Erik Franco – Pagina 12 – Progress in Research

Jrc deep social analytics for employee engagement goes live

Posted on 29/09/202206/08/2024 by Erik Franco

The research carried out at the “Deep Social Analytics for Employee Engagement” Joint Research Center has gone live half-way through its first year, the joint research centre is today presenting the preliminary results to the companies involved.

The project is being led by the Politecnico di Milano’s Departments of Management Engineering and Electronics, Information and Bioengineering, together with another eight Italian and international companies with an interest in research, innovation and development in the context of Human Resources management. It is a strategic partnership for the development of knowledge, models and technologies for analysing and improving Employee Engagement.

Within the new work organisation models that have been enabled by the digital age, the adoption of which was accelerated by the pandemic, the measurement, monitoring and development of employee engagement has become a fundamental factor in being able to take action in relation to employees’ working experiences, including in terms of retention.
Professor Mariano Corso, Research Manager.

What is the objective of the JRC Deep Social Analytics for Employee Engagement? To identify alarm bells and weaker signs of employee disengagement which, if listened to, can allow organisations to implement timely and specific measures to support the wellbeing of their own people. The challenge is therefore to combine traditional systems for measuring engagement, which are based on static models and look to the past, with more holistic, integrated and real-time approaches.

The approach is multidisciplinary and based on the use of data. The normal tools for measuring and monitoring engagement were combined with approaches involving machine learning, data analytics and data fusion, to collect and assess the great volume of data available to companies today, always in line with the framework established by GDPR.

The vast quantity of data generated on a daily basis, as well as the emergence of new approaches and technologies for analysing it, now presents great opportunities to measure and improve employees’ working experience.
Professor Matteo Matteucci, Research Manager.

To date, JRC Deep Social Analytics for Employee Engagement has enjoyed the participation of the companies A2A, Banca Mediolanum, Costa Crociere, the Credem Group, Maire Tecnimont, Poste Italiane, together with Beaconforce and Microsoft which joined as the project’s technological partners.

TROPHY project kicks off

Posted on 28/09/202206/08/2024 by Erik Franco

Activities related to the TROPHY (ulTRafast hOlograPHic FT-IR microscopY) project have officially started. TROPHY is a research project, funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe programme, which aims to develop a novel label-free vibrational microscopy approach for cancer diagnosis.

Cancer diagnosis is traditionally done on intraoperative frozen tissue sections by post-surgical histopathologic analysis and, in selected cases, by elaborated and time-consuming molecular diagnosis. The analysis of the biopsy is performed through the staining of the tissue and the evaluation of the morphology of its cells under an optical microscope. This approach is neither fast nor quantitative, has an intrinsic variability in the interpretation depending on the experience of the histopathologist, and provides limited molecular information.

The microscope developed thanks to the TROPHY project will image molecular biomarkers with unprecedented speed and chemical selectivity for a rapid, precise, and non-biased tumor analysis. To this purpose, it will blend in a unique fashion elements of several microscopies developed in the past decades, namely photo-thermal infrared, Fourier transform infrared and Digital Holography Microscopy, bringing them to the unprecedented ultrafast timescale. It will also integrate Artificial Intelligence to produce fast results and assist in the tumour grading process even during surgery.

This microscope will be used to assist healthcare professionals during tumor biopsy diagnostics, provide an accurate diagnosis for curative oncosurgery, guarantee complete resection during intervention, determine the best therapeutic approach tailored to the patient, and identify resistant tumor clones under targeted therapy, paving the way for continual precision medicine in cancer.

The project is coordinated by the Politecnico di Milano with Prof. Marco Marangoni from the Department of Physics as scientific coordinator. The other project partners are Fundacio Institut de Ciences Fotoniques (ICFO, Spain), Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR, Italy), Lyncee Tec SA (LT, Switzerland), Universtaetsklinikum Jena (JUH, Germany), University of Exeter (UNEXE, UK), University of Cambridge (UCAM, UK).

