@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 {3700, title = {Deconfliction of Motion Paths With Traffic Inspired Rules}, journal = {IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters}, volume = {4}, year = {2019}, month = {April}, pages = {2227-2234}, keywords = {Automobiles, Autonomous Vehicles, Collision Avoidance, multi-robot systems, Navigation, Physical Human-Robot Interaction, Roads, Robots, Safety}, issn = {2377-3766}, doi = {10.1109/LRA.2019.2899932}, author = {F. Celi and L. Wang and L. Pallottino and M. Egerstedt} } @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} } @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 {3681, title = {Design and Validation of a Modular One-To-Many Actuator for a Soft Wearable Exosuit}, journal = {Frontiers in Neurorobotics}, year = {2019}, month = {06/2019}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbot.2019.00039}, url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnbot.2019.00039/full}, author = {M. Xiloyannis and E. Annese and M. Canesi and A. Kodian and A. Bicchi and S. Micera and A. Ajoudani and L. Masia} } @article {3638, title = {Dynamic Morphological Computation Through Damping Design of Soft Continuum Robots}, journal = {Frontiers in Robotics and AI}, year = {2019}, author = {A. Di Lallo and M. G. Catalano and M. Garabini and G. Grioli and M Gabiccini and A. Bicchi} } @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 {3326, title = {Decentralized Trajectory Tracking Control for Soft Robots Interacting with the Environment}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO).}, volume = {Early Access}, year = {2018}, month = {06/2018}, abstract = {

Despite the classic nature of the problem, trajectory

tracking for soft robots, i.e. robots with compliant elements

deliberately introduced in their design, still presents several

challenges. One of these is to design controllers which can

obtain sufficiently high performance while preserving the physical

characteristics intrinsic to soft robots. Indeed, classic control

schemes using high gain feedback actions fundamentally alter the

natural compliance of soft robots effectively stiffening them, thus

de facto defeating their main design purpose. As an alternative

approach, we consider here to use a low-gain feedback, while

exploiting feedforward components. In order to cope with the

complexity and uncertainty of the dynamics, we adopt a decentralized,

iteratively learned feedforward action, combined with

a locally optimal feedback control. The relative authority of the

feedback and feedforward control actions adapts with the degree

of uncertainty of the learned component. The effectiveness of the

method is experimentally verified on several robotic structures

and working conditions, including unexpected interactions with

the environment, where preservation of softness is critical for

safety and robustness.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {F. Angelini and C. Della Santina and M. Garabini and M. Bianchi and G M Gasparri and G. Grioli and M. G. Catalano and A. Bicchi} } @article {3696, title = {DeepDynamicHand: A Deep Neural Architecture for Labeling Hand Manipulation Strategies in Video Sources Exploiting Temporal Information}, journal = {Frontiers in Neurorobotics}, year = {2018}, author = {A. Visar and C. Della Santina and D. Bacciu and M. Bianchi and A. Bicchi} } @article {3679, title = {Design and proof of concept for multi degree of freedom hydrostatically coupled dielectric elastomer actuators with roto-translational kinematics for object handling}, journal = {Smart Materials and Structures}, year = {2018}, author = {A. De Acutis and L. Calabrese and A. Bau and V. Tincani and N. M. Pugno and A. Bicchi and D. De Rossi} } @conference {3382, title = {Design of an indoor autonomous robot navigation system for unknown environments}, booktitle = {International Conference on Modelling and Simulation for Autonomous Systems}, volume = {10756 LNCS Lecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in }, year = {2018}, note = {

Cited By :1

}, pages = {153-169}, doi = {10.1007/978-3-319-76072-8_11}, author = {L. Silvestri and L. Pallottino and S. Nardi} } @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 {3124, title = {Decellularized Human Liver Is Too Heterogeneous for Designing a Generic Extracellular Matrix Mimic Hepatic Scaffold.}, journal = {Artificial Organs}, year = {2017}, month = {05/2017}, abstract = {

Decellularized human livers are considered the\ perfect extracellular matrix (ECM) surrogate because both three-dimensional architecture and biological features of the hepatic microenvironment are thought to be preserved. However, donor human livers are in chronically short supply, both for transplantation or as decellularized scaffolds, and will become even scarcer as life expectancy increases. It is hence of interest to determine the structural and biochemical properties of human hepatic ECM to derive design criteria for engineering biomimetic scaffolds. The intention of this work was to obtain quantitative design specifications for fabricating scaffolds for hepatic tissue engineering using human livers as a template. To this end, hepatic samples from five patients scheduled for hepatic resection were decellularized using a protocol shown to reproducibly conserve matrix composition and microstructure in porcine livers. The decellularization outcome was evaluated through histological and quantitative image analyses to evaluate cell removal, protein, and glycosaminoglycan content per unit area. Applying the same decellularization protocol to human liver samples obtained from five different patients yielded five different outcomes. Only one liver out of five was completely decellularized, while the other four showed different levels of remaining cells and matrix. Moreover, protein and glycosaminoglycan content per unit area after decellularization were also found to be patient- (or donor-) dependent. This donor-to-donor variability of human livers thus precludes their use as templates for engineering a generic "one-size fits all" ECM-mimic hepatic scaffold.

