieliba and P. H. Veltink and T. Lisini Baldi and D. Pratichizzo and G. Santaera and A. Bicchi and M. Bianchi and B. J. F. Van Beijnum} } @conference {3139, title = {Cerebellar-Inspired Learning Rule for Gain Adaptation of Feedback Controllers}, booktitle = {IEEE Mediterranean Conference on Control and Automation}, year = {2017}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {3-6 July 2017 in Valletta, Malta}, abstract = {

The cerebellum is a crucial brain structure in enabling precise motor control in animals. Recent advances suggest that the timing of the plasticity rule of Purkinje cells, the main cells of the cerebellum, is matched to behavioral function.Simultaneously, counter-factual predictive control (CFPC), a cerebellar-based control scheme, has shown that the optimal rule for learning feed-forward action in an adaptive filter playing the role of the cerebellum must include a forward model of the system controlled. Here we show how the same learning rule obtained in CFPC, which we term as Model-enhanced least mean squares (ME-LMS), emerges in the problem of learning the gains of a feedback controller. To that end, we frame a model-reference adaptive control (MRAC) problem and derive an adaptive control scheme treating the gains of a feedback controller as if they were the weights of an adaptive linear unit. Our results demonstrate that the approach of controlling plasticity with a forward model of the subsystem controlled can provide a solution to a wide set of adaptive control problems

}, author = {I. Herreros and X. D. Arsiwalla and C. Della Santina and J.-Y. Puigbo and A. Bicchi and P. F. M. J. Verschure} } @conference {3222, title = {Characterization of Hand Movements using a Sensing Glove in Hand Assisted Laparoscopic Surgery}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the second International Conference on Medical Information and Bioengineering}, year = {2017}, abstract = {

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

}, author = {L. Santos and N. Carbonaro and A. Tognetti and Gonzales, R. and J. C. Fraile and J. P. Turiel and E. De La Fuente} } @article {3153, title = {Choosing Poses for Force and Stiffness Control}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Robotics}, year = {2017}, month = {06/2017}, abstract = {

In humanoids and other redundant robots interacting with the environment, one can often choose between different configurations and control parameters to achieve a given task. A classic tool to describe specifications of the desired force/displacement behavior in such problems is the stiffness ellipsoid, whose geometry is affected by the choice of parameters in both joint control and redundancy resolution{\textemdash}namely, gains and angles. As is well known, impedance control techniques can regulate gains to realize any desired shape of the Cartesian stiffness ellipsoid at the end-effector, so that robot geometry selection could appear secondary. However, humans do not use this possibility: To control the stiffness of our arms, we predominantly use arm configurations. Why is that, and does it makes sense to do the same in robots? To understand this discrepancy, we provide a more complete analysis of the task-space force/deformation behavior of compliant redundant arms to illustrate why the arm geometry plays a dominant role in interaction capabilities of robots. We introduce the notion of allowable Cartesian force/displacement ({\textquotedblleft}stiffness feasibility{\textquotedblright}) regions (SFR) for compliant robots with given torque boundaries. We show that different robot configurations modify such regions and explore the role of robot geometry in achieving an appropriate SFR for the task at hand. The novel concepts and definitions are first illustrated in simulations. Experimental results are then provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed Cartesian force and stiffness control.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/TRO.2017.2708087}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7951027/}, author = {A. Ajoudani and N. G. Tsagarakis and A. Bicchi} } @article {3119, title = {Controlling Soft Robots: Balancing Feedback and Feedforward Elements}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine}, volume = {24}, year = {2017}, note = {

This work is supported by European Commission grant H2020-ICT-645599 ({\textquotedblleft}SOMA{\textquotedblright}: SOft Manipulation) and European Research Council Advanced grant 291166 ({\textquotedblleft}SoftHands{\textquotedblright}).

}, month = {05/2017}, pages = {75 - 83}, abstract = {

Soft robots (SRs) represent one of the most significant recent evolutions in robotics. Designed to embody safe and natural behaviors, they rely on compliant physical structures purposefully designed to embody desirable and sometimes variable impedance characteristics. This article discusses the problem of controlling SRs. We start by observing that most of the standard methods of robotic control{\textemdash}e.g., high-gain robust control, feedback linearization, backstepping, and active impedance control{\textemdash}effectively fight against or even completely cancel the physical dynamics of the system, replacing them with a desired model. This defeats the purpose of introducing physical compliance. After all, what is the point of building soft actuators if we then make them stiff by control? An alternative to such approaches can be conceived by observing humans, who can obtain good motion accuracy and repeatability while maintaining the intrinsic softness of their bodies. In this article, we show that an anticipative model of human motor control, using a feedforward action combined with low-gain feedback, can be used to achieve human-like behavior. We present an implementation of such an idea that uses iterative learning control. Finally, we present the experimental results of the application of such learned anticipative control to a physically compliant robot. The control application achieves the desired behavior much better than a classical feedback controller used for comparison.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, issn = {1070-9932}, doi = {10.1109/MRA.2016.2636360}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=7930438}, author = {C. Della Santina and M. Bianchi and G. Grioli and F. Angelini and M. G. Catalano and M. Garabini and A. Bicchi} } @article {3045, title = {Coordination Control of a Dual-arm Exoskeleton Robot Using Human Impedance Transfer Skills}, journal = {IEEE Trans. Systems Man and Cybernetics: Systems}, year = {2017}, month = {06/2017}, abstract = {