LICIACube witnessed NASA/DART impact test with asteroid

Posted on 27/09/202206/08/2024 by Erik Franco

Along night time, September 26-27, the NASA DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) spacecraft intentionally impacted, at almost 25000 km/h, the asteroid Dimorphos, the smaller body in the Didymos binary asteroid system.
DART represents the first attempt to experimentally verify the humanity capability to deflect potentially Earth-threatening asteroid by driving a space probe to crash into the celestial body at maximum relative speed to shift the natural body orbit.

A crucial role in the mission is played by LICIACube (Light Italian Cubesat for Imaging of Asteroids), the small spacecraft entirely Italian-made, which will go down in history as the first European CubeSat to fly in deep space, far from our protected terrestrial environment.

After being released by DART, last September 12, LICIACube flew by the asteroid few tens of km far, witnessing DART’s impact and avoiding the cloud of generated fragments, taking and recording images at the highest resolution possible, thanks to its two on-board cameras: the newly formed crater and the ejecta plume are targeted, supplying unique and fundamental data to scientists about the small celestial body features and the occurred impact dynamics.
The ASTRA research group researchers, led by professor Michèle Lavagna, Giovanni Zanotti, Michele Ceresoli and Andrea Capannolo from the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology gave a key contribution to this futuristic mission success.

During the past months, they hard worked in defining the LICIACube trajectory from the deployment until the asteroid flyby, while during the last weeks, after LICIA release from DART, they redesigned the crucial orbital manoeuvres to correct the CubeSat trajectory, exploiting the data sent on Earth by the small probe. Throughout the whole project, they worked in synergy with the Italian Space Agency, University of Bologna, Argotec S.r.l. and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory personell.

The maneouvers they constantly worked on and performed by the small on-board engine, where aimed to avoid the debris generated by the impact while optimally pointing the on-board cameras to take the highest number of useful images, which will be later downloaded to Earth, to let the National Institute of Astrophysics scientists, coordinated by Dr Elisabetta Dotto, leader of the mission, work on their postprocessing.

LICIA represents a technological pathfinder and a primacy in the CubeSat arena, as it paves the way for such class of satellites to gaina role even on highly challenging space missions; moreover, LICIA witnesses a successful and profitable collaboration between Academy, Research Center and small enterprise, under the coordination of the Italian Space Agency, confirming the excellence of the technical-scientific competences of our Country and the professionality of our young researchers in an extremely high-profile international arena,
Michèle Lavagna

Credits cover image: NASA – Johns Hopkins, APL – Steve Gribben.png

Innovative filters selected with x-rays

Posted on 26/09/202206/08/2024 by Erik Franco

Making molecular sieves and filters more efficient and safer is now possible thanks to the use of X-rays. The study has just been published in Nature Communications by a team of researchers from the Politecnico di Milano, the Grenoble Synchrotron and the University of Heidelberg.

Nanometric filters are tools with which we can capture unwanted, even very small molecules such as CO₂, other polluting gases and hazardous volatile organic substances. In the last few years sieves based on a metal-organic framework (MOFs), equipped with nanopores of varying sizes, shapes and characteristics that can be adapted to the type of molecule that you want to capture, are becoming more widespread.

Nowadays, the production of MOFs is limitless, but only a few have the ideal characteristics for efficient filtration. It is fundamental to be able to determine, for example, if only the desired molecules remain trapped in the pores and the efficiency of their sequestration. The trapped molecules, in fact, do not sort easily in the interstices and are difficult to see by X-ray diffraction, which often causes interpreting errors by overestimating or underestimating the efficacy of a certain material.