}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {10.1111/aor.12925.}, url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28543403}, author = {G. Mattei and C. Magliaro and Pirone, A. and A. Ahluwalia} } @conference {3218, title = {Design and characterization of a novel high-compliance spring for robots with soft joints}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM)}, year = {2017}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Munich, Germany, 3-7 July 2017}, abstract = {

Low stiffness elements have a number of applications in Soft Robotics, from Series Elastic Actuators (SEA) to torque sensors for compliant systems. In its general formulation, the design problem of elastic components is complex and depends on several variables: material properties, load range, shape factor and size constraints. Consequently, most of the spring designs presented in literature are based on heuristics or are optimized for specific working conditions. This work presents the design study and characterization of a scalable spoked elastic element with hinge tip constraints. We compared the proposed design with three existing spring principles, showing that the spoked solution is the convenient option for low-stiffness and low shape factor elastic elements. Therefore, a design analysis on the main scaling parameters of the spoked spring, namely number of spokes and type of constraints, is presented. Finally, an experimental characterization has been conducted on physical prototypes. The agreement among simulations and experimental results demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed concept.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/AIM.2017.8014029}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8014029/}, author = {F. Negrello and M. G. Catalano and M. Garabini and M. Poggiani and D. G. Caldwell and N. G. Tsagarakis and A. Bicchi} } @conference {3219, title = {Design, control and validation of the variable stiffness exoskeleton FLExo}, booktitle = {International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics (ICORR)}, year = {2017}, pages = {539 - 546}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {London, UK, 17-20 July 2017}, abstract = {

In this paper we present the design of a one degree of freedom assistive platform to augment the strength of upper limbs. The core element is a variable stiffness actuator, closely reproducing the behavior of a pair of antagonistic muscles. The novelty introduced by this device is the analogy of its control parameters with those of the human muscle system, the threshold lengths. The analogy can be obtained from a proper tuning of the mechanical system parameters. Based on this, the idea is to control inputs by directly mapping the estimation of the muscle activations, e.g. via ElectroMyoGraphic(EMG) sensors, on the exoskeleton. The control policy resulting from this mapping acts in feedforward in a way to exploit the muscle-like dynamics of the mechanical device. Thanks to the particular structure of the actuator, the exoskeleton joint stiffness naturally results from that mapping. The platform as well as the novel control idea have been experimentally validated and the results show a substantial reduction of the subject muscle effort.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ICORR.2017.8009304}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8009304/}, author = {S. Mghames and M. Laghi and C. Della Santina and M. Garabini and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {3106, title = {Design of an Under-Actuated Wrist Based on Adaptive Synergies}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference of Robotics and Automation, ICRA2017}, year = {2017}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Singapore, 29 May-3 June 2017}, abstract = {

An effective robotic wrist represents a key enabling element in robotic manipulation, especially in prosthetics. In this paper, we propose an under-actuated wrist system, which is also adaptable and allows to implement different under-actuation schemes. Our approach leverages upon the idea of soft synergies - in particular the design method of adaptive synergies - as it derives from the field of robot hand design. First we introduce the design principle and its implementation and function in a configurable test bench prototype, which can be used to demonstrate the feasibility of our idea. Furthermore, we report on results from preliminary experiments with humans, aiming to identify the most probable wrist pose during the pre-grasp phase in activities of daily living. Based on these outcomes, we calibrate our wrist prototype accordingly and demonstrate its effectiveness to accomplish grasping and manipulation tasks.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ICRA.2017.7989789}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/7989789/}, author = {S. Casini and V. Tincani and G. Averta and M. Poggiani and C. Della Santina and E. Battaglia and M. G. Catalano and M. Bianchi and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {3387, title = {Design of an under-actuated wrist based on adaptive synergies}, booktitle = {Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2017 IEEE International Conference on}, year = {2017}, pages = {6679{\textendash}6686}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, abstract = {

An effective robotic wrist represents a key en- abling element in robotic manipulation, especially in prosthetics. In this paper, we propose an under-actuated wrist system, which is also adaptable and allows to implement different under- actuation schemes. Our approach leverages upon the idea of soft synergies - in particular the design method of adaptive synergies - as it derives from the field of robot hand design. First we intro- duce the design principle and its implementation and function in a configurable test bench prototype, which can be used to demonstrate the feasibility of our idea. Furthermore, we report on results from preliminary experiments with humans, aiming to identify the most probable wrist pose during the pre-grasp phase in activities of daily living. Based on these outcomes, we calibrate our wrist prototype accordingly and demonstrate its effectiveness to accomplish grasping and manipulation tasks.

}, author = {S. Casini and V. Tincani and G. Averta and M. Poggiani and C. Della Santina and E. Battaglia and M. G. Catalano and M. Bianchi and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi} } @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 {3141, title = {Distributed Task-priority Based Control in Area Coverage \& Adaptive Sampling}, booktitle = {MTS/IEEE Oceans 2017}, year = {2017}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Aberdeen, Scotland, June 2017}, abstract = {

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

}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {T. Fabbri and E. Simetti and G. Casalino and L. Pallottino and A. Caiti} } @conference {3730, title = {Data-driven human grasp movement analysis}, booktitle = {47th International Symposium on Robotics, ISR 2016}, year = {2016}, author = {H. Marino and M. Gabiccini and L. Leonardi and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2921, title = {Development of a robotic teaching interface for human to human skill transfer}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems}, year = {2016}, month = {11/2016}, pages = {710-716}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Danjeon, Korea}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2016.7759130}, url = {https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85006355804\&doi=10.1109\%2fIROS.2016.7759130\&partnerID=40\&md5=7f982e3eb493c1a6047d1dcc2acbe208}, author = {Yang, C. and P. Liang and A. Ajoudani and Z. Li and A. Bicchi} } @conference {2495, title = {Damasio{\textquoteright}s Somatic Marker for Social Robotics: Preliminary Implementation and Test}, booktitle = {Living Machines - The 4th International Conference on Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems}, year = {2015}, pages = {316-328}, publisher = {Springer}, organization = {Springer}, address = {Barcelona, Spain, 28 - 31 July 2015}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, url = {http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-22979-9_31$\#$page-1}, author = {Cominelli, L. and D. Mazzei and M. Pieroni and A. Zaraki and R. Garofalo and D. De Rossi} } @article {2510, title = {Decoupling the role of stiffness from other hydroxyapatite signalling cues in periosteal derived stem cell differentiation}, journal = {Scientific Reports}, volume = {5}, year = {2015}, pages = {10778}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/srep10778}, url = {http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/srep10778}, author = {G. Mattei and Ferretti, C. and Tirella, A and A. Ahluwalia and Mattioli-Belmonte, M.} } @article {2339, title = {Design and Characterization of a Fabric-based Softness Display}, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Haptics}, volume = {8}, 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 by the EU FP7 project (no. 601165) {\textquotedblleft}WEARable HAPtics for Humans and Robots (WEARHAP){\textquotedblright}

