Two Italian researchers received one of the most prestigious honors in theInstitute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), the most important world association of researchers in the field of engineering sciences, with headquarters in New York, which awards it every year to only about 500 scientists worldwide.
Ariadne Menciassi, is deputy pro-rector and professor of biomedical robotics at the prestigious Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, the only one among all those elected to serve at an Italian university. Cecilia Laschi, is a lecturer in attendance at the Sant'Anna Institute of BioRobotics, but now teaches at the National University of Singapore.
Honor awarded to the very few in the world who have distinguished themselves in science, engineering and technology
The honor is awarded to a very limited number of members who have contributed significantly to the advancement or applications in engineering, science and technology, establishing themselves as leaders for the reference community.
To give an idea of the relevance of this recognition, it is enough to underline how the number of recipients in a year does not exceedone per thousand of the total membership IEEE voters, who number around 409.
The reasons for the awards
Ariadne Menciassi was nominated for her “Significant Contribution to the Development of robot for minimally invasive surgery“, one of the main fields of his research together with microrobotics for biomedical applications, ai artificial organs and the combination of traditional robotics and 'wireless' solutions for targeted therapy, with extensive use of ultrasonic beams and magnetic fields.
The same recognition was also awarded to Cecilia Laschi, for his significant contribution in the field of 'fluffy robots', that is, those robots made with soft and flexible materials.
