[I-RIM ML] Two PhD positions @ University of Florence in BioRobotics for healthcare applications

Thu Nov 3 09:37:10 CET 2022

The University of Florence is seeking candidates interested in 
performing PhD research activities in BioRobotics and BioEngineering 
topics at the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of 
Florence, Italy.

Two PhD positions are available on the following research topics:

*1) Research and development on modelling cognitive and motor interplay 
using Biorobotics technologies and neuroscientific approaches.*

The PhD program aims to develop novel technologies in the field of 
robotics and Internet of Things for studying the cognitive and motor 
interplay in healthy subjects and patients with neurodegenerative 
diseases. The idea is to investigate how these technologies could be 
used to improve, objectify, and standardize the current clinical 
practice that is performed without the use of technology and to identify 
novel clinical protocols and methods to better study the impact of motor 
and cognitive decline on humans. In this sense the PhD candidate is 
requested to develop a comprehensive digitalized intervention for 
assessment and rehabilitation purposes, ranging from the development of 
neuropsychological battery encompassing tests to assess subjects’ 
proficiency in several cognitive domains, such as memory, language, 
attention, visual ability, and executive functions, to the development 
of intelligent algorithms extracting digital biomarkers for clinical 
classification purpose on neurodegenerative diseases. The PhD candidate 
is requested to follow a multimodal approach, using different 
instruments and devices able to acquire physiological and behavioral 
data from subjects and to implement artificial intelligence techniques, 
such as machine learning or deep learning. Similarly, the PhD is 
requested to development innovative and clinically meaningful kinematic 
features, starting from a Neuroscientific Framework to better understand 
the Motor‐Cognitive Interface.

*2) Bio‐cooperative approaches in social robotics for neurocognitive 
assessment and rehabilitation*

The PhD program aims to dramatically enhance kinds of means, both 
software and hardware, that allow interaction processes and bridge 
capabilities between users and service/machines. One of the key 
challenges in Active and Healthy Ageing (AHA) concerns the 
implementation of interaction with dependable perception capabilities 
and context awareness, with high acceptability and usability, 
adaptability, and multi‐modal AI‐based approaches. This will be pursued 
by investigating, designing, developing and testing novel “social 
machines”, namely social robots, apps, VR/AR tools and devices that will 
be conceived and integrated to interact and communicate with humans by 
means of social behaviors and rules. Bio‐cooperative systems represent 
the new generation of robotic platforms that promote a bidirectional 
interaction between the robot and the patient based on multimodal 
interfaces. Here the idea is to additionally integrate also 
augmented/mixed reality systems with wearable inertial sensors (for 
motion capture) and haptic/thermal actuators (for closing the feedback 
loop). Such a system will be employed through the adoption of innovative 
bio‐cooperative HRI protocols that will take advantage of the 
combination of motor, cognitive and social aspects. This task will rely 
on Motor and Cognitive Dual‐Task (MCDT) protocols, as well as Social 
Grasping, for the HRI setting. With such advanced and human‐like 
interacting capabilities, the PhD candidate will aim to demonstrate that 
machines and devices will be more believable, easier to be adopted and 
not be abandoned, contributing to support healthy living during daily 
activities and manage diseases; interestingly, the PhD candidate will 
demonstrate that “social machines” will be also able to measure and 
characterize the way humans interact with themselves, generating a 
number of digital biomarkers of interaction that could be used for early 
identification and rehabilitation of motor and cognitive decline in 
frailty and dementia.

Successful candidates should have good communication and project 
management skills. Conference and journal publications are desirable.

Applications should be sent online following instructions at the 
following link: https://es.sonicurlprotection-fra.com/click?PV=2&MSGID=202211030837120201482&URLID=15&ESV=10.0.16.7295&IV=E40F0AC7BC43432FEC1F306BD265EEB0&TT=1667464633917&ESN=uOcmc6weX7XiICEpUF9qd%2BEQ3MmxY%2Bt0IYCjt2WUydo%3D&KV=1536961729280&B64_ENCODED_URL=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudW5pZmkuaXQvcDEyMjQ2Lmh0bWw&HK=DDEA136DD5DE507A073E2FDDFF8865D2BCD1D8BD474D930873E34E633B5A42BC (deadline 10/11/2022, 
h12 Italian Time).

The positions are funded by the Minister of Research and University 
(MUR) under the PNRR program. Further information on the project could 
be asked to Prof. Filippo Cavallo (filippo.cavallo at unifi.it).

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Prof. Filippo Cavallo
MSc Electronics Engineering
PhD BioEngineering

Associate Professor in Biomedical Robotics
Department of Industrial Engineering
University of Florence
Via Santa Marta, 3
50139 Firenze, Italy
filippo.cavallo at unifi.it
Mobile: +39 328 57 11 026

Affiliate Professor
Head of the Assistive Robotics Lab
The BioRobotics Institute
Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
Viale Rinaldo Piaggio, 34
56025 Pontedera, Pisa - ITALY
filippo.cavallo at santannapisa.it
Phone: +39 050 883474

Scientific responsible of the BioRobotics of Parkinson joint Lab
Via Enrico Mattei, 21
54100 Massa MS

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