This paper has developed a coordination control method for a dual-arm exoskeleton robot based on human impedance transfer skills, where the left (master) robot arm extracts the human limb impedance stiffness and position profiles, and then transfers the information to the right (slave) arm of the exoskeleton. A computationally efficient model of the arm endpoint stiffness behavior is developed and a co-contraction index is defined using muscular activities of a dominant antagonistic muscle pair. A reference command consisting of the stiffness and position profiles of the operator is computed and realized by one robot in real-time. Considering the dynamics uncertainties of the robotic exoskeleton, an adaptive-robust impedance controller in task space is proposed to drive the slave arm tracking the desired trajectories with convergent errors. To verify the robustness of the developed approach, a study of combining adaptive control and human impedance transfer control under the presence of unknown interactive forces is conducted. The experimental results of this paper suggest that the proposed control method enables the subjects to execute a coordination control task on a dual-arm exoskeleton robot by transferring the stiffness from the human arm to the slave robot arm, which turns out to be effective.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/TSMC.2017.2706694}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?arnumber=7944582}, author = {B. Huang and Z. Li and X. Wu and A. Ajoudani and A. Bicchi and J. Liu} } @article {2685, title = {The Change in Fingertip Contact Area as a Novel Proprioceptive Cue}, journal = {Current Biology}, volume = {26}, year = {2016}, month = {05/2016}, pages = {1159{\textendash}1163}, abstract = {

Humans, many animals, and certain robotic hands have deformable fingertip pads. Deformable pads have the advantage of conforming to the objects that are being touched, ensuring a stable grasp for a large range of forces and shapes. Pad deformations change with finger displacements during touch. Pushing a finger against an external surface typically provokes an increase of the gross contact area, potentially providing a relative motion cue, a situation comparable to looming in vision. The rate of increase of the area of contact also depends on the compliance of the object. Because objects normally do not suddenly change compliance, participants may interpret an artificially induced variation in compliance, which coincides with a change in the gross contact area, as a change in finger displacement, and consequently they may misestimate their finger{\textquoteright}s position relative to the touched object. To test this, we asked participants to compare the perceived displacements of their finger while contacting an object varying pseudo-randomly in compliance from trial to trial. Results indicate a bias in the perception of finger displacement induced by the change in compliance, hence in contact area, indicating that participants interpreted the altered cutaneous input as a cue to proprioception. This situation highlights the capacity of the brain to take advantage of knowledge of the mechanical properties of the body and of the external environment.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2016.02.052}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982216301348}, author = {A. Moscatelli and M. Bianchi and A. Serio and A. Terekhov and V. Hayward and M. Ernst and A. Bicchi} } @article {2835, title = {Clarifying CLARITY: Quantitative Optimization of the Diffusion Based Delipidation Protocol for Genetically Labeled Tissue}, journal = {Frontiers in Neuroscience}, year = {2016}, abstract = {

Tissue clarification has been recently proposed to allow deep tissue imaging without light scattering. The clarification parameters are somewhat arbitrary and dependent on tissue type, source and dimension: every laboratory has its own protocol, but a quantitative approach to determine the optimum clearing time is still lacking. Since the use of transgenic mouse lines that express fluorescent proteins to visualize specific cell populations is widespread, a quantitative approach to determine the optimum clearing time for genetically labeled neurons from thick murine brain slices using CLARITY2 is described. In particular, as the main objective of the delipidation treatment is to clarify tissues, while limiting loss of fluorescent signal, the {\textquotedblleft}goodness{\textquotedblright} of clarification was evaluated by considering the bulk tissue clarification index (BTCi) and the fraction of the fluorescent marker retained in the slice as easily quantifiable macroscale parameters. Here we describe the approach, illustrating an example of how it can be used to determine the optimum clearing time for 1 mm-thick cerebellar slice from transgenic L7GFP mice, in which Purkinje neurons express the GFP (green fluorescent protein) tag. To validate the method, we evaluated confocal stacks of our samples using standard image processing indices (i.e., the mean pixel intensity of neurons and the contrast-to-noise ratio) as figures of merit for image quality. The results show that detergent-based delipidation for more than 5 days does not increase tissue clarity but the fraction of GFP in the tissue continues to diminish. The optimum clearing time for 1 mm-thick slices was thus identified as 5 days, which is the best compromise between the increase in light penetration depth due to removal of lipids and a decrease in fluorescent signal as a consequence of protein loss: further clearing does not improve tissue transparency, but only leads to more protein removal or degradation. The rigorous quantitative approach described can be generalized to any clarification method to identify the moment when the clearing process should be terminated to avoid useless protein loss.

}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2016.00179}, url = {http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fnins.2016.00179/full}, author = {C. Magliaro and A. L. Callara and G. Mattei and M. Morcinelli and C. Viaggi and Vaglini, F and A. Ahluwalia} } @article {3252, title = {Combining electroencephalographic activity and instantaneous heart rate for assessing brain{\textendash}heart dynamics during visual emotional elicitation in healthy subjects}, journal = {Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A}, volume = {374}, year = {2016}, pages = {20150176}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Valenza and A. Greco and C. Gentili and A. Lanat{\`a} and Sebastiani, L. and D. Menicucci and A. Gemignani and E. P. Scilingo} } @article {2791, title = {Controllability analysis of a pair of 3D Dubins vehicles in formation}, journal = {Robotics and Autonomous Systems}, volume = {83}, year = {2016}, month = {09/2016}, pages = {94 - 105}, abstract = {

In this paper we consider the controllability problem for a system consisting of a pair of Dubins vehicles moving in a 3D space (i.e.\ pair of 3D{\textendash}Dubins vehicles) while maintaining constant distance. Necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a limited control effort to steer the system between any two configurations are provided. The proposed controllability analysis and the developed motion planning algorithm are a step toward the solution of planning problems for example in case the robots are physically constrained to a payload to be deployed. Moreover, results obtained in this paper are relevant in order to solve formation control problems for multiple robots as aerial or underwater vehicles, which move in 3D spaces. Simulation results highlight the sufficiency of the obtained conditions showing that even from critical configurations an admissible control can be determined.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, doi = {10.1016/j.robot.2016.05.015}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921889015301202}, author = {H. Marino and Salaris, P. and L. Pallottino} } @article {2481, title = {Convergence Analysis of Distributed Set-Valued Information Systems}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control}, volume = {61}, year = {2016}, month = {06/2016}, pages = {1477 - 1491}, abstract = {
This paper focuses on the convergence of information in distributed systems of agents communicating over a network.
The information on which the convergence is sought is not represented by real numbers, as often in the literature, rather by sets. The dynamics of the evolution of information across the network is accordingly described by set-valued iterative maps. While the study of convergence of set-valued iterative maps is highly complex in general, this paper focuses on Boolean maps, which are comprised of arbitrary combinations of unions, intersections, and complements of sets. For these important class of systems, we provide tools to study both global and local convergence. A distributed geographic information system, leading to successful information reconstruction from partial and corrupted data, is used to illustrate the applications of the proposed methods.
}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/TAC.2015.2480176}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7272075}, author = {A. Fagiolini and N. Dubbini and S. Martini and A. Bicchi} } @article {2848, title = {Cooperative navigation of AUVs via acoustic communication networking: field experience with the Typhoon vehicles}, journal = {AUTONOMOUS ROBOTS}, volume = {40}, year = {2016}, month = {10/2016}, pages = {1229{\textendash}1244}, abstract = {

