Biosketch

• Place of birth: San Gimignano (Siena).
• Citizenship: Italian.
• Languages:
• Italian (mother tongue)
• English (fluent)
• Japanese (around 2k)
• Spanish (beginner)

Current Position

As of April 1st, 2010, he is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Science and Engineering of Waseda University.
Since 2003 he has also been Researcher at the HRI (Humanoid Robotic Institute) of the Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.
He is also the Project Manager of RoboCasa, a joint laboratory for research on Humanoid Robotics estabilished in 2003 in Tokyo by Waseda University and Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy, in the framework of the 7th~9th Executive Program for the Scientific and Technological Cooperation between Italy and Japan.

Scientific Interest

Among social infrastructure technologies, Robot technology is expected to play an important role in solving the problems of both decrease of birth rate and increase of elderly people in the 21st century.
The observation and the analysis of the human being, an extreme and exquisite example of robotic system, could lead to the clarification of the basic mechanisms underlying human's control of their bodies. This, in turn, will be an extremely important and helpful tool for the aging society in order to realize better health-care systems, human-support devices, teleoperation methods, and so on.

Keywords

Performance evaluation, Skill analysis, Training, Natural and Artificial Emotions, Human-Robot interaction, Humanoid robotics, Teleoperation, Health-care, Human-support, Prosthetics, Orthotics, Robotic Assisted Surgery.

Education

• March 2003:
  Ph.D. in Biomedical Robotics at Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Pisa, Italy, with a thesis entitled "On the development of a cybernetic prosthetic hand", Supervisors: Prof. Paolo Dario, Prof. Angelo M. Sabatini, Prof. M. Chiara Carrozza [PDF, 19.5 Mb].

• December 1998:
  Qualifying exam into Engineering Profession at the University of Pisa.

• November 1998:
  Laurea Degree (equivalent to Bachelor+Master) in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Bioengineering at the University of Pisa. Title of the Thesis: “Study of the Cardiac Mechanics: from Magnetic Resonance Images to the Three-dimensional Finite Element Model” (supervisors: Prof. L. Landini, Prof. C. Carmignani, Dr. P. Forte, and A. Ripoli).

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Previous Working Experiences

• April 2009 - March 2010
  Assistant Professor for the Global COE "Global Robot Academia" of Waseda University.

• November 2005 - March 2009
  Research Associate at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Consolidated Institute of Advanced Science and Medical Care (ASMeW), Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.

• September 2005 - October 2005.
  Exchange researcher at the HRI (Humanoid Robotic Institute) of the Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.

• September 2003 - September 2005
  JSPS Research fellow at HRI, Waseda University.

• June-July 2003:
  Exchange researcher at the HRI (Humanoid Robotic Institute) of the Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.

• March-April 2003:
  Visiting researcher at the HRI (Humanoid Robotic Institute) of the Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.

• February 2003, May 2003:
  Visiting researcher at Bio-Mimetic System Lab of the KIST (Korea Institute of Science and Technology).

• 2002-2003:
  Research activities in the Mano RTR4 project (INAIL project). The main objective of the project is the study and the development of a new prosthetic hand controlled via EMG signals.

  Research activities in the PALOMA project (IST/FET Project #IST-2001-33073, "Progressive and adaptive learning for object manipulation: a biologically inspired multi-network architecture"). The ARTS Lab objective is the development of a robotic platform for the validation of neural models of the human visuo-tactile-motor coordination.

  Research activities in the CYBERHAND project (IST/FET Project #IST-2001-35094, "Development of a CYBERnetic HAND prosthesis"). The main objective of the CYBERHAND project is the study and development of a new kind of hand artificial prosthesis (i.e., a “cybernetic prosthesis”) able of re-creating the natural link which exists between the hand and the Central Nervous System (CNS).

• Mar. 1999 - 2002:
  INAIL RTR Center (“Applied Research Centre on Rehabilitation Engineering,) originated by a joint initiative promoted by INAIL (National Institute for Insurance of Injured Workers) and Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna), Functional Substitution Area, P2 Project ("Design and development of innovative components for sensorized prosthetic systems").

• Nov. 1998 - Feb. 1999:
  Institute of Clinical Physiology of the National Council of Research (CNR), Pisa, at the Biomedical Imaging Lab.

Teaching experience

• Collaboration to the Course in "Biomechanics" and to the Course in "Mechatronics" (Laurea Degree in Mechanical Engineering at University of Pisa).

Scientific Societies

• Member of the Robotic Society of Japan
• Member of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society
• Member of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society
• Member of the IEEE System, Man, and Cybernetics Society

Scientific Coordination of International Projects

• 03/2003 - present
  Project Manager of the RoboCasa laboratory (joint initiative for research on Humanoid and Personal Robotics between the Advanced Robotic Technology and Systems Lab of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna (SSSA), Pisa, Italy and the Humanoid Robotic Institute (HRI) of Waseda University).
• 2002-2003:
  Project Manager of the CYBERHAND Project (IST/FET Project #IST-2001-35094, "Development of a CYBERnetic HAND prosthesis") whose aim is to increase the basic knowledge of neural regeneration, and of sensory-motor control of the hand in humans, and exploit this knowledge to develop a new kind of hand prosthesis which will overcome some of the drawbacks of current hand prostheses.

