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The ARTS Lab is the advanced robotics
technology and system of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna. It was founded
by prof. Paolo Dario in 1989 and its mission is to carry on theoretical
and experimental research on robotics and biomechanical engineering.
The evolution of the paradigm of modern Biomechatronics and Robotics
can be seen in different directions addressed and investigated at
ARTS Lab:
- increasing the performance of the hardware platform taking inspiration
from biomechanical and control solution of living systems (biomechatronic
design),
- studying human-robot interaction and developing interfacing systems
and control algorithms, for obtaining intelligent instruments for
medical and clinical applications (neurorehabilitation, neural
interfaces, and wearable robotic systems),
- developing humanoid robots with physical bodies, sensory-motor
coordination, perception-action control schemes and some cognitive
abilities (neuroscience, humanoid robotics),
- investigating hybrid bionic systems for functional augmentation
and replacement of disable and elderly people (gerontechnology,
and rehabilitation robotics).
ARTS Lab has a strong experimental focus, with particular emphasis
on design, fabrication and experimental assessment of robot prototypes,
and several robotic platforms have been developed in the framework
of national and international projects in collaboration with private
and public entities, as for example a humanoid robot with arm-hand
and head systems for experiments on learning and sensory-motor coordination,
a cybernetic prosthetic hand, some wearable devices for biomechanical
motion analysis, a robotic system for upper limb rehabilitation,
some 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. The ARTS Lab is part
of a network of partnerships with national and international research
centres involved in robotics and bioengineering, as well as in medical
and clinical fields, such as rehabilitation and neurophysiology,
and has strong partnership with some companies interested in joint
research and development and in assessing innovative products for
biomedical applications in the Laboratory facilities.
In addition to the robot prototypes developed inside, Laboratory
facilities include hardware platforms for sensors and actuators development
and characterisation, the MIT-MANUS robotic system for neurorehabilitation,
a Electronic Laboratory, a DOMOTIC house environment for testing
integrated solutions for ambient intelligence, advanced systems for
motion analysis and platforms for biomechanical simulation and modelling
of human movements.
The ARTS Lab is involved in research projects and exploitation of
research activities in collaboration with public and private national
and international institutions in order to promote innovation, to
attract venture capitalists and to stimulate the creation of spin-off
companies. Up to now, nine independent spin-off SMEs are active in
different sectors, ranging from mechatronics to virtual reality,
bioengineering, rehabilitation technologies, telematics and computer
science.
The ARTS Lab is coordinated by prof. Maria Chiara Carrozza and involves
about 50-55 people: 2 associate professors, 2 research assistants,
25 PhD students, 6 Post-Doc senior research assistants, 9 research
assistants, 2 technical assistants, and a variable number of master
students. |
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Maria Chiara Carrozza is the coordinator of the Advanced Robotic
Technology and System (ARTS) Laboratory. She is author of several
papers published in scientific international journals on different
issues related to the design, fabrication and assessment of micromechatronic
and biomechatronic systems, with specific focus on biomedical microengineering,
micro manipulation, artificial hands, and systems for functional
augmentation and substitution. She is co-author of international
patents, and she is co-founder of two spin-off companies of Scuola
Sant'Anna in the areas of microengineering and technology assessment.
She serves as Reviewer of the IEEE Transaction of Robotics
and Automation and she has been Guest Co-Editor of the Special Issue
on Rehabilitation Robotics of the international journal Autonomous
Robots. She has been appointed as Visiting Professor at the Technical
University of Vienna for a course entitled "Biomechatronics".
She serves as Director of the Research Division of Scuola Superiore
Sant’Anna and she is elected member of the Executive Board
of the Italian National Group of Bioengineering. Maria Chiara Carrozza
is Member of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology and IEEE
Robotics and Automation Societies. |
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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 SantAnna where he
is involved in research and management activities of EU, ESA, National
funded research projects. His 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) and, in addition, he is involved in
the design and integration of the NEUROExos system, that is a mechatronic
exoskeleton for the upper limb. Within the CYBERHAND Project (Development
of cybernetic hand prosthesis, IST-FET-2001-35094), he participated
in the design of the biomechatronic prosthetic hand and in the study
and experimental validation of the hand and of its sensory system.
Vecchi is Member of IEEE RAS and EMBS societies.
Within the SMARTHAND project, he contributes to the design of the biomechatronic
hand system and to the management of the WP5. |