With this work, the methodology to be followed in order to locate molecules disorderly trapped in the interstices of the MOFs has become clear. In addition to a good quality of the crystalline matrix of the MOF (before and after its use), an accurate diffraction analysis is required. With our proposed protocol, the nanoporous materials can be analysed more accurately and their efficacy in filtration can be better established. Following the suggested procedure, a group of researchers from the Beijing Polytechnic University have been able to re-analyse several previous results concerning a MOF capable of trapping dioxin molecules. This is just one example of the possible applications in the field of materials engineering.
Piero Macchi, professor of the Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering “Giulio Natta”

Recent studies have demonstrated how the MOFs could be used, for example, in the reduction of CO₂ in industrial exhaust gases, or as a water resource in highly dry and desert areas for their extraordinary capacity to absorb water from the atmosphere, even those with low humidity. For these and other uses, it is fundamental to determine the true capacity of the material to absorb the desired molecules.

Read the study

A new chapter for nonlinear optics

Posted on 19/09/202206/08/2024 by Erik Franco

A new bidimensional semiconductor shows the highest nonlinear optical efficiency over nanometer thicknesses. This is the result of a new study recently published in Nature Photonics by Xinyi Xu, PhD student of Columbia University, and Chiara Trovatello, postdoctoral research scientist at the Department of Physics of Politecnico di Milano, together with Prof. Giulio Cerullo from the Department of Physics of Politecnico di Milano, Dmitri N. Basov and P. James Schuck from the Columbia University.

Optical fibers, bar code readers, light scalpels for precision surgery… the innumerable applications which have revolutionized our daily life rely exclusively on one tool: the laser. Each laser, however, emits light only at one specific wavelength and in order to generate new colors one can make use of specific crystals exploiting nonlinear optical processes. The miniaturization trend, which has dominated the world of electronics, enabling the realization of powerful consumer devices, such as smartphones and tablets, is now moving the world of lasers and their applications, which constitute the so-called field of photonics. For this reason, it is necessary to realize nonlinear processes inside thinner and thinner crystals.
Chiara Trovatello, author of the study

The typical nonlinear crystal thickness is on the order of a millimiter. In this study researchers have proven that a new nonlinear material – the 3R crystal phase of molybdenum disulfide – over a thickness of few hundreds of nanometers (1 nm = 10^-9 m) can achieve an unprecedent nonlinear optical gain. This study sets the ground for a new revolution in the field on nonlinear optics.

This new crystal opens innumerable future applications, which could be directly integrated on a micrometric optical chip, reducing the typical size of nonlinear optical devices. Among the most relevant applications: optical amplifiers, tunable lasers and quantum light generators over nanometer length scales.

On-chip nonlinear application will reinvent photonic devices through thinner and more compact designs.
Prof. Cerullo

Read the study

Arrival of 3D inertial sensors

Posted on 14/09/202206/08/2024 by Erik Franco

It is now possible to print inertial sensors with additive manufacturing processes, thus reducing production times and costs. Inertial sensors are devices that capture the movement of an object, defining its position in space and its acceleration-deceleration.

The study by a group of researchers from the Politecnico di Milano was recently published in the journal Additive Manufacturing and demonstrates the possibility of using a combination of printing techniques (stereolithography 3D printing and inkjet printing) to produce millimetre-scale accelerometers, typically used to measure acceleration following shocks, movements, impacts or vibrations. For the active material of the inertial sensor, the devices developed use a piezoelectric polymer capable of generating an electric current when deformed.

The sensors produced have demonstrated the ability to detect various levels of acceleration (up to 10 g, ten times the acceleration in the Earth’s gravitational field), with possible applications in autonomous driving systems or portable electronic devices.

The results obtained are early proof of how additive manufacturing processes can be used for production of mesoscale microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), capable of combining mechanical and electrical properties, exploiting polymeric materials as an alternative to silicon.

The development of new materials and the synergy between innovative printing techniques can be the way to develop new devices and solutions that respond to the strong demand for low-cost smart sensors from various industrial sectors and from the Internet of Things (IoT).

The device was manufactured and characterized in the interdepartmental laboratory MEMS&3D at the Politecnico di Milano, which combines the skills of research groups from four departments (Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering ‘Giulio Natta’ , Electronics, Information and Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering).