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

}, keywords = {Robotics}, issn = {0929-5593}, doi = {10.1007/s10514-016-9594-9}, url = {http://link.springer.com/journal/volumesAndIssues/10514}, author = {B. Allotta and A. Caiti and R. Costanzi and F. Di Corato and D. Fenucci and N. Monni and L. Pugi and A. Ridolfi} } @article {2509, title = {CFD modelling of a mixing chamber for the realisation of functionally graded scaffolds}, journal = {Computers and Chemical Engineering}, year = {2015}, abstract = {

Biological tissues are characterised by spatially distributed gradients, intricately linked with functions. It widely accepted that ideal tissue engineered scaffolds should exhibit similar functional gradients to promote successful tissue regeneration. Focusing on bone, in previous work we proposed simple methods to obtain osteochondral functionally graded scaffolds (FGSs), starting from homogeneous suspensions of hydroxyapatite (HA) particles in gelatin solutions. With the main aim of developing an automated device to fabricate FGSs, this work is focused on designing a stirred tank to obtain homogeneous HA-gelatin suspensions. The HA particles transport within the gelatin solution was investigated through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling. First, the steady-state flow field was solved for the continuous phase only. Then, it was used as a starting point for solving the multi-phase transient simulation. CFD results showed that the proposed tank geometry and setup allow for obtaining a homogeneous suspension of HA micro-particles within the gelatin solution.

}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {00981354}, doi = {10.1016/j.compchemeng.2015.08.021}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0098135415002823}, author = {G. Mattei and G. Vozzi} } @conference {3248, title = {Changes in instantaneous complex dynamics during exercise in Chronic Mountain Sickness}, booktitle = {Computing in Cardiology Conference (CinC), 2015}, year = {2015}, pages = {997{\textendash}1000}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Valenza and F. Faita and L. Pratali and N. Vanello and A Lanata and R. Barbieri and E. P. Scilingo} } @article {3237, title = {Characterization of Depressive States in Bipolar Patients using Wearable Textile Technology and Instantaneous Heart Rate Variability Assessment}, journal = {IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics}, volume = {19}, year = {2015}, pages = {263{\textendash}274}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Valenza and L. Citi and C. Gentili and A Lanata and E. P. Scilingo and R. Barbieri} } @conference {2454, title = {Characterization of Nonlinear Finger Pad Mechanics for Tactile Rendering}, booktitle = {IEEE World Haptics Conference}, year = {2015}, note = {

softhands, werahap

}, pages = {63-68}, address = {Chicago, USA, 22-25 June 2015}, abstract = {

The computation of skin forces and deformations for\ tactilerendering\ requires an accurate model of the extremely\ nonlinear\ behavior of the skin. In this work, we investigate the\ characterization\ of\ fingermechanics\ with the goal of designing accurate\ nonlinear\ models for\ tactilerendering. First, we describe a measurement setup that enables the acquisition of contact force and contact area in the context of controlled\ finger\ indentation experiments. Second, we describe an optimization procedure that estimates the parameters of strain-limiting deformation models that match best the acquired data. We show that the acquisition setup allows the measurement of force and area information with high repeatability, and the estimation method reaches\ nonlinear\ models that match the measured data with high accuracy.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/WHC.2015.7177692}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7177692}, author = {E. Miguel and M. L. D{\textquoteright}Angelo and F. Cannella and M. Bianchi and M Memeo and A. Bicchi and D. G. Caldwell and M. A. Otaduy} } @article {2387, title = {Characterizing psychological dimensions in non-pathological subjects through autonomic nervous system dynamics}, journal = {Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience}, volume = {9}, year = {2015}, month = {03/2015}, doi = {dx.doi.org/10.3389/fncom.2015.00037}, author = {M. Nardelli and G. Valenza and Cristea, I. and C. Gentili and C. Cotet and David, D. and A Lanata and E. P. Scilingo} } @article {2501, title = {Combining Inkjet Printing and Sol-Gel chemistry for Making pH-Sensitive surfaces}, journal = {Current topics in medicinal chemistry}, volume = {15(3)}, year = {2015}, pages = {271-278}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Orsi and C. De Maria and F. Montemurro and Chauhan, V. and Aylott, J. and G. Vozzi} } @article {3238, title = {Complexity Index from a Personalized Wearable Monitoring System for Assessing Remission in Mental Health}, journal = {IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics}, volume = {19}, year = {2015}, pages = {132{\textendash}139}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {A Lanata and G. Valenza and M. Nardelli and C. Gentili and E. P. Scilingo} } @conference {2429, title = {Coordination of unmanned marine vehicles for asymmetric threats protection}, booktitle = {MTS/IEEE Oceans 2015}, year = {2015}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {May 18-21, Genoa, Italy}, abstract = {

