Recent activites

In my current research, I am focusing on Model Predictive Control (MPC) applied to multi-rotor aerial systems with arbitrarily positioned and oriented rotors. The objective is to leverage MPC as a high-performance constrained and predictive control technique in this context. Moreover, I am investigating the application of Temporal Logic, specifically Signal Temporal Logic (STL), as a mission specification language for path planning problems. STL allows for the incorporation of explicit timing constraints, effectively translating the entire problem into a nonlinear non-convex non-smooth max-min challenge. Additionally, I am exploring the exciting field of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). My research aims to develop systems that assist human technicians in hard-to-reach locations, with a particular focus on scenarios involving maintenance and inspection operations. Furthermore, the area of communication-aware robotics intrigues me due to its interdisciplinary nature, addressing the challenges of maintaining connectivity and robust information flow in robotic networks. This scientific research seeks to contribute valuable insights and advancements to the fields of robotics, control systems, and human-robot collaboration.

Doctorate topic

The aim of my research was to illustrate the role and the effectiveness of software-in-the-loop (SIL) methodologies for the analysis and control design of flight controllers for small UAV systems. The research proposes a novel SIL methodology to detect and manage instabilities of multi-rotor systems that otherwise might not arise when considering only MATLAB/Simulink simulations. The use of the SIL methodology allows to understand the behavior of the flight control system by comparing and evaluating different scenarios, with a details level quite close to reality thanks to the use of the Gazebo robotics simulator. At the same time, it is possible to discover issues that a model-in-the-loop (MIL) simulation does not necessarily detect, even if carried out through a multi-physics co-simulation approach.

Thesis topics

Students interested on automatic control topics for their thesis (both Bachelor and Master degrees) can drop me an e-mail.

Info

If you would like to know more about me, please stay tuned on this web page, or feel free to contact me. Also, check out my Publications and Software pages for my latest publications and repositories, respectively.