Conference Agenda

This paper presents the design, prototyping, and validation of a modular and cost-effective flatbot platform developed for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) testing within Euro NCAP scenarios. The increasing de-mand for realistic and repeatable testing of vulnerable road users (VRUs), such as pedestrians and cyclists, requires mobile targets capable of accurate-ly reproducing dynamic behaviors while ensuring safety, robustness, and compliance with international standards. The proposed flatbot addresses these challenges through a scalable and modular architecture, enabling adaptability to multiple testing configurations. The system integrates a modu-lar architecture with torque vectoring control, allowing precise trajectory tracking and dynamic maneuvering. The mechanical design balances light-weight construction with impact resistance, ensuring survivability under in-teractions with the vehicle while maintaining required kinematic perfor-mance. Experimental results demonstrate that the platform meets key per-formance requirements in terms of speed accuracy, trajectory tracking, and structural integrity. The developed solution offers a viable low-cost alterna-tive to existing commercial platforms, significantly reducing implementation barriers for research and testing facilities.

Inclusive mobility in natural environments, including mountain trails, beaches, and heritage sites, remains a largely unsolved engineering challenge. Irregular terrain, ecological sensitivity, and safety constraints push these contexts beyond what conventional assistive mobility solutions can effectively address. Despite growing policy attention to inclusion, the technological dimension of accessibility still receives limited structured consideration. This paper introduces engineering mediation as a design-oriented concept that frames assistive mobility systems as active mediators between user capabilities and environmental constraints, rather than as a mere process of developing standalone devices. Drawing on case-based evidence from assistive mobility solutions in mountain and coastal environments, the study proposes the Sustainable Inclusive Tourism Engineering (SITE) framework, a conceptual system-level model that interprets accessibility as the outcome of interactions between environmental constraints, user requirements, and engineering design processes. The framework introduces the notion of operational accessibility to describe the practical achievement of safe and effective mobility through engineered solutions. By positioning accessibility as an engineering challenge, this work provides a structured perspective for designing assistive mobility systems that are context-responsive, technically effective, and sustainability-oriented

Connecting rods are fundamental components in reciprocating mechanical sys-tems, ensuring force transmission between the piston and the crankshaft while being subjected to significant tensile and compressive loads during operation. This work presents the design and structural assessment of an innovative ec-centric-shaft mechanism intended for a twin-cylinder engine, featuring a con-necting-rod configuration developed to explore alternative geometric solutions with respect to conventional crank-slider systems. A parametric three-dimensional CAD model of the mechanism was developed, enabling the modi-fication of the main geometric parameters and supporting future design optimi-zation activities. Subsequently, finite element analyses were performed to evaluate the structural response of the system under representative operating conditions. Equivalent loads derived from combustion pressure and inertial forces were applied at the piston-pin locations, while boundary conditions were defined by modelling the shaft supports and introducing frictionless contacts between the mating components. Static, modal, and fatigue analyses were car-ried out to evaluate the distribution of Von Mises equivalent stresses, dis-placements, safety factors, and the behaviour of the component under cyclic loading conditions. In addition, topology optimization was employed to identi-fy potential lightweight design solutions while preserving the structural per-formance of the component. Overall, the obtained results confirm the structural feasibility of the proposed configuration and demonstrate the potential of inte-grating parametric modelling, numerical simulation, and topology optimization for the development of lightweight and structurally efficient eccentric-shaft systems.

The growing need for sustainable mobility and reduced environmental impact in the automotive sector requires a transition from traditional materials to lightweight, high-performance solutions. Compression molding of Carbon Fiber Sheet Molding Compound (CF-SMC) enables the efficient production of complex structural composite components through repeatable and cost-effective manufacturing operations. A critical step in this process is handling the uncured, flexible composite charges prior to the compression stage. Effective handling requires adaptable grippers capable of keeping charge deformation within acceptable limits while accommodating a variety of charge sizes and shapes. Addressing this challenge, this work proposes a methodology to design adaptive grippers used in CF-SMC charge manipulation. The placement of grasping points is driven by the analysis of flexible charge deformation under gravity loads, complemented by a preliminary safety factor assessment. Local grasping points are first grouped into regions and then unified in repetitive patterns, which are used to define the architecture of modular grasping units, whose geometries are derived using Topology Optimization. Developed on an integrated digital platform that combines geometric modeling CAD and Finite Element Analysis (FEA), the proposed workflow systematically guides the designer through each stage of the process. A validation study on an automotive panel demonstrates the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed methodology.

The manual coating of automotive components with natural cowhide (uphol-stery) is an artisanal process that is highly exposed to the formation of wrinkles due to the absence of models capable of simulating the upholstery process. This scoping review systematically maps the scientific literature on process de-fects and mechanisms that cause it (RQ1), numerical simulation of wrinkling in anisotropic membranes (RQ2), mechanical characterization of the skin and constitutive parameters for FEM (RQ3), automatic visual inspection of defects (RQ4), applicable regulatory standards (RQ5). The research resulted in the in-clusion of twenty-two studies (2000–2025): 2 for RQ1, 5 for RQ2, 7 for RQ3, 8 for RQ4. Wrinkling during use of the saddled component is documented as a consequence of permanent viscoelastic deformation as a result of the presence of residual process stresses; however, no study models the application phase on rigid three-dimensional substrates. The automatic inspection systems and the available constituent parameters do not concern automotive leather. Gaps re-main in process modeling, specific mechanical characterization, and curved surface inspection, defining an interdisciplinary research perspective integrat-ing computational mechanics, materials science, and computer vision.

Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) are increasingly deployed for complex subsea missions. These operations range from geophysical mapping to dexterous manipulation and demand the simultaneous coordination of vehicle piloting, payload configurations, and spatial task supervision. However, current navigation software remains centered on vehicle piloting, relegating spatial analysis, payload management, and intervention control to disconnected tools. This fragmentation introduces significant operational overhead and compromises data traceability. To address this gap, this paper proposes a modular framework with open architecture that integrates Geographic Information System (GIS) capabilities directly into the ROV mission lifecycle. Abstracting the core mission logic from the spatial visualization layer, the proposed framework provides a unified pipeline for mission planning, real-time monitoring, and post-mission analysis. The operational viability of this approach is assessed as a proof of concept through a progressive validation campaign comprising controlled water tank trials and open sea deployments. Results, supported by qualitative feedback from domain experts, show that the architecture handles dynamic payload reconfigurations and provides real-time spatial projection. Finally, embedding GIS as a native operational layer establishes a fluid and traceable workflow across diverse marine robotic scenarios.