A coordination protocol for systems of unmanned marine vehicles is proposed for protection against asymmetric threats. The problem is first modelled in a game theoretic framework, as a potential game. Then an extension of existing learning algorithms is proposed to address the problem of tracking the possibly moving threat. The approach is evaluated in scenarios of different geometric complexity such as open sea, bay, and harbours. Performance of the approach is evaluated in terms of a security index that will allow us to obtain a tool for team sizing. The tool provides the minimum number of marine vehicles to be used in the system, given a desired security level to be guaranteed and the maximum threat velocity.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, isbn = {978-1-4799-8736-8}, doi = {10.1109/OCEANS-Genova.2015.7271413}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7271413/}, author = {S. Nardi and C. Della Santina and D. Meucci and L. Pallottino} } @article {2489, title = {cvxEDA: a Convex Optimization Approach to Electrodermal Activity Processing}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering}, year = {2015}, author = {A. Greco and G. Valenza and A Lanata and Scilingo E.P. and L. Citi} } @conference {2086, title = {A change in the fingertip contact area induces an illusory displacement of the finger}, booktitle = {Eurohaptics}, volume = {LNCS - Free Preview Haptics: Neuroscience, Devices, Modeling, and Applications}, year = {2014}, pages = {72 - 79}, publisher = {Springer-Verlag}, organization = {Springer-Verlag}, address = {Versailles, France), June 2014}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-662-44196-1_10}, author = {A. Moscatelli and M. Bianchi and A. Serio and Al Atassi, O. and S. Fani and A. Terekhov and V. Hayward and M. Ernst and A. Bicchi} } @article {2216, title = {Characterization of 3-Iodothyronamine In Vitro Dynamics by Mathematical Modeling}, journal = {Cell biochemistry and biophysics}, volume = {68}, year = {2014}, pages = {37{\textendash}47}, author = {G. Orsi and Ghelardoni, S. and Saba, A. and R. Zucca and G. Vozzi} } @article {2145, title = {Characterization of Depressive States in Bipolar Patients using Wearable Textile Technology and Instantaneous Heart Rate Variability Assessment}, journal = {IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics}, year = {2014}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Valenza and L. Citi and C. Gentili and A Lanata and E. P. Scilingo and R. Barbieri} } @article {2217, title = {Collagen-gelatin-genipin-hydroxyapatite composite scaffolds colonized by human primary osteoblasts are suitable for bone tissue engineering applications: In vitro evidences}, journal = {Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A}, volume = {102}, year = {2014}, pages = {1415{\textendash}1421}, author = {G. Vozzi and Corallo, C. and Carta, S. and Fortina, M. and Gattazzo, F. and Galletti, M. and N. Giordano} } @article {1785, title = {CREPE: mathematical model for CRosstalking of Endothelial cells and hePatocytE metabolism}, journal = {IEEE Transactions of Biomedical Engineeirng}, volume = {61}, year = {2014}, month = {01/2014}, pages = {224 - 230}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = { 10.1109/TBME.2013.2272942}, author = {Valvano, G and G. Orsi and M. A. Guzzardi and Vozzi, F. and G. Vozzi} } @article {2257, title = {Cardiovascular Molecular Imaging: New Methodological Strategies}, journal = {CURRENT PHARMACEUTICAL DESIGN }, volume = {19}, year = {2013}, pages = { 2439-2446}, author = {M. F. Santarelli and V. Positano and Menichetti, L. and L. Landini} } @article {1234, title = {Characterization and Psychophysical Studies of an Air-Jet Lump Display}, journal = {Transactions on Haptics}, year = {2013}, pages = {156 - 166}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/TOH.2012.71 }, author = {J.C Gwilliam and M. Bianchi and L. K. Su and A.M. Okamura} } @article {1779, title = {Characterization of 3-Iodothyronamine In Vitro Dynamics by Mathematical Modeling}, journal = {Cell Biochem Biophys}, year = {2013}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {10.1007/s12013-013-9680-y}, author = {G. Orsi and S. Ghelardoni and A. Saba and R. Zucca and G. Vozzi} } @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} } @article {1780, title = {Collagen-gelatin-genipin-hydroxyapatite composite scaffolds colonized by human primary osteoblasts are suitable for bone tissue engineering applications: In vitro evidences}, journal = {J Biomed Mater Res A}, year = {2013}, month = {06/2013}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Vozzi and C. Corallo and S. Carta and M. Fortina and Gattazzo, F and M. Galletti and N. Giordano} } @article {1786, title = {Collagen-gelatin-genipin-hydroxyapatite composite scaffolds colonized by human primary osteoblasts are suitable for bone tissue engineering applications: In vitro evidences}, journal = {Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Part A}, year = {2013}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {10.1002/jbm.a.34823}, author = {G. Vozzi and C. Corallo and S. Carta and M. Fortina and Gattazzo, F and M. Galletti and N. Giordano} } @article {1725, title = {A Complete Observability Analysis of the Planar Bearing Localization and Mapping for Visual Servoing with Known Camera Velocities}, journal = {International Journal of Advanced Robotic Systems}, volume = {10}, year = {2013}, abstract = {

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

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.5772/54603}, url = {http://www.intechopen.com/books/international_journal_of_advanced_robotic_systems/a-complete-observability-analysis-of-the-planar-bearing-localization-and-mapping-for-visual-servoing}, author = {F. A. W. Belo and P Salaris and D. Fontanelli and A. Bicchi} } @article {2258, title = {Computational Analysis of a Radiofrequency Knee Coil for Low-Field MRI Using FDTD}, journal = {APPLIED MAGNETIC RESONANCE}, volume = {44}, year = {2013}, pages = {389-400}, doi = {10.1007/s00723-012-0388-8}, author = {V. Hartwig and Tassano, S. and Mattii, A. and N. Vanello and V. Positano and M. F. Santarelli and L. Landini and G. Giovannetti} } @conference {1667, title = {Controlling the active surfaces of the Velvet Fingers: sticky to slippy fingers}, booktitle = {IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, IROS 2013}, year = {2013}, month = {November 3-7}, pages = {5494 - 5499}, address = {Tokyo, Japan}, abstract = {

