SSSA - Evryon Project

Description of partecipating institution
The Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (SSSA) is a public institution for university education (www.sssup.it). The SSSA will participate in the project with two different laboratories: the ARTS Lab and the RETIS Lab. The mission of the Advanced Robotics Technology and Systems (ARTS Lab) is to address research in the field of Biorobotics and Biomechatronics with a strong interdisciplinary approach, integrating different knowledge backgrounds to study theoretical and technological problems related to the development of advanced robotic systems. The research areas investigated at ARTS Lab are: Rehabilitation Robotics, Assistive Robotics, Bio-inspired Robotics, Bionics, Humanoid Robotics, Human Machine Interfaces, and Gerontechnology (www.arts.sssup.it).

Main tasks
SSSA is the leader of WP6 (Sensory fusion and adaptive control). In particular, SSSA will lead the research group that will design, develop, test and integrate the sensory system that will be used to monitor the internal state of the exoskeleton and to monitor the state on the human-machine interface. In addition, SSSA will lead WP8 (Dissemination and exploitation) and contribute to other RTD WPs.

Expertise
The research SSSA – ARTS team is composed of 3 professors, 2 assistant professors, 6 Post-Doc fellows, 26 PhD students, 14 Research assistants. The ARTS Lab has a strong experimental focus, with particular emphasis on design, fabrication and experimental assessment of robot prototypes. Several robotic platforms have been developed in the framework of national and international projects in collaboration with private and public entities, as for example humanoid robots, platforms for experiments on learning and sensory-motor coordination, cybernetic and prosthetic hands, wearable devices for biomechanical motion analysis, robotic systems for functional support rehabilitation of human limbs, humanoid robotic hands (that are currently integrated on humanoid platforms in Italy and Japan) and innovative systems for personal assistance of disable and elderly people. Current or immediate past projects include role as coordinator of NEUROBOTICS Project (FP6-IST-FET-IP-2003-001917), of the CYBERHAND Project (FP5-IST-FET-2001-35094), and participation in the ROBOTCUB Project (FP6-IST-2004-004370).

Key personnel

Maria Chiara CARROZZA is Full Professor of Biomedical Robotics and Director of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. She teaches Biomechatronics and Rehabilitation Engineering to Master students of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Pisa. Prof. Carrozza has been visiting professor at the Technical University of Wien, Austria with a graduate course entitled Biomechatronics, and she is involved in the scientific management of the Italy-Japan joint laboratory for Humanoid Robotics ROBOCASA, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan where she is responsible for artificial hand design. She is active in several national and international projects in the fields of biomechatronics and biomedical robotics. Her research interests comprise biomedical robotics (cybernetic and robotic artificial hands, upper limb exoskeletons), rehabilitation engineering (neurorehabilitation, domotic, and robotic aids for functional support and personal assistance), and biomedical microengineering (microsensors, tactile sensors). The Arts Lab team coordinated by Prof. Carrozza has designed and developed the CYBERHAND artificial hand (http://www.cyberhand.org) and is currently responsible for the design of an Exoskeleton for functional support and enhancement of the upper limb, in the framework of the NEUROBOTICS project.

Nicola VITIELLO received his M.S. degree in biomedical engineering (cum laude) from University of Pisa, in July 2006. He is currently Ph.D. student in biorobotics at Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa. He conducts his research activities at the Advanced Robotic Technology and System (ARTS) Laboratory of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna. His current research interests include the development of control algorithms for biorobotics platforms for investigating neuroscience issues. In 2006 he participated at the IX ESA Student Parabolic Flight Campaign as team member. In 2008 he participated at the first ESA Lunar Robotics Challenge, as Ph.D. student member of the team of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna.

Tommaso LENZI was born in Prato, Italy, in 1983. He received the Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering, with honors, in 2005 from the University of Pisa, Italy with a work on design and implementation of novel bio-reactors for tissue engineering. He received his Master of Science in Biomedical Engineering, with honors, in 2008 from University of Pisa, discussing a thesis concerning the development of a robotic model of the human arm for neuroscience investigation. Starting from 2008 he is with ARTS lab of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna where he is currently working as a PhD student in Innovative Technologies, biorobotics curriculum. His main research activities are in the field of neuro-robotics, with particular interest in wearable robotics for rehabilitation and assistive purposes.

Stefano DE ROSSI received his BSc in Computer Engineering (with honors) and his MSc in Control Engineering (with honors) jointly from the University of Pisa and from Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in 2007 and 2009, respectively. He is currently a PhD candidate in Biorobotics at the Advanced Robotics and Technology Systems Laboratory, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. His research interests include wearable robotics, robotics for rehabilitation, intention detection algorithms as well as optimal control and filtering theory.

Fabrizio VECCHI received the University Degree (Laurea) in electrical engineering from the University of Pisa, Italy, in 1999 and the Ph.D. in Robotics from the University of Genova in 2003. He is Post-Doc research scientist at the Advanced Robotic Technology and System (ARTS) Laboratory of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. His current research interests are in the fields of biomechatronics, rehabilitation engineering and neuro-robotics, and in particular in the design and development of human-machine interfaces, of biomechatronic prosthetic and robotic hands, and of passive and active orthoses. Since 2004 he is the Project Manager of the NEUROBOTICS Integrated Project (Fusion of Neuroscience and Robotics, IST-FET-2003-001917). Since 2008 he is also the Project Manager of the ARAKNES Project. He is member of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society and of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society.

Francesco GIOVACCHINI was born in Pisa, Italy, in 1980. He received the Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 2003, form the University of Pisa and his Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 2006 from the University of Pisa . Since January 2007 he has worked at the Advanced Robotic Technology and System (ARTS) Laboratory of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. His research interests are in the field of biomechatronics with particular interests in robotic platforms and wearable devices for rehabilitation (i.e. exoskeleton for the hand and for the upper limb).

Alessandro PERSICHETTI was born in 1978 in Perugia. He received the University Degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Perugia in January 2004. He is PhD in Robotics and works in the Advanced Robotic Technology and System (ARTS) Laboratory of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna where he is involved in several projects. His research interests are in the fields of tactile sensors and artificial sensing skin, biomechatronics and human-machine interfaces. In December 2008 he received the diploma for the Executive Master in Management of Innovation and Services at SIAF (Volterra, Pisa).

Stefano ROCCELLA Stefano Roccella received his Laurea Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Pisa. In 1999 he joined the Advanced Robotic Technology and System (ARTS) Laboratory of the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa as a Research Assistant. In March 2003, he started his Ph.D. in Robotics at University of Genova. Currently, he is an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Robotics at Scuola Sant’Anna, where he is member of the ARTS Lab. His research interests are in the fields of biomedical robotics, rehabilitation engineering, biomechatronics, and MEMS design and development.