International awards: Paolo Dario, emeritus professor at the Sant'Anna School, and Matteo Cianchetti, associate professor at the BioRobotics Institute, receive two prestigious prizes at the IROS Awards

Paolo Dario, emeritus professor of the Sant'Anna School, and Matteo Cianchetti, associate professor of the BioRobotics Institute, have obtained two important and prestigious awards at the IROS Awards, the prizes of the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, sponsored by both the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society and the Robotics Society of Japan (RSJ).

Matteo Cianchetti received the Harashima Award for Innovative Technologies, which rewards those who have carried out pioneering work in the field of robotics and intelligent systems. Cianchetti received the award for a particular research and experimentation activity, the use of Fiber Jamming as variable stiffness technology for Soft Robotic systems. Cianchetti is the scientific head of the Soft Mechatronics for Biorobotics Lab, whose main objective is to develop a series of enabling technologies for Soft Robotics. The use of soft, elastic and deformable components with variable stiffness is in fact a key factor in ensuring safe and effective interactions in unstructured environments, opening up a wide range of application possibilities for robots.

Paolo Dario was named an IROS Fellow, a prestigious recognition for his contribution to the conference over the years. Dario is still one of the most internationally relevant scientists in the field of robotics.