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

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2013.6697152}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/login.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=6697152\&url=http\%3A\%2F\%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org\%2Fxpls\%2Fabs_all.jsp\%3Farnumber\%3D6697152}, author = {V. Tincani and G. Grioli and M. G. Catalano and M. Bonilla and M. Garabini and G Fantoni and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1398, title = {Calibration and Test of a Multi-Touch Tactile Object}, booktitle = {International Conference of Intelligent Robots and Systems - IROS 2012}, year = {2012}, address = {Algrave, Portugal}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Serio and M Gabiccini and I. Sarakoglou and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1504, title = {Characterization and modeling of mechanical behavior a discrete gradient structure}, booktitle = {Congresso Nazionale di Bioingegneria 2012 Atti}, year = {2012}, pages = {130 - 131}, address = {Roma, Italy}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {Caputo, M and G. Vozzi and G. Mattei} } @article {1480, title = {Cognitive reappraisal and acceptance distinctively impact heart rate variability in socially anxious individuals}, journal = {International Journal of Psychophysiology}, volume = {85}, year = {2012}, pages = {339}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {Cristea, I. and G. Valenza and C. Gentili and Tatar, A.S. and E. P. Scilingo and David, D.} } @article {PBB11, title = {Consensus Computation in Unreliable Networks: A System Theoretic Approach}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control}, volume = {57}, year = {2012}, pages = {90 - 104}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {F. Pasqualetti and A. Bicchi and F. Bullo} } @conference {1801, title = {Continuous functionally graded materials (cFGMs) for TE}, booktitle = {TERMIS 3rd World Congress}, year = {2012}, address = {Vienna, Austria}, abstract = {

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

}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Mattei and A. Ahluwalia and Ferretti, C and Mattioli-Belmonte, M. and Tirella, A} } @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 {BGDO11, title = {Characterization of an Air Jet Haptic Lump Display}, booktitle = {33rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC 2011)}, year = {2011}, pages = {3467-3470}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {M. Bianchi and J.C Gwilliam and A. Degirmenci and A.M. Okamura} } @conference {PS11, title = {On constrained optimal control problems in robotics}, booktitle = {Automatica.it 2011}, year = {2011}, month = {September 7 - 9}, address = {Pisa, Italy}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {L. Pallottino and P Salaris} } @article {1514, title = {Cooperation of Biological and Mechanical Signals in Cardiac Progenitor Cell Differentiation}, journal = {ADVANCED MATERIALS}, year = {2011}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0935-9648}, author = {S. Pagliari and A.C. Vilela-Silva and G. Forte and F. Pagliari and C. Mandoli and G. Vozzi and S. Pietronave and M. Prat and S. Licoccia and A. Ahluwalia and E. Traversa and M. Minieri and P. Di Nardo} } @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 {1471, title = {The contribution of the phase spectrum in automatic multiple cardiac arrhythmias recognition in wearable systems}, booktitle = {Applied Sciences in Biomedical and Communication Technologies (ISABEL), 2010 3rd International Symposium on}, year = {2010}, pages = {1{\textendash}5}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {A Lanata and G. Valenza and E. P. Scilingo} } @article {MEB09, title = {Controllability analysis of multi-agent systems using relaxed equitable partitions}, journal = {Int. J. Systems, Control and Communications}, volume = {2}, number = {1,2,3}, year = {2010}, pages = {100-121}, abstract = {

This paper investigates the issue of how to make decentralised networks amenable to external control, i.e. how to ensure that they are appropriately organised so that they can be effectively

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {S. Martini and M. Egerstedt and A. Bicchi} } @conference {WPB-ICRA10, title = {Controllability for Pairs of Vehicles Maintaining Constant Distance}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA2010)}, year = {2010}, month = {May 3 - 8}, pages = {342 - 349}, address = {Anchorage, Alaska}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {H. Wang and L. Pallottino and A. Bicchi} } @conference {WPB_cdc10, title = {Controllability Properties for Aircraft Formations}, booktitle = {International Conference on Decision and Control - CDC 2010}, year = {2010}, pages = {2047 - 2054}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {H. Wang and L. Pallottino and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1862, title = {Control-oriented modelling of an hybrid AUV}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Conf. on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2010}, year = {2010}, month = {May}, pages = {{\textendash}}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ROBOT.2010.5509365}, url = {http://dx.medra.org/10.1109/ROBOT.2010.5509365}, author = {A. Caiti and V. Calabr{\`o}} } @conference {FCB-CDC09, title = {Constructive robustness analysis of a limited-information feedback approach for nonlinear systems}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE International Conference on Decision and Control}, year = {2009}, month = {December, 16 - 1}, address = {Shangai, China}, abstract = {

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

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Franci and A. Chaillet} } @conference {FontanelliPP09, title = {Convergence of Distributed WSN Algorithms: The Wake-Up Scattering Problem}, booktitle = {Proc. of Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control}, year = {2009}, month = {April 13{\textendash}15}, pages = {180{\textendash}193}, publisher = {Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg}, organization = {Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg}, address = {San Francisco}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {D. Fontanelli and L. Palopoli and R. Passerone}, editor = {R. Majumdar and P. Tabuada} } @conference {1856, title = {Cooperating AUV Teams: Adaptive Area Coverage With Space-Varying Communication Constraints}, booktitle = {IEEE Oceans Europe 09}, year = {2009}, month = {May}, pages = {{\textendash}}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/OCEANSE.2009.5278255}, url = {http://dx.medra.org/10.1109/OCEANSE.2009.5278255}, author = {A. Caiti and G. Casalino and A. Munaf{\`o} and A. Turetta} } @article {1550, title = {Chitosan/gelatin blends for biomedical applications}, journal = {JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS RESEARCH. PART A}, volume = {86}, year = {2008}, pages = {311{\textendash}322}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {1549-3296}, author = {PULIERI, E and V. Chiono and G. Ciardelli and G. Vozzi and A. Ahluwalia and C. Domenici and Vozzi, F. and P. Giusti} } @article {1546, title = {Comparative study of porous and engineered biomaterials}, journal = {INTERNAL MEDICINE}, volume = {15}, year = {2008}, pages = {4{\textendash}8}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0918-2918}, author = {Mattioli-Belmonte, M. and K KYRIAKIDOU and LUCARINI, G and ZIZZI, A and A. Ahluwalia and G. Vozzi} } @conference {1649, title = {Composite polyurethane and carbon black bimorph bender microfabricated with pressure assisted microsyringe (PAM) for biomedical applications}, year = {2008}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {Tartarisco, G. and G. GALLONE and F. Carpi and G. Vozzi} } @conference {FPVDB08, title = {Consensus-based Distributed Intrusion Detection for Multi-Robot Systems}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2008}, pages = {120 - 127}, abstract = {