}, pages = {152-163}, abstract = {

To enable a realistic tactile interaction with remote or virtual objects, softness information represents a fundamental property to be rendered via haptic devices. What is challenging is to reduce the complexity of such an information as it arises from contact mechanics and to find suitable simplifications that can lead an effective development of softness displays. A possible approach is to surrogate detailed tactile cues with information on the rate of spread of the contact area between the object and the finger as the contact force increases, i.e. force/area relation. This paradigm is called contact area spread rate. In this paper we discuss how such a paradigm has inspired the design of a tactile device (hereinafter referred to as Fabric Yielding Display, FYD-2), which exploits the elasticity of a fabric to mimic different levels of stiffness, while the contact area on the finger indenting the fabric is measured. In this manner, the FYD-2 can be controlled to reproduce force-area characteristics. In this work, we describe the FYD-2 architecture and report a psychophysical characterization. FYD-2 is shown to be able to accurately reproduce force-area curves of typical objects and to enable a reliable softness discrimination in human users.

}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/TOH.2015.2404353}, author = {M. Bianchi and A. Serio} } @conference {2560, title = {Design and Realization of the CUFF - Clenching Upper-Limb Force Feedback Wearable Device for Distributed Mechano-Tactile Stimulation of Normal and Tangential Skin Forces}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference of Intelligent Robots and Systems - IROS2015}, year = {2015}, note = {

The authors want to thank Cosimo della Santina, Andrea Di Basco, Riccardo Persichini and Fabio Bonomo for their really valuable support in the development of the hardware prototype. 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 by the EU FP7 project (no. 601165) {\textquotedblleft}WEARable HAPtics for Humans and Robots (WEARHAP)

}, pages = {1186 - 1193}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Hamburg, Germany, 28 Sept - 2 Oct 2015}, abstract = {

Rendering forces to the user is one of the main goals of haptic technology. While most force-feedback interfaces are robotic manipulators, attached to a fixed frame and designed to exert forces on the users while being moved, more recent haptic research introduced two novel important ideas. On one side, cutaneous stimulation aims at rendering haptic stimuli at the level of the skin, with a distributed, rather than, concentrated approach. On the other side, wearable haptics focuses on highly portable and mobile devices, which can be carried and worn by the user as the haptic equivalent of an mp3 player. This paper presents a light and simple wearable device (CUFF) for the distributed mechano-tactile stimulation of the user{\textquoteright}s arm skin with pressure and stretch cues, related to normal and tangential forces, respectively. The working principle and the mechanical and control implementation of the CUFF device are presented. Then, after a basic functional validation, a first application of the device is shown, where it is used to render the grasping force of a robotic hand (the Pisa/IIT SoftHand). Preliminary results show that the device is capable to deliver in a reliable manner grasping force information, thus eliciting a good softness discrimination in users and enhancing the overall grasping experience.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2015.7353520}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/articleDetails.jsp?arnumber=7353520\&newsearch=true\&queryText=Design\%20and\%20Realization\%20of\%20the\%20CUFF\%20-\%20Clenching\%20Upper-Limb\%20Force\%20Feedback\%20Wearable\%20Device\%20for\%20Distributed\%20Mechano-Tactile\%20Stimulatio}, author = {S. Casini and M. Morvidoni and M. Bianchi and M. G. Catalano and G. Grioli and A. Bicchi} } @article {2498, title = {Design and Validation of an Open-Hardware Print-Head forBioprinting Application}, journal = {Procedia Engineering}, volume = {110}, year = {2015}, pages = {98-105}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {C. De Maria and L. Ferrari and F. Montemurro and G. Vozzi and I. Guerrazzi and Boland, T. and G. Vozzi} } @conference {2537, title = {Dexterity augmentation on a synergistic hand: the Pisa/IIT SoftHand+}, booktitle = {15th IEEE RAS Humanoids Conference (HUMANOIDS2015)}, year = {2015}, note = {

Softhands, SOMA

Best Interactive Paper Award

}, pages = {497 - 503}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Seoul, Korea, November 3 - 5, 2015}, abstract = {
Soft robotics and under-actuation were recently demonstrated as good approaches for the implementation of humanoid robotic hands. Nevertheless, it is often difficult to increase the number of degrees of actuation of heavily under-actuated hands without compromising their intrinsic simplicity. In this paper we analyze the Pisa/IIT SoftHand and its underlying logic of adaptive synergies, and propose a method to double its number of degree of actuation, with a very reduced impact on its mechanical complexity. This new design paradigm is based on constructive exploitation of friction phenomena.
Based on this method, a novel prototype of under-actuated robot hand with two degrees of actuation is proposed, named Pisa/IIT SoftHand+. A preliminary validation of the prototype follows, based on grasping and manipulation examples of some objects.
}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/HUMANOIDS.2015.7363595}, url = {http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=\&arnumber=7363595}, author = {C. Della Santina and G. Grioli and M. G. Catalano and Brando, A. and A. Bicchi} } @article {2473, title = {Distributed motion misbehavior detection in teams of heterogeneous aerial robots}, journal = {Robotics and Autonomous Systems information}, volume = {74 part A}, year = {2015}, month = {12/2015}, pages = {30-39}, abstract = {

