Fellow, IEEE

Prof. Pasquale Daponte, University of Sannio, Italy

PASQUALE DAPONTE was born in Minori (SA), Italy, on March 7, 1957. He obtained his bachelor's degree and master's degree "cum laude" in Electrical Engineering in 1981 from University of Naples, Italy. He is Full Professor of Electronic Measurements at University of Sannio - Benevento. He is Past Chair of the Italian Association on Electrical and Electronic Measurements, and Past President of IMEKO. He is member of: Working Group of the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Technical Committee N°10 Subcommittee of the Waveform Measurements and Analysis Committee, IMEKO Technical Committee TC-4 “Measurements of Electrical Quantities”, Editorial Board of Measurement Journal, Acta IMEKO and of Sensors. He is Associate Editor of IET Science Measurement & Technology Journal. He is member of the Board of Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) Naples Charter. He has organised some national or international meetings in the field of Electronic Measurements and European co-operation. He was a co-founder of; IEEE Symposium on Measurement for Medical Applications MeMeA, IEEE Workshop on Metrology for AeroSpace, IEEE Workshop on Metrology for Industry 4.0 and IoT, IEEE Workshop on Metrology for Agriculture and Forestry, IMEKO Workshop on Metrology for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage, IMEKO Workshop on Metrology for Geotechnics, IEEE Workshop on Metrology for the Sea, IEEE Workshop on Metrology for Automotive, IEEE Workshop on Technology for Defense, IEEE Workshop on Metrology for Living Environment, IEEE Workshop on Measurements and Applications in Veterinary and Animal Sciences. He has published more than 370 scientific papers in journals and at national and international conferences on the following subjects: Measurements and Drones, ADC and DAC Modelling and Testing, Digital Signal Processing, Distributed Measurement Systems.

Speech Title: UAV Safety and Security: Advanced Sensors and Measurement Techniques

Abstract: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are increasingly used as platforms for various sensors and measurement systems, thanks to their lightweight, compact design, affordability, and ease of use. These qualities make UAVs versatile and ideal for numerous measurement applications, especially when data needs to be collected over large areas or in environments that are hazardous for humans. While the rise of UAVs has provided significant benefits in advancing various sectors, it has also introduced new safety and security challenges that must be addressed. During their operations, UAVs must navigate potential dangers that could threaten human life. This involves ensuring both safety—defined as "precautions to protect against unplanned or accidental events"—and security, which refers to "protection against planned or intentional events." Despite ongoing efforts to establish standards and regulations to mitigate UAV-related safety and security risks, many of these hazards remain incompletely understood and adequately countered. Since UAV performance is heavily reliant on sensors and measurement systems, these technologies play a critical role in safeguarding drone operations. This talk will explore the primary challenges in UAV safety and security, along with current research directions in the field. It will emphasize the importance of measurement technologies in addressing: Safety issues, including vehicle design, in-flight and ground testing, fault diagnosis, and collision avoidance; Security issues, such as UAV detection and neutralization methods that rely on radar, radio frequency (RF), motion and thermal sensors, as well as video and audio surveillance, jamming, and signal and sensor spoofing.

Prof. Dr. Zhenghong ZHU, York University, Canada

Dr. Zheng Hong (George) Zhu is a Professor, Tier 1 York Research Chair in Space Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, and Co-founding Director of Centre for Manufacturing, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, and Director of Space Engineering Lab at York University in Canada. He is the full Member (academician) of the International Academy of Astronautics; the College Member of the Royal Society of Canada; the Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Canada, the Engineering Institute of Canada, the Canadian Society of Mechanical Engineering, and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He is also the Associate fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Dr. Zhu’s research encompasses the dynamics and control of spacecraft, tethered space systems, autonomous space robotics, computational control, and additive manufacturing in space. He had served as the inaugural Academic Director of the Research Commons (2019-2022) at the Vice-President of Research and Innovation Office and the Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering (2018-2019). His Space Engineering Lab boasted $15+ million in state-of-the-art facilities to support research. Dr. Zhu has published over 220 peer-reviewed journal papers and 180 conference proceedings. He is recipient of the 2024 Solid Mechanics Medal and the 2021 Robert W. Angus Medal from the Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering; the 2024 Gold Medal and the 2019 Engineering R&D Medal of Ontario Professional Engineers Awards in Canada, and the 2021 York University President’s Research Excellence Award. Finally, Dr. Zhu is the incoming Editor-in-Chief of Acta Astronautica.

