Technologies

4Ts Game was born in ITD in 2017 to indicate a board game for teacher training, which aims to develop skills in designing collaborative learning activities. The game was originally conceived as a 'tangible' game, consisting of a board and 4 decks of paper cards which contain inputs that guide the teachers/players' design process. Subsequently the game evolved and was developed in its digital version. In this version, developed in Unity and with an underlying knowledge base in Prolog, the game is able to provide feedback to teachers regarding the design/game choices made.

The Proof-of-Concept A.L.I.C.E. or "Actuators based on Light sensitive CompositE" aims at the development of innovative materials through 3D/4D printing processes and uses them as actuators in the fields of photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, thermodynamic solar, and other applications such as optical deflectors, optical microvalves, and optical switches.

The development of new materials with near-infrared emission (NIR, 700 – 1000 nm) represent an important target in the technological progress of innovative active components for OLED devices (including flexible ones), surveillance systems, autonomous driving, night vision sensors, fiber optic telecommunications and medical systems. In all these fields it still lacks a commercial NIR-OLED technology.

The proposed technology is based on the concept of Power-Over-Fibre (PoF), which involves the transmission of data and power over an optical fiber. This technology is suitable for applications where traditional copper cabling is impractical or undesirable. This is the case with pantographs, where there is a large potential difference between the catenary and the earth, and therefore any electrical contact must be avoided for safety reasons. Furthermore, pantographs operate in an environment with very high electromagnetic interference (EMI).

The metasurface optomechanical modulator is a device designed to modulate the amplitude, phase and polarization of a beam of electromagnetic radiation, independently, or simultaneously, according to prescribed paths in the parameter space (for example, as regards polarization, paths on the Poincaré sphere). The concept of our device can be applied to the entire spectrum of electromagnetic waves: from radio frequency, to microwaves (GHz), to millimeter waves (THz), to far and near infrared radiation, and to visible light.

Quartz tuning forks are employed in scanning atomic force microscopy (AFM), as well as in some derived techniques, as high sensitivity detectors of interactions, of both conservative and dissipative kind, between the AFM nanometric probe and the investigated surface. However, the contributions of the two kinds of interaction result as convoluted in the sensor response, preventing fully quantitative measurements of the quantities of interest.

Currently, liposomes (artificially synthesised vesicles) are widely used as carriers for a variety of molecules in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. In the clinical applications, for instance, they are employed to encapsulate a range of substances, such as antibiotics, proteins, genetic material, vitamins and anti-cancer drugs.

The platform allows acquisition of data from commercial and custom sensors. By now, the system has been embedded in a wearable wristband where elastomeric based strain gauge have been integrated to detect fine hand/wrist/arm movements. The platform integrates inertial sensors (accelerometers, gyroscopes) to acquire more details about the subject movements. A sensor-fusion algorithm enables advanced movement recognition (gesture, 3D orientation). A machine-learning algorithm is in development to increase the performance of the platform.

The environment as well as the food production provide a number of both natural and synthetic compounds whose effects on human being as an organism have not yet been determined nor investigated.

The proposed device is a semi-transparent screen that allows simultaneous viewing of what is beyond the screen and the images projected onto its surface. It consists of two thin glass plates with reflective elements arranged as microlenses, embedded in a resin. The projector's light is reflected by the elements towards the user's eye, while external light passes through the transparent layers without distortion. The transparency and brightness of the screen can be adjusted by modifying the reflective elements.

Environmental monitoring is a rapidly growing field, both in academia and industry. The use of wearables for environmental monitoring is a promising technique, as it allows data to be collected continuously and comprehensively. The main problem with using wearables for environmental monitoring is the size and weight of the system, as well as the high degree of specialization required to develop a fully functional device.