Research Themes Proposed by the Department of
Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Eight PhD positions are available at the Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department (RBCS) of the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT) within the Doctoral Course “Robotics, Cognition and Interaction Technologies”.
The Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Science department directed by Professor Giulio Sandini, is a multidisciplinary community of scientists sharing research interests and contributing jointly to the emerging field of human centered research and technologies with a focus on learning and development and, in general, on the dynamics of knowledge acquisition and update in the framework of goal directed actions. Among the Senior Scientists coordinating RBCS research activities are Franco Bertora (Brain Imaging), Luciano Fadiga (Brain Machine Interface), Giorgio Metta (Cognitive Robotics), Pietro Morasso (Motor Learning and Robot Rehabilitation), Concetta Morrone (Visuo-haptic Perception), Stefano Panzeri (Brain Signal Analysis), Thierry Pozzo (Physiology of Action and Perception),. Collaborations with international research centers and industries is carried out throught formalized projects and teaching-oriented international networks. RBCS is the home of the iCub humanoid robot (www.icub.org).
More information about RBCS research: http://www.iit.it/en/robotics-brain-and-cognitive-sciences.html
Within the department’s Research Agenda, proposals for PhD fellowships are accepted with reference to three main streams:
1. Humanoid Robotics and Cognition (themes 3.1 to 3.7): The themes under this heading group the research activities targeting the humanoid platforms of the lab among which iCub (the platform of the RobotCub project www.robotcub.org) and “James” (a one-arm humanoid build to investigate manipulation and object affordance). The research themes proposed are examples of the planned activities in areas such as cognitive systems, sensorimotor coordination, advanced materials for actuation, sensing and scaffolding.
- Theme 3.1: Composite materials design for biocompatible robotic structural elements.
- Theme 3.2: Finite element analysis and CAD design of robotic components made from variable stiffness composite materials
- Theme 3.3: Learning body dynamics in humans and robots
- Theme 3.4: Manipulation and Learning in Humanoid Robots
- Theme 3.5: Reaching and Moving in the Peripersonal Space for a Humanoid Robots
- Theme 3.6: Neuromorphic sensors for humanoid robots
- Theme 3.7: Event-driven vision for robot control
1. Human Behavior, Perception and Biomechanics (themes 3.8 to 3.12): The themes under this heading group the research activities targeting the study of how humans learn, perceive and act. This year’s focus is on multimodal sensory integration, the control of redundant degree of freedom and a new topic addressing the neural correlates of biological motion inference.
- Theme 3.8: Measuring the human body
- Theme 3.9: Action and task representation in human and robot learning
- Theme 3.10: Action and Perception coupling
- Theme 3.11: Modular control of natural motor behaviour
- Theme 3.12: Psychophysical study of unimodal perception and multimodal integration
1. Brain Machine Interface, (themes 3.13 and 3.14): The themes under this heading will contribute to the multidisciplinary BMI project developed at IIT aiming at ‘reading’ the brain to understand and extract motor signals which may be used to the development of innovative prosthetic devices.
- Theme 3.13: Information theoretic extraction of muscle synergies
- Theme 3.14: Nano-scaffolds with on-design tunable properties for tissue engineering
Short abstract and scientist in charge of the research themes proposed are included below and are to be considered as indications of this year’s priorities. Research projects within the same areas are welcome and will be also considered.
Interested applicants should read the procedure described below and/or refer to the IIT’s website (www.iit.it) to download instructions for application and/or contact directly the scientists in charge for more information regarding the individual research plans.
Submission procedure in short
Application letters and the required accompanying documents as detailed in the call for applications (http://www.iit.it/media/call/ciclo25_iit_bando_en.doc) should be prepared following the outline of Annex B (application form) and be sent within September, 25th 2009 to Magnifico Rettore dell’Università degli Studi di Genova.
Besides completing the application form (Annex B) you must provide the following documents:
· Curriculum vitae et studiorum dated and signed
· A photocopy of a valid identity document;
· Title and synthetic description of dissertation (also on cd-rom);
· A list of exams with the grades;
· At least one letter (and not more than three) of presentation of the candidate signed by a university lecturer or an expert in the subject;
· A signed research project concerning one or more of the research themes described above you intend to apply (maximum 10 pages);
· A statement of actual knowledge of the English language; foreign nationals may also state their knowledge of the Italian language;
· Any other qualifications relative to the subject areas of the research dealt with in the course, papers shall not be more than 10 pages long.