This paper addresses the problem of detecting possible misbehavior in a group of autonomous mobile robots, which coexist in a shared environment and interact with each other and coordinate according to a set of common\ interaction rules. Such rules specify what actions each robot is allowed to perform in order to interact with the other members of the group. The rules are distributed, i.e., they can be evaluated only starting from the knowledge of the individual robot and the information the robot gathers from neighboring robots. We consider\ misbehaving\ those robots which, because of either spontaneous failures or malicious tampering, do not follow the rules and whose behavior thus deviates from the nominal assigned one. The main contribution of the paper is to provide a methodology to detect such misbehavior by observing the congruence of actual behavior with the assigned rules as applied to the actual state of the system. The presented methodology is based on a consensus protocol on the events observed by robots. The methodology is fully distributed in the sense that it can be performed by individual robots based only on the local available information, it has been theoretically proven and validated with experiments involving real aerial heterogeneous robots.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, doi = {10.1016/j.robot.2015.06.008}, url = {http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921889015001360}, author = {S. Martini and D. Di Baccio and F. Alarc{\`o}n-Romero and A. Viguria-Jim{\'e}nez and L. Pallottino and G. Dini and A. Ollero} } @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} } @conference {1997, title = {Decoding 2D kinematics of human arm for body machine interfaces}, booktitle = {Proceedings of the 2013 IEEE 8th Conference on Industrial Electronics and Applications, ICIEA 2013}, year = {2014}, pages = {719{\textendash}722}, doi = {10.1109/ICIEA.2013.6566461}, url = {http://dx.medra.org/10.1109/ICIEA.2013.6566461}, author = {Gulrez, T and Kavakli-Thorne, M. and A. Tognetti} } @conference {2082, title = {Design and preliminary affective characterization of a novel fabric-based tactile display}, booktitle = {Haptics Symposium (HAPTICS), 2014 IEEE}, year = {2014}, pages = { 591 - 596}, address = {Houston, TX}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/HAPTICS.2014.6775522}, author = {M. Bianchi and G. Valenza and A. Serio and A Lanata and L. Greco and M. Nardelli and E. P. Scilingo and A. Bicchi} } @article {2276, title = {Design Criteria for Generating Physiologically Relevant In Vitro Models in Bioreactors}, journal = {Processes}, volume = {2}, year = {2014}, pages = {548{\textendash}569}, abstract = {

In this paper, we discuss the basic design requirements for the development of physiologically meaningful in vitro systems comprising cells, scaffolds and bioreactors, through a bottom up approach. Very simple micro- and milli-fluidic geometries are first used to illustrate the concepts, followed by a real device case-study. At each step, the fluidic and mass transport parameters in biological tissue design are considered, starting from basic questions such as the minimum number of cells and cell density required to represent a physiological system and the conditions necessary to ensure an adequate nutrient supply to tissues. At the next level, we consider the use of three-dimensional scaffolds, which are employed both for regenerative medicine applications and for the study of cells in environments which better recapitulate the physiological milieu. Here, the driving need is the rate of oxygen supply which must be maintained at an appropriate level to ensure cell viability throughout the thickness of a scaffold. Scaffold and bioreactor design are both critical in defining the oxygen profile in a cell construct and are considered together. We also discuss the oxygen-shear stress trade-off by considering the levels of mechanical stress required for hepatocytes, which are the limiting cell type in a multi-organ model. Similar considerations are also made for glucose consumption in cell constructs. Finally, the allometric approach for generating multi-tissue systemic models using bioreactors is described.

}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {2227-9717}, doi = {10.3390/pr2030548}, url = {http://www.mdpi.com/2227-9717/2/3/548/}, author = {G. Mattei and S. Giusti and A. Ahluwalia} } @article {2184, title = {Designing and Evaluating a Social Gaze-Control System for a Humanoid Robot }, journal = {IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems }, volume = {44}, year = {2014}, pages = {157-168}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Zaraki and D. Mazzei and Giuliani, M. and D. De Rossi} } @article {2189, title = { Development and Testing of a Multimodal Acquisition Platform for Human-Robot Interaction Affective Studies}, journal = {Journal of Human robot Interaction }, volume = {3}, year = {2014}, pages = {1-24}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = { http://dx.doi.org/10.5898/JHRI.3.2.Lazzeri}, url = {http://humanrobotinteraction.org/journal/index.php/HRI/article/view/142/pdf_3}, author = {Lazzeri, N. and D. Mazzei and D. De Rossi} } @article {2203, title = {Development of a novel Micro-Ablation System to realise micrometric and well-defined hydrogel structures for Tissue Engineering applications}, journal = {Rapid Prototyping Journal}, volume = {20}, year = {2014}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {C. De Maria and Grassi, L. and Vozzi, F. and A. Ahluwalia and G. Vozzi and Campbell, R. I.} } @conference {2113, title = {Drum Stroke Variation Using Variable Stiffness Actuators}, booktitle = {IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2014)}, year = {2014}, pages = {3892 - 3897 }, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, address = {Chicago, IL, USA}, abstract = {