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

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and M. Pellinacci and M. Valenti and G. Dini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {MMB-CDC08, title = {Controllability Decompositions of Networked Systems Through Quotient Graphs}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Decision and Control}, year = {2008}, pages = {5244 - 5249}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {S. Martini and M. Egerstedt and A. Bicchi} } @article {1559, title = {Controlled in vitro growth of cell microtubes: towards the realisation of artificial microvessels}, journal = {BIOMEDICAL MICRODEVICES}, year = {2008}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {1387-2176}, author = {Migliore, A. and Vozzi, F. and G. Vozzi and A. Ahluwalia} } @article {1549, title = {Criticality of the Biological and Physical Stimuli Array Inducing Resident Cardiac Stem Cell Determination}, journal = {STEM CELLS}, volume = {26}, year = {2008}, pages = {2093{\textendash}2103}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {1066-5099}, author = {G. Forte and CAROTENUTO, F and F. Pagliari and S. Pagliari and COSSA, P and FIACCAVENTO, R and A. Ahluwalia and G. Vozzi and Vinci, B. and SERAFINO, A and RINALDI, A and E. Traversa and CAROSELLA, L and M. Minieri and P. Di Nardo} } @conference {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} } @article {GreDCDIS06, title = {Comments on Necessary and Sufficient Vertex Solutions for Robust Stability Analysis of Families of Linear State Space Systems}, journal = {Dyn. Contin. Discrete Impuls. Syst. Ser. B Appl. Algorithms}, volume = {14}, number = {5}, year = {2007}, pages = {749{\textendash}752}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {L. Greco} } @conference {filippini2007cda, title = {A Comparative Dependability Analysis of Antagonistic Actuation Arrangements for Enhanced Robotic Safety}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2007}, pages = {4349{\textendash}4354}, abstract = {In this paper we introduce an analysis of dependability of an elementary yet critical component of robotic systems designed to operate in environments shared with humans, i.e. the joint-level actuation system. We consider robot joints that implement the Variable Impedance Actuation (VIA) paradigm. The VIA has been demonstrated to be an effective mean to achieve high performance while constantly keeping injury risks to humans by accidental impacts below a given threshold. The paper describe possible implementations of the VIA concept which use the Antagonistic Actuation (AA) in three different arrangements. This study follows a previously reported paper dealing with safety. Here a detailed comparative dependability and performability analysis in front of possible specific failure modes is conducted, whose results provide additional and useful guidelines for design of safe and dependable actuation systems for physical human-robot interaction. }, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {R. Filippini and S. Sen and G. Tonietti and A. Bicchi} } @conference {BDSP:ECC07, title = {A Component-Based Approach to Localization and Collision Avoidance for Mobile Multi-Agent Systems}, booktitle = {Proc. European Control Conference (ECC)}, year = {2007}, month = {July}, pages = {4285-4292}, abstract = {

In the RUNES project a disaster relief tunnel scenario is being developed in which mobile robots are used to restore the radio network connectivity in a stationary sensor network. A component-based software development approach has been adopted. Two components are described in this paper. A localization component that uses ultrasound and dead reckoning to decide the robot positions and a collision avoidance component that ensures that the robots do not collide with each other.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {P. Alriksson and J. Nordh and K -E Arz{\'e}n and A. Bicchi and A. Danesi and R. Schiavi and L. Pallottino} } @article {arz+07ejc, title = {A component-based approach to the design of networked control systems}, journal = {European Journal of Control}, volume = {13}, number = {2{\textendash}3}, year = {2007}, note = {

Invited paper

}, pages = {261-279}, abstract = {

Component-based techniques revolve around composable, reusable software objects that shield the application level software from the details of the hardware and lowlevel software implementation and vice versa. Components provide many benefits that have led to their wide adoption in software and middleware developed for embedded systems: They are well-defined entities that can be replaced without affecting the rest of the systems, they can be developed and tested separately and integrated later, and they are reusable. Clearly such features are important for the design of large-scale complex systems more generally, beyond software architectures. We propose the use of a component approach to address embedded control problems. We outline a general componentbased framework to embedded control and show how it can be instantiated in specific problems that arise in the control over/of sensor networks. Building on the middleware component framework developed under the European project RUNES, we develop a number of control-oriented components necessary for the implementation of control applications and design their integration. The paper provides the overview of the approach, discusses a real life application where the approach has been tested and outlines a number of specific control problems that arise in this application.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {K -E Arz{\'e}n and A. Bicchi and G. Dini and S. Hailes and K. H. Johansson and J. Lygeros and A. Tzes} } @conference {TSCHPAJOcdc06, title = {Cascaded lemma for set-stable systems}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Decision and Control}, year = {2006}, month = {December}, address = {San Diego, USA}, abstract = {

A previous result about uniform global asymptotic stability (UGAS) of the equilibrium of a cascaded time-varying systems, is here also shown to hold for closed (not necessarily compact) sets composed by set-stable subsystems of a cascade. In view of this result an optimal control allocation approach is discussed.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {J. Tsonnas and A. Chaillet and E. Panteley and T. A. Johansen} } @conference {FTB06, title = {Casting Robotic end-effectors to reach far objects in space and planetary missions}, booktitle = {Proc. of the 9th ESA Workshop on Advanced Space Technologies for Robotics and Automation}, year = {2006}, pages = {28-30}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and A. Torelli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {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} } @inbook {B06, title = {Controllo, Teoria del}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Italiana di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti}, year = {2006}, publisher = {Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}G. Treccani{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright}}, organization = {Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}G. Treccani{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright}}, edition = {XXI Secolo {\textendash} Aggiornamento}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi} } @conference {CHLOcdc06, title = {A converse Lyapunov theorem for semiglobal practical asymptotic stability and application to cascades-based control}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Decision and Control}, year = {2006}, month = {December}, address = {San Diego, USA}, abstract = {

