Towards a new generation of bionics legs

Advancements in the mechatronic design of bionic legs are increasingly driven by the need to create systems that seamlessly adapt to the complexities of real-world environments while supporting natural and intuitive interactions with users. This talk explores the challenge of integrating embodied intelligence into lower-limb prosthetics, focusing on innovations in compliant actuator technologies and AI-driven control strategies. These developments aim to improve both the functionality of prosthetic devices and the ease of user interaction, ultimately enhancing their quality of life.

Speaker : Prof. Raffaella Carloni, received the M.Sc. degree in electronic engineering from the University of Bologna, Italy, and the Ph.D. degree from the Department of Electronics, Computer Science and Systems, University of Bologna. She was Assistant/Associate Professor at the University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands, from 2008 to 2017. She joined the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, in 2017. She is currently Associate Professor in the Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science, and Artificial Intelligence, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Groningen, where she directs the Robotics Laboratory. Her research interests include design, modeling and control of compliant robotic systems, novel (soft) actuators, and prosthetic devices.