One interesting field of robotics technology is related to the entertainment industry. Performing a musical piece using a robot is a difficult task because music presents many features like melody, rhythm, tone, harmony and so on. Addressing these tasks with a robot is not trivial to implement. Most of approaches which related to this specific field lacks of quality to perform in front of human audience. Implementation of human-like motions can not be properly achieved with a conventional robot actuator. Consequently, we exploit a new type of actuator which simplifies the drawbacks of a conventional one. We used Variable Stiffness Actuator(VSA) instead of using conventional actuator. We can control position, force, and stiffness, simultaneously by using VSA. The most important novel feature is its controllable stiffness. When the stiffness of the actuator is changed, the characteristics of the actuator{\textquoteright}s response also changes. We implemented the specific stroke which is called {\textquotedblleft}double stroke{\textquotedblright} using one of variable stiffness actuator. Although the double stroke is known as a special stroke which could be performed by human only, double stroke is successfully implemented by stiffness variation.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2014.6943109}, author = {Y. Kim and M. Garabini and J. Park and A. Bicchi} } @inbook {1787, title = {Da scaffold a tessuti: progettazione, realizzazione e caratterizzazione di architetture 3D per la medicina rigenerativa }, booktitle = {Approccio Integrato per la medicina rigenerativa - book of XXXII School of Bioengineering}, year = {2013}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {Tirella, A and C. De Maria and G. Vozzi and A. Ahluwalia} } @conference {1941, title = {A data-driven kinematic model of the human hand with soft-tissue artifact compensation mechanism for grasp synergy analysis}, booktitle = {IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)}, year = {2013}, pages = {3738 - 3745}, address = {Tokyo, Japan}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2013.6696890 }, author = {M Gabiccini and G. Stillfried and H. Marino and M. Bianchi} } @article {2256, title = {Design of a quadrature surface coil for hyperpolarized 13C MRS cardiac metabolism studies in pigs}, journal = {CONCEPTS IN MAGNETIC RESONANCE PART B-MAGNETIC RESONANCE ENGINEERING}, volume = {43b}, year = {2013}, pages = {69 - 77}, doi = {10.1002/cmr.b.21235}, author = {G. Giovannetti and Frijia, F. and V. Hartwig and Attanasio, S. and Menichetti, L. and N. Vanello and V. Positano and Ardenkjaer-Larsen, J. H. and Lionetti, V. and Aquaro, G. D. and De Marchi, D. and Schulte, R. and Wiesinger, F. and L. Landini and Lombardi, M. and M. F. Santarelli} } @conference {1705, title = {A Device for Mimicking the Contact Force/Contact Area Relationship of Different Materials with Applications to Softness Rendering}, booktitle = {IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, IROS 2013}, year = {2013}, month = {November 3-7}, pages = {4484 - 4490 }, address = {Tokyo, Japan}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/IROS.2013.6697001 }, author = {A. Serio and M. Bianchi and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1702, title = {Distributed Multi{\textendash}level Motion Planning for Autonomous Vehicles in Large Scale Industrial Environments}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technologies \& Factory Automation (ETFA)}, year = {2013}, month = {09/2013}, pages = {1-8}, abstract = {

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

}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ETFA.2013.6647973 }, author = {L. Cancemi and A. Fagiolini and L. Pallottino} } @conference {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} } @conference {GDBO12, title = {Design and Control of an Air-Jet Lump Display}, booktitle = {Haptics Symposium}, year = {2012}, month = {March 4 - 7}, pages = {45 - 49}, address = {Vancouver, Canada}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {J.C Gwilliam and A. Degirmenci and M. Bianchi and A.M. Okamura} } @conference {1498, title = {Design, characterization and modeling of microfabricated Soft-MI for ophthalmologic applications.}, booktitle = {Congresso Nazionale di Bioingegneria 2012 Atti}, year = {2012}, pages = {204 - 205}, address = {Roma, Italy}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {La Vecchia, C and G. Vozzi} } @article {1469, title = {Dominant Lyapunov exponent and approximate entropy in heart rate variability during emotional visual elicitation}, journal = {Frontiers in Neuroengineering}, volume = {5}, year = {2012}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {G. Valenza and Allegrini, P. and A Lanata and E. P. Scilingo} } @article {2248, title = {Dominant Lyapunov Exponent and Approximate Entropy in Heart Rate Variability during Emotional Visual Elicitation}, journal = {Frontiers in Neuroengineering}, year = {2012} } @article {1477, title = {Daytime naps improve motor imagery learning}, journal = {Cognitive, Affective, \& Behavioral Neuroscience}, year = {2011}, pages = {1{\textendash}10}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {Debarnot, U. and Castellani, E. and G. Valenza and Sebastiani, L. and Guillot, A.} } @conference {MFP11, title = {Decentralized Coordination System for Multiple AGVs in a Structured Environment}, booktitle = {2011 Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control}, year = {2011}, month = {Aug 28 - Sept 1}, pages = {6005 - 6010}, address = {Milano, italy}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {S. Manca and A. Fagiolini and L. Pallottino} } @conference {MFZB11, title = {Decentralized Species Classification in Societies of Autonomous and Heterogenous Robots}, booktitle = {2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2011}, month = {May 9 - 13}, pages = {32 - 39}, address = {Shangai, China}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {S. Martini and A. Fagiolini and G. Zichittella and M. Egerstedt and A. Bicchi} } @conference {SGSTB11, title = {A decoupled Impedance observer for a Variable Stiffness Robot}, booktitle = {2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2011}, month = {May 9 - 13}, pages = {5548 - 5553}, address = {Shangai, China}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Serio and G. Grioli and I. Sardellitti and N G Tsagarakis and A. Bicchi} } @article {GFB11, title = {Design and Stability Analysis for Anytime Control via Stochastic Scheduling}, journal = {IEEE Trans. on Automat. Contr.}, volume = {56}, number = {3}, year = {2011}, pages = {571 - 585}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Greco and D. Fontanelli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1272, title = {Development and evaluation of a social robot platform for therapy in autism}, booktitle = {Proc. Annual Int Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society,EMBC Conf. of the IEEE}, year = {2011}, pages = {4515{\textendash}4518}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {10.1109/IEMBS.2011.6091119}, author = {D. Mazzei and Lazzeri, N. and Billeci, L. and Igliozzi, R. and A Mancini and A. Ahluwalia and Muratori, F. and D. De Rossi} } @article {1279, title = {Dispositivo per tomografia ad impedenza elettrica}, year = {2011}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {PI2011A000124}, author = {Baldi, G. and D. Mazzei and Gervasi, V.} } @conference {GBB11, title = {Dynamic Optimization of Tendon Tensions in Biomorphically Designed Hands with Rolling Constraints}, booktitle = {2011 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2011}, month = {May 9 - 13}, pages = {2698 - 2704}, address = {Shangai, China}, keywords = {Haptics, Robotics}, author = {M Gabiccini and M. Branchetti and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1864, title = {DCL: a real time portable distributed control telelaboratory}, booktitle = {IEEE Mediterranean Conference on Automation and Control}, year = {2010}, month = {Jun}, pages = {{\textendash}}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Balestrino and A. Caiti and V. Calabr{\`o} and E. Crisostomi} } @conference {FBCABB-ICRA10, title = {Design and Control of a Novel 3D Casting Manipulator}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA2010)}, year = {2010}, month = {May 3 - 8}, pages = {4169 - 4174}, address = {Anchorage, Alaska}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and F. A. W. Belo and M. G. Catalano and S. Alicino and F. Bonomo and A. Bicchi} } @conference {CSB-ICRA10, title = {Design for Variable Stiffness Actuation based on Enumeration and Analysis of Performance}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA2010)}, year = {2010}, month = {May 3 - 8}, pages = {3285 - 3291}, address = {Anchorage, Alaska}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {M. G. Catalano and R. Schiavi and A. Bicchi} } @article {QFGPB10, title = {Design of Embedded Controllers Based on Anytime Computing}, journal = {IEEE Trans. Industrial Infor.}, volume = {6}, number = {4}, year = {2010}, pages = {492 - 502}, abstract = {

