Name:

Rinaldo C. MICHELINI

Affiliation:

UniGe - DIMEC - PMAR

Contact:

via all’Opera Pia 15A - I 16145 GENOVA - Italy

t.: +39 010 3472857, +39 010 3472837

f.: +39 010 3472974, +39 010 3472834

e.mail: michelini@dimec.unige.it - pmar@dimec.unige.it

Main expertise and current areas of research

Professor Michelini is leader of the Industrial Robot Design Research Group of the PMAR Lab., at the School of Engineering of the University of Genova, Italy.

Main expertise is achieved in flexible automation and life-cycle design of artefacts. Current research areas cover: - intelligent manufacturing, - instrumental robotics, - expert controllers, - industrial diagnostics, - integrated eco-design, - productive logistics, - and similar topics, exploring the concurrence of information and materials flows for the effective development, exploitation and dismissal of extended-products. Future aims are expected to address the new incumbents of a service economy, complying with sustainability bylaws. The interest in extended enterprises is consistent with the trends towards productive break-up and outsourcing of the to-day manufacturing businesses (with example applications in textile-clothes and shoes enterprises); the relevance of virtual organisations is specifically prised in view of the monitoring and control infrastructures binding suppliers and users with the certification bodies in a product-service trade, within eco-protection rules.

Main publications (Nov. 2000 - Nov. 2001):

- R.C. Michelini, G.L.Kovacs: “Integrated design for sustainability: intelligence for eco-consistent extended-products”, Invited Lecture, Intl. IFIP Conf. PROLAMAT: Digital Enterprise, New Challenges: Life-Cycle Approach to Management and Production, Budapest, 7-9 Nov. 2001.

- G.M.Acaccia, A.Marelli, R.C. Michelini, A.Zuccotti: “The fabric feeding management for automatic clothing manufacturing”, G.L. Kovacs, P. Bertok, G. Haidegger, Eds.: Digital Enterprise Challenges, Kluver Acad. Pub., Boston, pp. 416-427, ISBN 0-7923-7556-4.

- E. Cavallo, R.C. Michelini, R.M.Molfino, R.P.Razzoli: “Robotic equipment for deep-sea operation: digital mock-up and assessment”, G. Kovacs, P. Bertok, G. Haidegger, Eds.: Digital Enterprise Challenges, Kluver Acad. Pub., Boston, pp. 533-542, ISBN 0-7923-7556-4.

- G.M.Acaccia, M.Corvi, W.Ferebauer, R.C. Michelini: “Assisted mails sorting and forwarding stands: performance analysis and ergonomic assessment”, G.L. Kovacs, P. Bertok, G. Haidegger, Eds.: Digital Enterprise Challenges, Kluver Acad. Pub., Boston, pp. 543-554, ISBN 0-7923-7556-4.

- V.Belotti, F.Crenna, R.C.Michelini, G.B.Rossi: “Time evolutionary analysis: operator-driven paradigms for fault diagnosis”, 3rd IEEE Intl. Symp. Diagnostics for Electrical Machines, Power Electronics and Drives, SDEMPED’01, Gorizia, Sept. 1-3, 2001, pp. 312-320.

- E. Cavallo, R.C. Michelini, R.M. Molfino, R.P. Razzoli, L. Trucco: “A re-engineering example: dog muzzles and related moulds”, 12th Intl. Conf. on Design Tools and Methods in Industrial Engineering, Rimini, Sept. 5-7 2001.

- R.C. Michelini, F. Pampagnin, R.P. Razzoli: “Trends in engineering desing and eco-compatibility constraints”, 12th Intl. Conf. on Design Tools and Methods in Industrial Engineering, Rimini, Sept. 5-7 2001.

- R.C.Michelini, R.M.Molfino, R.M.Ghigliazza, M.Callegari: “The tyre-soil effects on the manoeuvrability of a city-car”, IEEE/ASME Intl. Conf. Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics, Como, 8-11 July, 2001, pp. 428-433.

