[CompNeuro] Th, 16.2., 11:00 - Calogero Oddo: Touch science and engineering

[Matej Hoffmann]

Dear colleagues,

let me invite you to the event:

Thu 16.02.2023 11:00 at G205, Karlovo náměstí 13, Praha 2
Calogero Maria Oddo, Associate Professor of Bioengineering at Scuola Superiore Sant?Anna (SSSA), Pisa and Neuro-Robotic Touch Laboratory, BioRobotics Institute
Title: Touch science and engineering

Abstract:
Full title: Touch science and engineering: from biomedical applications and tactile restoration with neuromorphic information encoding to sensory enrichment for the metaverse

Abstract: The talk will discuss selected case studies of technologies developed for endowing robots with artificial tactile sensors that are distributed over large areas and to deliver tactile feedback for the metaverse. In the presented scientific approach, robotic systems are developed by capitalizing on a fertile interaction between robotics and neuroscience, so that the advancements of neuroscientific research can lead to the development of more effective technologies, which in turn contribute to the fundamental understanding of physiological processes. A first case study proposed is with piezoresistive MEMS sensors, applied to bionic hand prostheses to restore rich tactile skills, such as texture discrimination, in upper limb amputees. The developed biorobotic technologies and artificial intelligence methods, based on information encoding with neuromorphic spikes emulating physiological tactile representation, can be applied to a variety of sensory augmentation scenarios. Additional technologies were explored to cover large areas of robot bodies, including sensors based on cultured biological cells such as MDCK, piezoelectric ZnO nanowires grown with seedless hydrothermal method, and Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors. Selected achievements are shown in the talk, discussing the application of tactile sensing technologies in a gripper able to manipulate fragile and deformable objects in collaboration with NASA-JPL, or for covering the full area of an anthropomorphic robotic arm recently published in Nature Machine Intelligence journal. Particularly, covering a robotic arm with a large sensorized skin allows the implementation of smart collaborative policies, such as safe interaction and programming by demonstration, that can be deployed in the factories of the future.

For more information see:

http://cyber.felk.cvut.cz/seminars/?event=1548


Best regards,
Matej Hoffmann

-- 
Matej Hoffmann, PhD
Associate Professor
Department of Cybernetics
Faculty of Electrical Engineering
Czech Technical University in Prague
Karlovo namesti 13
121 35 Praha 2, Czech Republic
+420 224 357 387
https://sites.google.com/site/matejhof/home
https://cyber.felk.cvut.cz/humanoids