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

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Quagli and D. Fontanelli and L. Greco and L. Palopoli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {1863, title = {Designing behaviours to improve observability for relative localization of AUVs}, booktitle = {IEEE Conf. on Robotics and Automation, ICRA 2010}, year = {2010}, month = {May}, pages = {{\textendash}}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/ROBOT.2010.5509292}, url = {http://dx.medra.org/10.1109/ROBOT.2010.5509292}, author = {G. ANTONELLI and A. Caiti and V. Calabr{\`o} and S. CHIAVERINI} } @conference {PCBB10, title = {Distributed Estimation and Detection under Local Information}, booktitle = {IFAC Workshop on Distributed Estimation and Control in Networked Systems}, year = {2010}, month = {Sept 13-14}, pages = {263-268}, address = {Annecy, France}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {F. Pasqualetti and R. Carli and A. Bicchi and F. Bullo} } @conference {QFGPB-ETFA09, title = {Designing Real-Time Embedded Controllers using the Anytime Computing Paradigm}, booktitle = {IEEE International Conference on Emerging Technology and Factory Automation}, year = {2009}, month = {September, 12 - }, pages = {1 - 8}, address = {Palma de Mallorca, Spain}, abstract = {

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

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

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

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and S. Martini and N. Dubbini and A. Bicchi} } @conference {FBB-ICRA09, title = {Dynamic Distributed Intrusion Detection for Secure Multi-Robot Systems}, booktitle = {Int. Conference of Robotics and Automation}, year = {2009}, month = {May, 12 - 17}, pages = {2723 - 2728}, address = {Kobe, Japan}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and F. Babboni and A. Bicchi} } @conference {FTBD08, title = {Decentralized Deployment of Mobile Sensors for Optimal Connected Sensing Coverage}, booktitle = {Distributed Computing in Sensor Systems}, series = {Lecture Notes in Computer Science}, volume = {5067/2008}, year = {2008}, pages = {486 - 491}, publisher = {Springer Berlin / Heidelberg}, organization = {Springer Berlin / Heidelberg}, abstract = {

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

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69170-9_34}, author = {A. Fagiolini and L. Tani and A. Bicchi and G. Dini} } @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} } @conference {CB-CDC08, title = {Delay compensation in packet-switching networked controlled systems}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Decision and Control}, year = {2008}, pages = {3620 - 3625}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Chaillet and A. Bicchi} } @conference {GGP08, title = {Deployment of sensors in a network-like environment}, booktitle = {Proc. 47th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control}, year = {2008}, month = {December}, pages = {4257{\textendash}4262}, address = {Cancun, Mexico}, keywords = {Robotics}, doi = {10.1109/CDC.2008.4738862}, author = {L. Greco and M. Gaeta and B. Piccoli} } @article {PSFB06-TRO, title = {Decentralized cooperative policy for conflict resolution in multi-vehicle systems}, journal = {IEEE Trans. on Robotics}, volume = {23}, number = {6}, year = {2007}, pages = {1170-1183}, abstract = {

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

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

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

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

Poster Presentation

}, month = {April}, abstract = {

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

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Fagiolini and L. Pallottino and G. Dini} } @conference {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.} } @conference {1269, title = {Development of a high-throughput bioreactor system for biomedical applications}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Symp. Industrial Electronics ISIE 2007}, year = {2007}, pages = {2788{\textendash}2792}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, doi = {10.1109/ISIE.2007.4375051}, author = {D. Mazzei and G. Vozzi and A. Ahluwalia and Cisternino, A.} } @conference {PBB07, title = {Distributed intrusion detection for secure consensus computations}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Decision and Control}, year = {2007}, month = {December}, pages = {5594-5599}, abstract = {

This paper focuses on trustworthy computation systems and proposes a novel intrusion detection scheme for averaging networks with misbehaving nodes. This prototypical control problem is relevant in network security applications. The objective is for each node to detect and isolate the misbehaving nodes using only the information flow adopted by standard averaging protocols. We focus on the single misbehaving node problem. Our technical approach is based on the theory of Unknown Input Observability. First, we give necessary and sufficient conditions for the misbehavior to be observable and for the identity of the faulty node to be detectable. Second, we design a distributed unknown input estimator, and we characterize its convergence rate in the

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {F. Pasqualetti and A. Bicchi and F. Bullo} } @conference {PB06, title = {A Dynamic Programming Approach to Optimal Planning for Vehicles with Trailers}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2007}, pages = {3098 - 3103}, abstract = {

