MICHELINI R. C.

The paper describes co-robotic devices, aiming at accomplishing surgical operations by remote overseeing and manipulation. The concept design of a modular layout is presented, assuring body penetration by curved and twisted paths, with minimal impact. The fixture develops as an articulated snake-like forearm, carrying a wrist and the pertinent...

The paper discusses commercial cleaning robots available on the market. It introduces Gecko, a virtual prototype of a cleaning robot. Gecko has been conceived, assembling mainly standard components, and the actual behaviour in running conditions is shown by using consistent digital mock ups: Gecko is able to fully clean and sanitise floors,...

The role of uncertainty in the acquisition and processing of experimental data has fundamental relevance, both theoretical and practical, for the metrological assessment of technology. The restitution procedures have been based, traditionally, on the 'error theory' and exploit a mainly statistical formulation in order to approach the 'true...

An interactive measurement procedure, used to perform the model identification of a multi-mass vibrating test rig, is discussed. The objective of this (secondary) observation chain is the collection of additional information on the test rig dynamic behaviour, in order to improve the accuracy of the measurements carried by the (principal)...

The need of technically assessing the properties of an increasing number of objects requires a considerable effort, for issuing the metrological standards, granting theoretical and practical traceability of both the ranking scales and the accuracy figures. The representational theory of measurements is deserving great interest since it provides...

The automatic restitution of measurement uncertainty with related current results is required for rationalising the specificity and for improving the effectiveness of the industrial instrumentation, used for standard quality engineering tasks. The paper introduces to a general probabilistic frame, based on the propagation of distribution...

The environmental policy of EU, acknowledged by the Economics Ministers in June 2001 meeting, establishes a set of priorities. The present paper deals with urgent demands in these fields, with attention on pollution decreasing/removal. A survey of European Topic Centre on Waste, based on partial data only, points out the risk of sewage and...

Robotic surgery began as a technology-driven innovation but is now becoming a genuine method of improving healthcare effectiveness worldwide. This comprehensive review introduces the current trends, using examples of specific systems to distinguish the various types of robotic surgical devices, from remote handling machines to those performing...

Information technology and distribution instrumentation, supporting the monitoring of dynamical processes, deserve careful consideration to exploit their ability of providing "measurements" with acknowledged metrological consistency. The paper discusses the conceptual background for characterizing vibrating systems through standardized...

Remote sensing, implemented through virtual instrumentation, is a very important technology for industrial measurements. Moreover, the architecture and methods involved are effective for the teaching and dissemination of measurement technologies. A proper design may yield to cost-effectiveness, reliability and flexibility. Despite that, some...