Research seminar: Silvia Logozzo

Title: 3D Wear and Contact Studies of Prostheses and Industrial Components towards the Development of Haptic Devices.

Presenter: Silvia Logozzo, Department of Engineering, University of Perugia, Italy.

Abstract: The interaction between surfaces plays a key role in both biomedical and industrial components, where understanding contact, friction and wear is essential for improving performance and reliability. This seminar presents a research pathway focused on the development and application of experimental 3D methodologies for contact analysis, ranging from joint prostheses to mechanical components.

Optical 3D scanning and digital surface analysis are first introduced as tools for the quantitative characterization of wear in hip and knee prostheses, including wear mapping, surface degradation and contact-related phenomena. The same methodological framework is then extended to the study of components of industrial machinery.  

Finally, the seminar addresses the transition from contact characterization to tactile perception through the development of a multimodal haptic device integrating force-sensitive resistors and optical tactile sensors. The system combines contact-force mapping with local shape and edge recognition, enabling the identification of object features. These developments highlight the potential of integrating 3D metrology, contact mechanics and multimodal sensing towards more perceptive and adaptive robotic manipulation.

Host: Francesco.