In this paper we deal with the optimal feedback synthesis problem for robotic vehicles with trailers which can be modeled by differential equations in chained-form. With respect to classical methods for numerical evolution of optimal feedback synthesis via Dynamic Programming which are based on both input and state discretization, our method exploits the lattice structure naturally imposed on the reachable set by input quantization. A generalized Dijkstra algorithm can be used to obtain optimal feedback control laws, for chained-form vehicles with n-trailers, in an effective way.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Pallottino and A. Bicchi} } @conference {PSFB-MTNS06, title = {Decentralized and scalable conflict resolution strategy for multi-agents systems}, booktitle = {Int. Symp. on Mathematical Theory of Networks and Systems}, year = {2006}, abstract = {

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

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Pallottino and V. G. Scordio and E. Frazzoli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {CACSD06, title = {On the Design and Control of Wireless Networked Embedded Systems}, booktitle = {Int. Conf. on Computer Aided Control System Design - CACSD{\textquoteright}06}, year = {2006}, pages = {440-445}, publisher = {IEEE}, organization = {IEEE}, abstract = {

Wireless networked embedded systems are becoming increasingly important in a wide area of technical fields. In this tutorial paper we present recent results on design and control of these systems developed within the project Reconfigurable Ubiquitous Networked Embedded Systems (RUNES), which is an European Integrated Project with the aim to control complexity in networked embedded systems by developing robust and scalable middleware systems. New components for control under varying network conditions are discussed for the RUNES architecture. The complexity of the closed-loop system is increased due to the coupling with the disturbances introduced by the communication system. The network may introduce additional delays, jitter, data rate limitations, packet losses etc. Experimental work on integration test beds that demonstrates these results is shown together with motivating links to the RUNES disaster relief tunnel scenario.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {K -E Arz{\'e}n and A. Bicchi and S. Hailes and K. H. Johansson and J. Lygeros} } @conference {PSFB05, title = {Decentralized Cooperative Conflict Resolution for Multiple Nonholonomic Vehicles}, booktitle = {Proc. AIAA COnf. on Guidance, Navigation and Control}, year = {2005}, abstract = {

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

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Pallottino and V. G. Scordio and E. Frazzoli and A. Bicchi} } @conference {TSB05, title = {Design and Control of a Variable Stiffness Actuator for Safe and Fast Physical Human/Robot Interaction}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {2005}, pages = {528-533}, abstract = {

This paper is concerned with the design and control of actuators for machines and robots physically interacting with humans. According to criteria established in our previous work on mechanical-control co-design for intrinsically safe, yet performant machines, we pursue the Variable Impedance Actuation (VIA) approach, purporting actuators that can control in real-time both the reference position and the mechanical impedance of the moving parts in the machine. In this paper we describe an implementation of such concepts, consisting of a novel electromechanical Variable Stiffness Actuation (VSA) motor. The design and the functioning principle of the VSA are reported, along with the analysis of its dynamic behavior. A novel scheme for feedback control of this device is presented, along with experimental results showing performance and safety of a one-link arm actuated by the VSA motor.

}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {G. Tonietti and R. Schiavi and A. Bicchi} } @conference {DSSB-WH05, title = {Does Active Exploration Suppress Tactile Flow Perception?}, booktitle = {Proc. First World Haptics Conference}, year = {2005}, pages = {660-661}, abstract = {

In this paper we report on results of a set of tests in which a group of subjects were asked to trace a straight line with the forefinger while actively scanning over a textured surface. A pattern of bumped dots, randomly distributed, and a diagonal striped pattern were used in order to investigate the occurrence of misleading perceptions based on the aperture problem of tactile flow during an active exploration. Obtained results are compared with findings achieved from a previous experiment based on passive exploration.

}, keywords = {Haptics}, author = {D. Dente and E. P. Scilingo and N. Sgambelluri and A. Bicchi} } @conference {PSB04, title = {Decentralized Cooperative Conflict Resolution Among Multiple Autonomous Mobile Agents}, booktitle = {cdc}, year = {2004}, pages = {4758-4763}, abstract = {

In this paper we consider policies for cooperative, decentralized traffic management among a number of autonomous mobile agents. The conflict resolution problem is addressed considering realistic restrictions on possible maneuvers. We formulate this problem as one in Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP). The method, which proves successful in a centralized implementation with a large number of cooperating agents, is also extended to a decentralized setting. Conditions for the existence of conflict avoidance maneuvers for a system of 5 autonomous agents with a transitive information structure are provided, along with the explicit policy to be applied by each agent.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {L. Pallottino and V. G. Scordio 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 {CPTSLDGGBVG-04, title = {Development of a Wearable System Based on Smart Textiles and GPRS Transmission for Remote Multiparametric Monitoring of Cardiac Patients: Preliminary Results of the WEALTHY Project}, booktitle = {THE 5th International Heart Health Conference}, year = {2004}, month = {June}, address = {Milan, Italy}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, author = {S. Coli and R. Paradiso and N. Taccini and E. P. Scilingo and G. Loriga and D. De Rossi and A. Gemignani and B. Ghelarducci and L. Bourdon and A. Ditmar and T. Vavouras and B. Gros and J. Luprano and M. Jaenecke and C. Coucke and G. Delhomme and D. Cianflone} } @conference {BMP04, title = {Discrete and Hybrid Nonholonomy}, booktitle = {Hybrid Systems: Computation and Control}, series = {LNCS}, volume = {2993}, number = {157{\textendash}172}, year = {2004}, pages = {157-172}, publisher = {Springer-Verlag}, organization = {Springer-Verlag}, abstract = {

In this paper we consider the generalization of the classical notion of nonholonomy of smooth constraints in analytical mechanics, to a substantially wider set of systems, allowing for discrete and hybrid (mixed continuous and discrete) configurations and transitions. We show that the general notion of nonholonomy can be captured by the definition of two different types of nonholonomicbehaviours, which we call {\em internal}nd {\em external}, respectively. Examples are reported of systems exhibiting either the former only, or the latter only, or both. For some classes of systems, we provide equivalent or sufficient characterizations of such definitions, which allow for practical tests.

