Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia

About: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia is a facility organization based out in Genoa, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Robot & Humanoid robot. The organization has 4561 authors who have published 14595 publications receiving 437558 citations. The organization is also known as: Italian Institute of Technology & IIT.

General Perturbative Approach for Spectroscopy, Thermodynamics, and Kinetics: Methodological Background and Benchmark Studies

Abstract: A general second-order perturbative approach based on resonance- and threshold-free computations of vibrational properties is introduced and validated. It starts from the evaluation of accurate anharmonic zero-point vibrational energies for semirigid molecular systems, in a way that avoids any singularity. Next, the degeneracy corrected second-order perturbation theory (DCPT2) is extended to a hybrid version (HDCPT2), allowing for reliable computations even in cases where the original formulation faces against severe problems, including also an automatic treatment of internal rotations through the hindered-rotor model. These approaches, in conjunction with the so-called simple perturbation theory (SPT) reformulated to treat consistently both energy minima and transition states, allow one to evaluate degeneracy-corrected partition functions further used to obtain vibrational contributions to properties like enthalpy, entropy, or specific heat. The spectroscopic accuracy of the HDCPT2 model has been also va...

Microscopic Theory of the Inverse Edelstein Effect

Abstract: We provide a precise microscopic definition of the recently observed inverse Edelstein effect in which a nonequilibrium spin accumulation in the plane of a two-dimensional (interfacial) electron gas drives an electric current perpendicular to its own direction. The drift-diffusion equations that govern the effect are presented and applied to the interpretation of the experiments.

Imitation Learning of Positional and Force Skills Demonstrated via Kinesthetic Teaching and Haptic Input

Abstract: A method to learn and reproduce robot force interactions in a human–robot interaction setting is proposed. The method allows a robotic manipulator to learn to perform tasks that require exerting forces on external objects by interacting with a human operator in an unstructured environment. This is achieved by learning two aspects of a task: positional and force profiles. The positional profile is obtained from task demonstrations via kinesthetic teaching. The force profile is obtained from additional demonstrations via a haptic device. A human teacher uses the haptic device to input the desired forces that the robot should exert on external objects during the task execution. The two profiles are encoded as a mixture of dynamical systems, which is used to reproduce the task satisfying both the positional and force profiles. An active control strategy based on task-space control with variable stiffness is then proposed to reproduce the skill. The method is demonstrated with two experiments in which the robo...

Local and Long-Range Reciprocal Regulation of cAMP and cGMP in Axon/Dendrite Formation

Abstract: Cytosolic cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) often mediate antagonistic cellular actions of extracellular factors, from the regulation of ion channels to cell volume control and axon guidance. We found that localized cAMP and cGMP activities in undifferentiated neurites of cultured hippocampal neurons promote and suppress axon formation, respectively, and exert opposite effects on dendrite formation. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer imaging showed that alterations of the amount of cAMP resulted in opposite changes in the amount of cGMP, and vice versa, through the activation of specific phosphodiesterases and protein kinases. Local elevation of cAMP in one neurite resulted in cAMP reduction in all other neurites of the same neuron. Thus, local and long-range reciprocal regulation of cAMP and cGMP together ensures coordinated development of one axon and multiple dendrites.