Read the study

Opening of the Permanent Demonstration Laboratory

Posted on 03/08/202206/08/2024 by Erik Franco

Italyum and the Politecnico di Milano open the Permanent Demonstration Laboratory (Laboratorio Dimostrativo Permanente – LDP), located at the Itelyum Regeneration plant in Pieve Fissiraga (Lodi).

The objective of the new facility, which will host both researchers from the Politecnico and engineers from Itelyum, is to test the innovative “Acid Gas to Syngas” technology, which, with a view to a circular economy, involves the conversion of hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide into syngas, thus successfully adding value to two polluting compounds of poor economic influence, with no additional use of fossil fuels or renewables.

The two substances can in fact be converted into a mixture rich in hydrogen and carbon monoxide (syngas), which acts as the basis for the production of chemicals and advanced biofuels.

The new laboratory will also study Plastbreaking technology, which transforms non-recyclable plastics (plasmix) into hydrogen and lubricants using conventional processes.

Finally, thanks to the use of advanced simulation software, a digital twin of the current plant will be created, enabling the implementation of high performance process simulators for energy efficiency.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by Marco Codognola, CEO and General Manager of Itelyum, Francesco Gallo, Director of Operations, MariaPia Pedeferri, Director of the ‘Giulio Natta’ Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering at the Politecnico di Milano, Ivano Ciceri, Head of the Research Enhancement Service (TTO) at the Politecnico di Milano, and Prof. Flavio Manenti.

The Permanent Demonstration Laboratory will allow us to study and understand new phenomena and reactions that would otherwise be very challenging to research at normal academic facilities, due to normally requiring huge investments, long set-up schedules and security systems that are not very feasible nowadays.
Prof. Flavio Manenti

Technologies to reveal the composition of asteroids

Posted on 28/07/202206/08/2024 by Erik Franco

The Politecnico di Milano is coordinator of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship (MSCA-IF) CRADLE (Collecting Asteroid-Orbiting Samples) project, which aims to make asteroid exploration more robust and self-sufficient through innovative solutions for the collection of asteroid and comet dust samples.

Asteroids and comets hold fundamental clues about the birth and evolution of our Solar System. They are rich in valuable natural resources such as metals, silicates and water, all of which could be exploited through future extraction missions and enable long-term self-sustaining space travel. However, the physical composition of asteroids is varied and, for the most part, relatively unknown.

The aim of the CRADLE project, led by Mirko Trisolini, researcher for the COMPASS team in the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology at the Politecnico di Milano, is precisely to improve our understanding of asteroids by revealing the dynamics and composition of their dust.

CRADLE explores new ways of collecting asteroid samples by studying how to collect particles whilst they are still in orbit, without having to land, thus avoiding complex and high-risk operations.

By striking the asteroid with a small but fast projectile, the particles that make up the samples can be dislodged. Once the asteroid is hit, the particles are ejected from the impact crater; the way in which they do this depends on the nature of the impact itself and the properties of the target.

It is a complex process, for which we use statistical models, also integrating images of the impact event and impact site. The collection of particles in orbit is based on predicting particle positions after impact; therefore, improving the robustness of impact analysis combined with statistical analysis methods is of paramount importance. In-orbit collection also means figuring out where to position the spacecraft in relation to the asteroid, as well as what type of collection tool it should be equipped with.
Mirko Trisolini, researcher for the COMPASS team

CRADLE therefore studies particle movement around the asteroid to predict which areas will be the most favourable for collection and, by estimating the number of particles that will become dislodged, calculates the size of instrument required for collection.

Mirko Trisolini is working to discover the dynamics of asteroid dust at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, under the supervision of Prof. Camilla Colombo (Politecnico di Milano) and Prof. Yuichi Tsuda (JAXA), Project Manager of the Hayabusa2 mission that collected samples from the Ryugu asteroid and brought them back to Earth.

CRADLE official website

Optical wireless: the new frontier for communication

Posted on 08/07/202206/08/2024 by Erik Franco

In the field of cable transmission, the advent of optical fibres represented an epochal technological leap, allowing light to be used to transfer enormous amounts of data, and they now form the basic infrastructure of the Internet and global telecommunications systems.