}, keywords = {Embedded Control, Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi and A. Marigo and B. Piccoli}, editor = {R. Alur and G. Pappas} } @conference {TB02-IARP, title = {Design, Realization and Control of Soft Robot Arms for Intrinsically Safe Interaction with Humans}, booktitle = {Proc. IARP/RAS Workshop on Technical Challenges for Dependable Robots in Human Environments}, year = {2002}, month = {October}, pages = {79-87}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi and G. Tonietti} } @article {BM02, title = {Dexterous Grippers: Putting Nonholonomy to Work for Fine Manipulation}, journal = {Int. Jour. of Robotics Research}, volume = {21}, number = {5-6}, year = {2002}, note = {

Special Issue on Nonholonomy on Purpose, H. Arai, A. Bicchi, eds.

}, month = {May-June}, pages = {427-442}, keywords = {Robotics}, author = {A. Bicchi and A. Marigo} } @article {BB99, title = {Decentralized Variable Structure Tracking for Systems with Time-Domain Dominance}, journal = {International Journal of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science}, volume = {9}, number = {2}, year = {1999}, pages = {265-291}, keywords = {Hybrid and Embedded Control Systems, Nonlinear Control Systems}, author = {A. Balluchi and A. Bicchi} } @conference {BMP99, title = {Dexterity through rolling: Manipulation of unknown objects}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {1999}, pages = {1583-1568}, keywords = {Nonlinear Control Systems, Robot Hands}, author = {A. Bicchi and A. Marigo and D Prattichizzo} } @conference {BMPPPTS98, title = {Decentralized Air Traffic Management Systems: Performance and Fault Tolerance}, booktitle = {Proc. IFAC Workshop on Motion Control}, year = {1998}, keywords = {Air Traffic Management Systems, Autonomous Vehicles, Hybrid and Embedded Control Systems, Nonlinear Control Systems}, author = {A. Bicchi and A. Marigo and G. Pappas and M. Pardini and G. Parlangeli and C. Tomlin and S. Sastry} } @article {PB98, title = {Dynamic Analysis of Mobility and Graspability of General Manipulation Systems}, journal = {IEEE Trans. on Robotics and Automation}, volume = {14}, number = {2}, year = {1998}, pages = {241-258}, keywords = {Grasping, Robot Arms, Robot Hands}, author = {D Prattichizzo and A. Bicchi} } @conference {PMBV97-SYROCO, title = {On the Decoupling and Output Functional Controllability of Robotic Manipulation}, booktitle = {Proc. IFAC Int. Symp. on Robot Control}, year = {1997}, keywords = {Grasping, Robot Arms, Robot Hands}, author = {D Prattichizzo and P. Mercorelli and A. Bicchi and A. Vicino} } @conference {BCP97-ICAR, title = {Dynamic force/torque sensors: theory and experiments }, booktitle = {Proc. Int. Conference on Advanced Robotics}, year = {1997}, pages = {727-732}, address = {Monterey, CA, USA}, abstract = {

Although present-day force/torque (F/T) sensors are mostly designed and used as if they were quasi-static devices, if significant compliance and/or stringent requirements on measurements bandwidth are in order, a dynamic analysis of such sensors is necessary. In this paper we consider the optimal (in a worst-case sense) design of F/T sensors, based on distributed-parameter models of its compliance, and algorithms that can be used to obtain F/T measurements in real time with high bandwidth. Theoretical expectations are confirmed by experimental results

}, keywords = {Sensors}, author = {A. Bicchi and A. Caiti and D Prattichizzo} } @conference {BCMP96, title = {Dexterity through Rolling: Towards Manipulation of Unknown Objects}, booktitle = {Proc. Third Int. Symp. on Methods and Models for Automation and Robotics}, year = {1996}, address = {Miedzyzdroje, Poland}, keywords = {Nonlinear Control Systems, Robot Hands}, author = {A. Bicchi and Y. Chitour and A. Marigo and D Prattichizzo} } @conference {BS95, title = {Dexterous Manipulation Through Rolling}, booktitle = {Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Automation}, year = {1995}, pages = {452-457}, keywords = {Nonlinear Control Systems, Robot Hands}, author = {A. Bicchi and R. Sorrentino} } @conference {BBB94-CDC, title = {A Diagonal Dominance Condition for Robust Decentralized Variable Structure Control}, booktitle = {Proc. Conf. on Decision and Control}, year = {1994}, pages = {2324-2329}, keywords = {Hybrid and Embedded Control Systems, Nonlinear Control Systems}, author = {A. Bicchi and A. Balluchi and A. Balestrino} } @article {1773, title = {Determination of mechanical parameters related to the kinetics of swelling in an electrically activated contractile gel}, journal = {PROGRESS IN COLLOID \& POLYMER SCIENCE}, volume = {78}, year = {1988}, pages = {4{\textendash}8}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0340-255X}, author = {Chiarelli, P and D. De Rossi} } @article {1764, title = {Design criteria for ferroelectric polymer sensors and their applications to artificial organ technology}, journal = {ASAIO TRANSACTIONS}, volume = {32}, year = {1986}, pages = {697{\textendash}701}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0889-7190}, author = {D. De Rossi} } @article {1728, title = {Dispositivo a cristalli liquidi per la realizzazione di maschere ad oscuramento pilotato nella saldatura elettrica}, journal = {RIVISTA ITALIANA DELLA SALDATURA}, volume = {6}, year = {1978}, pages = {359{\textendash}366}, keywords = {Bioengineering}, issn = {0035-6794}, author = {R. Bedini and D. De Rossi} }