Human-Centric Systems

Interfaces and models of interaction between human and robots and human and AI

HCS pursues a new approach to the design of human-machine interfaces and interaction modalities. The strengths of human and machines are combined, considering both the physical and cognitive peculiarities of each individual; future human-centric system design will take into account subject personality, emotional sensitivity and cognitive style.

Human-machine interaction, including human-AI interaction, adapts to the heterogeneity of individuals and their interactions within a collaborative scenario, also considering human affective state. 

To achieve these goals, a multidisciplinary approach is adopted by merging engineering and computer science with physiology and neuroscience. The newly developed ICT and robotic systems includes models of the cognitive and affective processes integrating multiparametric information from heterogeneous data, such as those obtained with wearable and/or minimally invasive devices and sensors and natural language processing algorithms.

This research line will thus lead a revolution in the relationship between society and technology facilitating the access technologies, the learning process in its use as well as its acceptance and credibility.

Technologies

Abel

Abel, a new generation hyper realistic humanoid robot

Abel is conceived to be a research platform for social interaction, emotion modeling, and studies on embodied intelligence. The robotics platform can implement and test theories coming from neuroscience, psychology and sociology, with very promising applications in therapy and diagnosis of mental illness, learning disabilities, autism spectrum, and dementia.
speech_analysis

Speech Processing

Speech processing can extract audio features characterizing specifically each speaker. These features describe temporal intonation, e.g. prosody, or voice quality characteristics.
3d_printing

3D printing of smart materials

We develop new sensing technologies for the monitoring of human body motions, that can be applied to organs and to surfaces in general. Specifically, it can be adapted to a wide range of different applications from the monitoring of intestine motility to the recognition of hand gestures.
cuore_cervello

Predictive models to study peripheral and central nervous systems

Future systems for human-machine interaction will be improved both in the design and in the working phases by improved models of human affective state and behaviour.
Camera Matebolica

Metabolic Chamber

The metabolic chamber represents an indispensable element for research on human energy metabolism in both normal and pathological conditions.
Haptics_1

Augmented Reality through Wearable Feel- Through Haptics

We developed an approach that allows, for the first time, to modulate the perceived softness of real objects using a Feel-through wearable that uses a thin fabric as interaction surface.