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Major Publications

Publications on Refereed Journals

#1	T. Chaminade, M. Zecca, S.-J. Blakemore, A. Takanishi, C. D. Frith, S. Micera, P. Dario, G. Rizzolatti, V. Gallese, and M. A. Umilta`, Brain Response to a Humanoid Robot in Areas Implicated in the Perception of Human Emotional Gestures, PLoS-ONE, 2010.
#2	Z. Lin, M. Zecca, S. Sessa, H. Ishii, and A. Takanishi, Developement of an Ultra-Miniaturized Inertial Measurement Unit for Jaw Movement Analysis during Free Chewing, Journal of Computer Science, vol. 6, pp. 896-903, 2010.
#3	M. Zecca, S. Sessa, Z. Lin, T. Sasaki, T. Suzuki, K. Itoh, H. Iseki, and A. Takanishi, Development of an Ultra-Miniaturized Inertial Measurement Unit for Objective Skill Analysis and Assessment in Neurosurgery: preliminary results, MICCAI 2009, Part I, Lecture Notes in Computer Science 5761, pp. 443-500, 2009.
#4	M. Zecca, Neuroscience and Robotics: Ethical and Social Implications, Ethics for Bioscience and Bioengineering, vol. 5, pp. 29-58, 2009.

Papers in Refereed Proceedings of Internationals Conferences

#1	Z. Lin, M. Zecca, S. Sessa, H. Ishii, and A. Takanishi, Ultra-Miniaturized Inertial Measurement Unit WB-3 for Jaw Movement Analysis during Free Chewing, 2010 International Symposium on Robotics and Intelligent Sensors IRIS2010, Nagoya, Japan, 2010 - Best Paper Finalist.
#2	M. Zecca, G. Macri`, Y. Mizoguchi, N. Endo, V. Monaco, K. Itoh, P. Dario, and A. Takanishi, Evaluation of the KOBIAN and HABIAN emotional expression humanoid robots with European Elderly people, 18th CISM-IFToMM Symposium on Robot Design, Dynamics, and Control ROMANSY 2010, Udine, Italy, 2010.
#3	N. Endo, K. Endo, M. Zecca, and A. Takanishi, Modular Design of Emotion Expression Humanoid Robots KOBIAN, 18th CISM-IFToMM Symposium on Robot Design, Dynamics, and Control ROMANSY 2010, Udine, Italy, 2010.
#4	Z. Lin, M. Zecca, S. Sessa, T. Kusano, K. Itoh, and A. Takanishi,, Waseda Bioinstrumentation System WB-2R as a Wearable Tool for an Objective Analysis of Surgeon's Performance, in IEEE/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Machatronics AIM2009, Singapore, 2009, pp. 705-710 Best Paper Award.
#5	Z. Lin, M. Zecca, S. Sessa, T. Sasaki, T. Suzuki, K. Itoh, H. Iseki, and A. Takanishi, Objective Skill Analysis and Assessment in Neurosurgery by Using an Ultra-Miniaturized Inertial Measurement Unit WB-3 - Pilot tests, in 31st Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBC'09), Minneapolis, MN, USA, 2009, pp. 2320-2323.
#6	S. Sessa, M. Zecca, Z. Lin, T. Sasaki, K. Itoh, and A. Takanishi, Waseda Bioinstrumentation System 3 as a tool for objective rehabilitation measurement and assessment - development of the inertial measurement unit, in IEEE International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics ICORR2009, Kyoto International Conference Center, Japan, 2009, pp. 115-120.
#7	S. Sessa, M. Zecca, Z. Lin, T. Sasaki, T. Suzuki, K. Itoh, H. Iseki, and A. Takanishi, Objective Skill Analysis and Assessment of Neurosurgery by using the Waseda Bioinstrumentation System WB-3 - Pilot tests, IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent RObots and Systems IROS2009, St. Louis, MO, USA, 2009, pp. 4086-4091.
#8	M. Zecca, Y. Mizoguchi, K. Endo, F. Iida, Y. Kawabata, N. Endo, K. Itoh, and A. Takanishi, Whole body Emotion Expressions for KOBIAN Humanoid Robot - preliminary experiments with different emotional patterns, 18th IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication Toyama International Conference Center, Japan, 2009, pp. 381-386.
#9	M. Zecca, N. Endo, Y. Mizoguchi, K. Endo, F. Iiida, Y. Kawabata, K. Itoh, and A. Takanishi, Evaluation of the Effects of the Shape of the Artificial Hand on the Quality of the Interaction - Natural Appearance vs. Symbolic Appearance, Human Robot Interaction 2009 (HRI2009) San Diego, CA, USA, 2009, p. 249.

Papers in Proceedings of International and Nationals Conferences and Symposia

#1	M. Zecca, Z. Lin, S. Sessa, H. Ishii, and A. Takanishi, Development of the Inertial Measurement Unit WB-3 - measurement of different movements of the chin, in 20th Conference of the Japanese Society for Mastication Science and Health Promotion, Fukuoka, Japan 2009, PP17.
#2	M. Zecca, Z. Lin, S. Sessa, T. Sasaki, T. Suzuki, K. Itoh, H. Iseki, and A. Takanishi, Objective Skill Analysis and Assessment in Neurosurgery by using the Waseda Bioinstrumentation System WB-3 - Pilot tests, Robotics and Mechatronics Conference ROBOMEC 2009, Fukuoka, Japan 2009.

Book Chapters

#1	N. Endo, K. Endo, M. Zecca, and A. Takanishi, Modular Design of Emotion Expression Humanoid Robots KOBIAN, ROMANSY 18 - Robot Design, Dynamics and Control, CISM Lecture Note #524, W. Schiehlen and V. Parenti-Castelli, Eds., ed Udine, Italy: Springer, 2010, pp. 465-472.
#2	M. Zecca, G. Macri`, Y. Mizoguchi, N. Endo, V. Monaco, K. Itoh, P. Dario, and A. Takanishi, Evaluation of the KOBIAN and HABIAN emotional expression humanoid robots with European Elderly people, ROMANSY 18 - Robot Design, Dynamics and Control, CISM Lecture Note #524, W. Schiehlen and V. Parenti-Castelli, Eds., ed Udine, Italy: Springer, 2010, pp. 449-456.