Speech Title: Capturing and Removing Space Debris by Spacecraft Swarm

Abstract: The development and implementation of strategies for capturing and removing space debris from orbits are becoming increasingly vital for the sustainable exploration and utilization of outer space. This talk presents an innovative swarm of small and simple spacecraft as a viable solution to this challenge, emphasizing improved robustness, adaptability, and economic efficiency. The approach centers on a behavior-based control system that facilitates the autonomous, decentralized capture of a tumbling object in space by a group of free-flying small spacecraft. Drawing inspiration from natural swarm behaviors, this method employs flocking tactics to guide the spacecraft into close formation around the target object. Concurrently, an anti-flocking strategy is adopted to refine the distribution of the spacecraft, ensuring thorough coverage and encapsulation of the object's surface, preparing it for capture. Each spacecraft in the swarm possesses memory capabilities, enabling synchronized actions at a larger scale through individual observations and local communications among the spacecraft. This decentralized control mechanism fosters a leaderless, self-organizing multi-agent system, where each spacecraft operates interchangeably. This novel approach holds significant promise for the coordinated, swarm-based capture of uncooperative targets in space, offering a path forward in addressing the complex challenge of space debris removal.

Prof. Roberto Montemanni, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy

Roberto Montemanni is full professor at the Department of Science and Methods for Engineering at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy. He obtained a Laurea degree in Computer Science from the University of Bologna, Italy in 1999 and a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Glamorgan, UK in 2002. His main research interests are in the applications of mathematical approaches and artificial intelligence to engineering and planning problems arising in logistics, bioinformatics and robotics. On these topics he has been leading several national and international projects over the past 15 years.

Speech Title: Drones and Logistics

Abstract: In the last few years, unmanned vehicles have attracted growing interest in many sectors, ranging from precision agriculture to catastrophic events logistics, freight delivery, rescuing operations. In the last few years, unmanned vehicles have attracted growing interest in many sectors, ranging from precision agriculture to catastrophic events logistics, freight delivery, rescuing operations. We will focus on the use of aerial drones in last-mile delivery. Logistics operators are nowadays planning (and starting) to use drones for last-mile delivery to customers, due to the potential economical advantages and flexibility of such a solution, which is able to literally fly over congestions and urban traffic. In this talk we will first evaluate the potentialities of drones in general, taking into account their capability of operating (almost) autonomously thanks to a combination of technology and artificial intelligence advances. Then, after some consideration about the use of drones into dense urban areas, we will examine realistic scenarios in which they are used together with traditional vehicles like trucks in last-mile delivery, in order to keep the best of both types of vehicles within very competitive solutions. Considerations about the potential of these solutions will be presented, both from an economical and an operational perspectives. 

Prof. Liang Yu, Northwestern Polytechnical University, China

Liang Yu is a professor at Northwestern Polytechnical University, with overseas academic experiences at Waseda University in Japan and Lyon University in France, as well as 8 years of work experience at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Professor Liang Yu has published more than 100 papers in the field of "Acoustic Sensing and Intelligent Information Processing of Mechanical Equipment", including more than 64 first/corresponding author papers published in international authoritative SCI journals such as MSSP, JSV, and TIM. He has successively presided over 2 National Natural Science Foundation projects (2018, 2021), 1 Shanghai Natural Science Foundation project (2021), 2 key laboratory open research fund projects, and more than 10 horizontal projects. He has won 2 provincial and ministerial-level awards, 3 college-level awards, 7 conference outstanding paper awards, 1 outstanding reviewer award, and edited and published 2 special issue collections. He has participated in 2 National Natural Science Foundation key projects and 2 sub-projects of the 973 Program. Professor Liang Yu is a member of the organizing committee of 4 international conferences (ICICSP, MEAE, ICMIE, MAES), and also serves as the conference chair of the 2024 International Conference on Mechanical Engineering and Aerospace Engineering. He was invited to deliver a keynote speech at the Second International Conference on Intelligent Manufacturing and Robotics. He is a reviewer for 34 domestic and foreign journals, a guest editor for 4 special issues, and has been invited to give academic presentations by domestic and foreign units for 25 times, participated in more than 40 domestic and foreign academic conferences, and organized science popularization activities and invited lectures for more than 20 times.