We present a converse Lyapunov result for nonlinear time-varying systems that are uniformly semiglobally asymptotically stable. This stability property pertains to the case when the size of initial conditions may be arbitrarily enlarged and the solutions of the system converge, in a stable way, to a closed ball that may be arbitrarily diminished by tuning a design parameter of the system (typically but not exclusively, a control gain). This result is notably useful in cascaded-based control when uniform practical asymptotic stability is established without a Lyapunov function, , {\i}t e.g.} via averaging. We provide a concrete example by solving the stabilization problem of a hovercraft.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Chaillet and A. Lor} } @article {PB04-rendi, title = {Control synthesis for practical stabilization of quantized linear systems}, journal = {Rend. Sem. Mat. Univ. Pol. Torino, Control Theory and Stabil., I}, volume = {63}, number = {4}, year = {2005}, pages = {397{\textendash}410}, abstract = {

In this work we face the stability problem for quantized control systems (QCS). A discrete{\textendash}time single{\textendash}input linear model is considered and, motivated by technological applications, we assume that a uniform quantization of the control set is a priori fixed. As it is well known, for QCS only practical stability properties can be achieved, therefore we focus on the existence and construction of quantized controllers capable of steering a system to within invariant neighborhoods of the equilibrium. The main contribution of the paper consists in a theorem which provides a condition for the practical stabilization in a fixed number of steps: not only the result is interesting in itself, but also it enables to construct a family of stabilizing controllers by means of Model Predictive Control (MPC) techniques. In the last part of the paper some results on the characterization of controlled{\textendash}invariant sets are reviewed and a lower bound on the size of invariant sets is provided.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {B. Picasso and A. Bicchi} } @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 {PPBJ04, title = {Control of Distributed Embedded Systems in the Presence of Unknown{\textendash}but{\textendash}Bounded Noise}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Decision and Control}, year = {2004}, pages = {1448-1453}, abstract = {

In this paper we consider the problem of controlling multiple scalar systems through a limited capacity shared channel. Each system is affected by process noise and can be controlled byactuators with values in a {\em fixed}inite set. The control objective is to bound the evolution of the systems in specified sets (controlled invariance). Our goal is to find an optimal allocation of the shared communication resource to the different control activities and to identify correct choices for the design parameters. The paper provides fundamental conceptual tools to attack the design problem in the formal framework of an optimization problem. Namely, we give a feasibility criterion to decide whether a set of design parameters conforms with a control specification (i.e., with the controlled invariance of a specified set for each system). Moreover, we offer the explicit computation of the minimum bit rate necessary for the controlled invariance of a set, which is of utmost importance for solving the optimization problem.

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

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

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Pallottino and E. Feron and A. Bicchi} } @conference {PGB02, title = {Construction of invariant and attractive sets for quantized-input linear systems}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Decision and Control}, year = {2002}, month = {December}, pages = {824-829}, abstract = {

In this paper, the problem of the stabilization of a discrete-time linear system subject to a fixed and uniformly quantized control set is considered. It is well known that, working with quantized inputs, the states of the system (except for a negligible set of initial conditions) cannot reach asymptotically the equilibrium point. Our aim is then to find an invariant and attractive neighborhood of the equilibrium and provide with a controller which steers the system into it. We construct a continuous and increasing family of invariant sets including one which is, in a specific sense, minimal. The invariance and attractivity properties of such sets are revised in the finite control set case: we propose a family of controllers taking on a finite number of values and ensuring the system convergence to the minimal invariant set. Some consequences of our technique are underlined with particular regard to the usage of Model Predictive Control tools. In the last section an example which shows the effectiveness of our results is presented.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {B. Picasso and F. Gouaisbaut and A. Bicchi} } @book {BCP02, title = {Control Problems in Robotics}, volume = {4}, year = {2002}, publisher = {Springer Verlag}, organization = {Springer Verlag}, address = {Berlin Heidelberg}, keywords = {Robotics}, editor = {A. Bicchi and H. Christensen and D Prattichizzo} } @conference {MFBENEA02, title = {Controllo Ibrido di Veicoli su Ruote con Retroazione Visiva}, booktitle = {Proc. 1st. Natl. Conf. and Exhibit on Autonomous Intelligent Systems and Advanced Robotics}, year = {2002}, month = {October}, pages = {197-199}, address = {ENEA, Frascati}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {P. Murrieri and D. Fontanelli and A. Bicchi} } @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} } @article {PB97, title = {Consistent Specification of Manipulation Tasks for Defective Mechanical Systems}, journal = {ASME Jour. Dynam. Systems, Measurement, and Control}, volume = {119}, year = {1997}, month = {December}, pages = {767-777}, keywords = {Grasping, Robot Arms, Robot Hands}, author = {D Prattichizzo and A. Bicchi} } @inbook {PSB96, title = {Contact and Grasp Robustness Measures: Analysis and Experiments}, booktitle = {Experimental Robotics-IV}, series = {LNCIS 223}, year = {1996}, publisher = {Springer Verlag}, organization = {Springer Verlag}, address = {Berlin Heidelberg, Germany}, abstract = {

In this paper we discuss some aspects related to the practical assessment of the quality of a grasp by a robotic device on objects of unknown shape, based on sensorial feedback from tactile and force sensors on the hand. We briefly discuss the concept of contact robustness and of grasp robustness, pointing out that the former is an easily computable but overconservative sufficient condition for the latter. Some experimental results on a simple gripper, the so\–called {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}Instrumented Talon\&$\#$39;\&$\#$39;, are reported as an illustration.

