Roberto Cingolani

Nanotechnology and materials science for humanoids

Wednesday, May 18, 11:00-12:00, Room A1

Abstract
Mind-body integration in Humanoids requires new soft functional (and biodegradable) materials and sensing systems similar to those of humans.
The presentation will survey recent experiments combining materials science and nanotechnology to explore new architectures potentially useful for the next generation of robots, namely:
New high sensitivity tactile systems based on triboelectric polymers,
Vegetable-based biodegradable plastics with tailored mechanical properties
Printable Graphene-based nanocomposites for fibrous conducting networks
Implantable, self-powered artificial retina
New devices for body-interconnection and prosthetics

Bio:
Roberto Cingolani is the Scientific Director of the Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, since 2005. Born in Milan in 1961, he graduated in Physics at the University of Bari in 1985 and he later obtained his PhD in Physics at the same University. In 1989 he got the “Diploma di Perfezionamento” (PhD) in Physics at Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa. During the period from 1989 to 1991 he was staff member at the Max Planck Institut für Festkörperforschung in Stuttgart (Germany). In 1992 he became associated Professor of Physics at the University of Salento, where in 2000 he was nominated Professor of General Physics at the Engineering Faculty. During 1997 he was Visiting Professor at the Institute of Industrial Sciences at Tokyo University (Japan) and the year after at Virginia Commonwealth University (USA). In 2001 he was the Founder and Director of the National Nanotechnology Laboratory (NNL) of INFM at University of Salento.

Author and co-author of about 750 publications, considering papers on international journals and participations at conferences, he holds 46 patent families. During the years he has been in charge of various institutional roles at national and international levels. Among Prof. Cingolani’s awards and honors are: two Prizes of the Italian Physical Society for young researchers, the INFM Prize “Ugo Campisano” for researchers in the field of Semiconductor Physics, the “ST-Microelectronics” Prize by the Italian Physical Society, the “Premio Grande Ippocrate” award for science dissemination by Unamsi and Novartis, the “Guido Dorso” award by the Italian Republic Senate for his Research Activity. The title of “Alfiere del Lavoro” and the title of “Commendatore della Repubblica” by the President of the Italian Republic.