Abstract

Abstract. Robots operating in dynamic and unstructured environments must exhibit advanced forms of interaction with objects and humans. Large-scale tactile sensing can play a fundamental role in enhancing perceptual, cognitive and operative capabilities of robots, specifically when they physically interact with objects and humans in the environment. Many solutions to design, engineer and manufacture tactile sensors have been presented, but the concept of large-scale tactile sensing gives rise to a number of system-level challenges that simply do not show up when focusing on small tactile sensor array (modularity, conformability, easy integration, networking, distributed processing and tight Real-Time requirements). In the lecture the Roboskin technology will be presented focusing on all the aspects that must be take in account for making a large-area skin for robots.

Speaker’s Bio. P. Maiolino received her Ph.D. in Robotics from the University of Genoa as well as her M.S. in Robotics and Automation. She joined the Mechatronic and Control Laboratory (MACLAB) at the Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics and System Engineering (DIBRIS) University of Genoa where, as PhD student first and then as research fellow, carried out research about to all the aspects related to the development and integration of distributed tactile sensor for robots, with a strong focus on materials and design of new technological solutions. She has been member of the scientific staff of the EC-funded FP7 research project ROBOSKIN (Skin-based technologies and capabilities for safe, autonomous and interactive robots) and affiliated researcher at IIT (Italian Institute of Technology). Furthermore she was Key Staff, in the EC-funded FP7 research project CloPeMa (Clothes Perception and Manipulation), aiming at developing a tactile sensor that allows for perception and manipulation of clothes and fabrics, as well as in the Italian National Project MARIS funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Education working on tactile sensors for underwater applications. She was Visiting Professor at the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand and Keio University, Japan and She was lecturer of Mechatronics course for the European Master of Robotics (EMARO). Currently She is a Post-Doc and Teaching fellow at the Computing Department of Goldsmiths University of London pursuing research related to tactile perception and human-robot interaction in collaboration with several universities (University of Genova, Imperial College London, Bangor University).