}, keywords = {Grasping, Haptics, Robot Hands}, author = {D Prattichizzo and J. K. Salisbury and A. Bicchi}, editor = {O. Khatib and K. Salisbury} } @article {1751, title = {Calibration technique for Intrinsic Tactile Sensors}, year = {1995}, note = {

Italian Patent

}, address = {Italy}, keywords = {Robotics}, issn = {FI95A000108}, author = {A. Bicchi and F. Granata} } @article {CABB95, title = {Closed loop steering of unicycle like vehicles via Lyapunov techniques}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine}, volume = {2}, number = {1}, year = {1995}, month = {March}, pages = {27-35}, keywords = {Autonomous Vehicles, Nonlinear Control Systems}, author = {G. Casalino and M. Aicardi and A. Bicchi and A. Balestrino} } @article {B95, title = {On the Closure Properties of Robotic Grasping}, journal = {The Int. J. of Robotics Research}, volume = {14}, number = {4}, year = {1995}, month = {August}, pages = {319-334}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi} } @conference {CABB94-VSLT, title = {Closed loop control of unicycle-like vehicles via Lyapunov techniques}, booktitle = {Proc. Int. Workshop on Variable Structure and Lyapunov Techniques}, year = {1994}, address = {Benevento}, keywords = {Autonomous Vehicles, Nonlinear Control Systems}, author = {G. Casalino and M. Aicardi and A. Bicchi and A. Balestrino} } @conference {ACBB94, title = {Closed loop smooth steering of unicycle-like vehicles}, booktitle = {Proc. Int. Conf. Decision and Control}, year = {1994}, pages = {2455-2460}, keywords = {Autonomous Vehicles, Hybrid and Embedded Control Systems, Nonlinear Control Systems}, author = {M. Aicardi and G. Casalino and A. Balestrino and A. Bicchi} } @conference {CABB94-SYROCO, title = {Closed-Loop Steering and Path Following for Unicycle-like Vehicles: a Simple Liapunov Function Based Approach}, booktitle = {Proc. IFAC Int. Symposium on Robot Control}, year = {1994}, publisher = {Elsevier Science, Oxford, UK}, organization = {Elsevier Science, Oxford, UK}, address = {Capri}, keywords = {Autonomous Vehicles, Nonlinear Control Systems}, author = {G. Casalino and M. Aicardi and A. Bicchi and A. Balestrino} } @article {1752, title = {Contact Pointing Device for 3D Graphic Software Interfaces}, year = {1994}, address = {Italy}, issn = {PI94A000025}, author = {A. Bicchi and F. Granata} } @conference {BPP94, title = {Control of manipulation with dextrous hands}, booktitle = {Proc. IFAC Int. Symposium on Robot Control}, year = {1994}, publisher = {Elsevier Science, Oxford, UK}, organization = {Elsevier Science, Oxford, UK}, address = {Capri}, keywords = {Grasping, Haptics, Robot Hands}, author = {A. Bicchi and P. Petreschi and D Prattichizzo} } @conference {BP94, title = {Controllability of whole-arm manipulation}, booktitle = {Proc. Int. Conf. Decision and Control}, year = {1994}, pages = {373-374}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=410900}, author = {A. Bicchi and D Prattichizzo} } @article {1423, title = {COMMENTS ON THE PROPERTIES OF THE OPERATIONAL MATRICES OF INTEGRATION AND DIFFERENTIATION FOR FOURIER TRIGONOMETRIC FUNCTIONS}, journal = {IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON AUTOMATIC CONTROL}, volume = {38}, year = {1993}, pages = {667{\textendash}671}, issn = {0018-9286}, doi = {10.1109/9.250546}, url = {http://dx.medra.org/10.1109/9.250546}, author = {A. Caiti and G. Cannata} } @article {BSB93-IJRR, title = {Contact Sensing from Force and Torque Measurements}, journal = {The Int. J. of Robotics Research}, volume = {12}, number = {3}, year = {1993}, pages = {249-262}, keywords = {Haptics, Robot Hands, Sensors}, author = {A. Bicchi and J. K. Salisbury and D. L. Brock} } @article {B92, title = {A Criterion for Optimal Design of Multiaxis Force Sensors}, journal = {Journal of Robotics and Autonomous Systems}, volume = {10}, number = {4}, year = {1992}, pages = {269-286}, keywords = {Force/Torque Sensors, Robot Hands, Tactile Sensors}, author = {A. Bicchi} } @article {1763, title = {Contractile behaviour of electrically activated mechanochemical polymer actuators}, journal = {ASAIO TRANSACTIONS}, volume = {32}, year = {1986}, pages = {157{\textendash}162}, keywords = {Robotics}, issn = {0889-7190}, author = {D. De Rossi and Chiarelli, P and G. Buzzigoli and C. Domenici and L. Lazzeri} } @inbook {BDP86, title = {On the Control of a Sensorized Artificial Finger for Tactile Exploration of Objects}, booktitle = {Robot Control}, series = {IFAC Proceedings Series, vol.9}, year = {1986}, pages = {251-256}, publisher = {Pergamon Press Books}, organization = {Pergamon Press Books}, address = {Oxford, U. K.}, keywords = {Haptics, Robot Hands, Sensors}, author = {A. Bicchi and P. Dario and P. C. Pinotti}, editor = {L. Basanez and G. Ferrate and G. N. Saridis} } @conference {1880, title = {On the Control of a Sensorized Artificial Finger for Tactile Exploration of Objects}, booktitle = {IFAC Symposium on Robot Control (SYROCO85)}, year = {1985}, address = {Barcelona, Spain, 6-8 November 1985}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi and P. Dario and P. C. Pinotti} } @article {3654, title = {Combined Sensing, Cognition, Learning and Control to Developing Future Neuro-Robotics Systems: A Survey}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Cognitive and Developmental Systems ( Early Access )}, author = {J. Li and Z. Li and F. Chen and A. Bicchi and Y. Sun and T. Fukuda} }