- E.Cavallo, R.C.Michelini, R.M.Molfino, R.P.Razzoli: “Task-driven design of a re-configurable gripper for the robotic picking and handling of limp sheets”, Intl. CIRP Design Seminar: Design in the new economy, Stockholm, Sweden, 6-8 June 2001, pp. 79-82.

- T.Fukuda, R.C.Michelini, V.Potkoniak, S.Tzafestas, K.Valavanis, M.Vukobratovic: “How far away is ‘Artificial Man’”, IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, vol. 7, n° 1, March 2001, pp. 66-73, ISSN 1070-9932.

- R.C.Michelini, R.M.Molfino, R.M.Ghigliazza, M.Callegari: “Restricted urban traffic guidance of district-dispatchers with four powered wheels”, Proc. ATA Motor Car Engineering, vol. 54, n° 3-4, 2001, pp. 109-115.

- R.C.Michelini, G.M.Acaccia, M.Callegari, R.M.Molfino, R.P.Razzoli: “Instrumental robots design with application to manufacturing”, C.T. Leondes, Ed.: Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in Manufacturing, Vol. VII, CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton (FL), 2001, ISBN: 0-8493-0999-9, pp. 7.01-7.62.

- Michelini, F.Crenna, G.B.Rossi: “Diagnostics for monitoring maintenance and quality manufacturing”, C.T. Leondes, Ed.: Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing: Techniques and Applications, vol. I, ISBN/ISSN 084930 993X, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 2001, pp. 5.01-5.66.

- R.C.Michelini, G.M.Acaccia, M.Callegari, R.M.Molfino, R.P.Razzoli: “Computer integrated assembly for cost effective developments”, C.T. Leondes, Ed.: Computer Integrated Manufacturing, Vol. II, CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton (FL), 2001. ISBN: 0-8493-0994-8, pp. 2.01-2.68.

- F. Cepolina, R.C. Michelini, R.M. Molfino, R. Razzoli: “Gecko-Collie: home-cleaning automation of floors, walls and cupboards”, 3^rd Intl. Conf. CLAWAR Climbing and Walking Robots, Madrid, Nov. 2-4, 2000, pp. 803- 812, PEP Ltd London, ISBN 1 86085 256 0.

- R.C.Michelini, R.P.Razzoli: “Affidabilità e Sicurezza del Manufatto Industriale: La progettazione Integrata per lo sviluppo sostenibile”, Tecniche Nuove Ed., Milano, pp. XII-280, Nov. 2000, ISBN 88-481-1085-1.

Current projects

The current activity at the PMAR Lab. covers projects in robotics and intelligent automation with focus on facilities/products life-cycle diagnostics incumbents/infrastructures. Example extended-enterprise lay-outs are dealt with by productive break-up manufacturing; virtual organisations are explored as tools for products-services transparent overseeing. The on-going projects include:

SPI 3 (1998-2001) Innovative Manufacturing Systems - Line 3: “Modular assembly lines”.

FPS GROWTH (2000-2002) - SBC: “Deep-sea diamond wire cutting system - Sub Bottom Cutter”

COFIN MIUR (2000-2002) - “PKM-EI: Parallel robotics in environmental infrastructures”. 

COFIN MIUR (2000-2002) - “3MD-VAS: Vibro-acoustic diagnostics: eco-design and life-cycle safety”.

CRAFT (2001-2002) - “ROBOCLIMBER: Development of a climbing robot for slope consolidation and civil structure maintenance”.

GROWTH (2001-2003) - “EuroShoe: Development of the processes and implementation of the management tools for the extended user oriented shoe enterprise”.

COFIN MIUR (2001-2003) - “IMSE: Intelligent measurements for weakly structured environments”.

  The PMAR Lab. is member of EU networks, such as:

OSNET Thematic Network (2001-2003)

CLAWAR Thematic Network (2001-2003)

EURON European Robotics Research Network (2001-2003).

The PMAR Lab. co-operates with several industrial enterprises, hosting PhD students active in instrumental robotics and intelligent automation with majors in mechanical engineering.