Lecturers of the course
Dimiter Zlatanov
Dimiter Zlatanov obtained the Diploma in mathematics and mechanics from the University of Sofia in 1989, and the Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in 1998. He has used screw theory in the singularity and mobility analysis of mechanisms. He is the inventor of one of the first-known 4-dof parallel mechanisms and has presented courses and talks on screw-based methods in various universities. He is with the University of Genoa.
Xianwen Kong
Xianwen Kong's research interests include mechanisms, robotics and mechatronics. He developed a systematic screw-theory-based approach to the creative design of parallel manipulators and compliant mechanisms. He is the inventor of numerous parallel mechanisms and the co-author of the book Type synthesis of parallel mechanisms. He worked from 2003 to 2007 at the Robotics Laboratory in Laval University. He is with Heriot-Watt University since 2007.
Matteo Zoppi
Matteo Zoppi received the M.Eng. degree in mechanical engineering in 2000, and the Ph.D. in 2004, both from the University of Genoa. He is a faculty member of the same university since 2005. His research interests comprise synthesis, analysis and modeling of parallel manipulators, design and development of task-oriented service robots, and MEMS robotic systems. He has developed screw-theoretical techniques for the derivation and application of velocity equations for complex-chain manipulators.
Harvey Lipkin
Harvey Lipkin graduated from the University of Florida in 1983 and was awarded a Ph.D. by the same university in 1985. He is with the Georgia Institute of Technology since 1985. He has worked more than any one on applying screw-theoretical methods in different areas of robotics and mechanisms, such as hybrid control, compliance, vibrations, and dynamics. He has taught various aspects of screw theory and supervised graduate students in the use of such methods.
Roy Featherstone
Roy Featherstone is the inventor of the Articulated-Body Dynamics Algorithm, and the author of the books Robot Dynamics Algorithms and Rigid Body Dynamics Algorithms. His ground-breaking work in dynamics has relied on the use of 6-D vectors and the concepts of screw theory to guide the formulation of the equations of motion, and to make them easier to understand. Dr. Featherstone is currently a visiting professor at the Italian Institute of Technology.
Jon Selig
Jon Selig graduated from the University of York in 1980 and was awarded a Ph.D. by the University of Liverpool in 1984. He is at London South Bank University since 1987 and is the foremost specialist on advanced geometrical and group-theoretical methods in robotics. He is the author of the book Geometric Fundamentals of Robotics, and several book chapters and papers on the application of Clifford algebras and Lie group theory to Robotics.
2014 invited lecturer
Marco Carricato
Marco Carricato received the M.Sc. degree in mechanical engineering in 1998 and the Ph.D. in 2002. He is at University of Bologna since 2004. His research interests include the theory of mechanisms and robotic systems, with focus on parallel robots, cable-driven manipulators and screw theory. In the latter domain, he conceived the theory of persistent screw systems, as well as presented a novel taxonomy of singularities of parallel kinematic chains.