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 and he was General Chairman of the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Technical Conference for 2006, Technical Programme Co-Chair for I2MTC 2015.

Prof. Dr. Zhenghong ZHU, York University, Canada

Dr. Zheng Hong (George) Zhu is Professor of Mechanical Engineering and founding Co-Director of Centre for Manufacturing, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, and Director of Space Engineering Lab at York University. He also served as the Director of Space Engineering undergraduate program in the Department of Earth and Space Science and Engineering, Chair of Mechanical Engineering Department, and Inaugural Academic Director of Research Commons in the Office of Vice-President Research & Innovation. His research interests include dynamics and control of tethered space systems, space robotics, computational mechanics and control, machine learning, 3D printing in space, and CubeSat. He has authored 210+ peer-reviewed journal papers and 160+ conference articles. Dr. Zhu is an elected member of International Academy of Astronautics, College Member of the Royal Society of Canada, Fellows of the Canadian Academy of Canada, Engineering Institute of Canada, Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering, and American Society of Mechanical Engineers; an Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and Senior Member of IEEE. He is the recipient of the 2019 Engineering Medal R&D from Professional Engineers Ontario Canada, the 2021 Robert W. Angus Medal from Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering, the 2022 President's Research Excellence Award from York University, and the 2024 Solid Mechanics Medal from Canadian Society for Mechanical Engineering.

Speech: 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: Drones and their applications in last-mile logistics

Abstract: Unmanned vehicles, and aerial drones in particular, are becoming of great interest in many sectors ranging from precision agriculture to catastrophic events management and freight delivery. Hardware and software developments now allow to consider drones as a concrete, viable solution for several applications, although still with some challenge. We will consider their application in last-mile logistics, for deliveries of goods to final customers. Operators are investing consistently in such solutions, due to the potential economical advantages and flexibility with respect to traditional approaches. We will evaluate the impact of drones, when used together with trucks into an hybrid context, from an economic/optimisation perspective. Some simulations on real scenarios will allow us to quantify the potential economical gain that a Company can achieve by employing drones in their operations.

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.