For wireless communications too, it is expected that optical connections will soon represent the new frontier. Similarly to what happens in optical fibres, even in free space, light can travel in the form of beams having different shapes, called “modes”, and each of these modes can carry a flow of information. Generating, manipulating and receiving more modes therefore means transmitting more information. The problem is that free space is a much more hostile, variable and unpredictable environment for light than an optical fibre. Obstacles, atmospheric agents or more simply the wind encountered along the way, can alter the shape of the light beams, mix them and make them at first sight unrecognisable and unusable.

A study by the Politecnico di Milano, conducted together with Stanford University, the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in Pisa and the University of Glasgow and published in the prestigious journal Light: Science & Applications, has found a way to separate and distinguish optical beams even if they are superimposed and the form in which they arrive at their destination is drastically changed and unknown.

This operation is made possible by a programmable photonic processor built on a silicon chip of just 5 mm². The processor created is able to receive all the optical beams through a multitude of microscopic optical antennas integrated on the chip, to manipulate them through a network of integrated interferometers and to separate them on distinct optical fibres, eliminating mutual interference. This device allows information quantities of over 5,000 Ghz to be managed, at least 100 times greater than current high-capacity wireless systems.

The activity is funded by the European Horizon 2020 Superpixels project, which aims to create next-generation sensor and imaging systems by exploiting the on-chip manipulation of light signals.

The studio is authored among the others by Francesco Morichetti, head of the Photonic Devices Lab and Andrea Melloni, director of Polifab, the Politecnico di Milano centre for micro and nanotechnologies.

Read the study online

Metaverse Marketing Lab Launched

Posted on 05/07/202206/08/2024 by Erik Franco

The Metaverse Marketing Lab has been created at the Politecnico di Milano, a School of Management initiative in partnership with UPA and UNA (the associations that represent advertisers and advertising agencies), with the aim of raising awareness of the Metaverse: a system of technologies which enables virtual, augmented and mixed reality experiences, allowing something of an expansion of the physical world into virtual and semi-virtual universes with their own rules for operating and communicating.

The goal is not only to demonstrate the state of the art, but to also chart the evolution of a market which is as dynamic as it is fluid, to promote good practice and analyse consumer behaviour in relation to experiences of immersive, virtual and augmented reality.

According to analysts, the market will be worth 800 billion dollars within two years, with a staggering potential for growth: some estimates speak of 13 trillion dollars by 2030, with 5 billion users. At the moment, it is estimated that there are 350 million users, an increase of 900% over the last year, with an average age of 27 and split across 43 platforms.

Many large brands have decided to join the Metaverse and create an appealing presence for consumers who, thanks to increasingly sophisticated technologies, enjoy experiences at the edge of reality, trying and purchasing products through their avatars.

The goal is to understand whether and how this ‘Metaverse rush’ represents a trend or a wave. To achieve this, in addition to studying the brands’ initiatives on a national level and comparing them with global experiences, the Lab will focus on the user perspective, analysing their behaviour and objectively measuring their emotional engagement.
Lucio Lamberti, full professor of Omnichannel Marketing Management and Scientific Coordinator of the Metaverse Marketing Lab

During the opening event, a demo created in collaboration with the Salotto di Milano and the technology of SimCoVR enabled the attendees to use a virtual reality headset to enjoy the extremely realistic experience of being on the deck of a cruise ship at sea, recreating shopping experiences.

Web 3.0 will bring many new possibilities: from product placement in virtual environments to direct management of spaces by brands, from the offer of immersive experiences to purchases in augmented reality, to a total revolution of supply models (dynamic digital art, digital furniture and decoration, virtual tourism).

The challenge is twofold: on one hand, maintaining a high level of engagement through exciting immersive initiatives; on the other, integrating the multiverse offering in omnichannel strategies until it becomes a genuine marketing and sales channel by reimagining the shopping experience.
Manuela Balli, Director of the Metaverse Marketing Lab