Lorenzo Masia, PhD
Professor Dr (W3)
Chair in "Intelligent BioRobotics Systems"
Executive Director of Munich Institute for Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI)
School of Computation Information and Technology
Department of Computer Engineering
Technische Universität München
Germany

Keynote Title: Enhancing Human Performance with Wearable Robotics and Machine Learning

Abstract: In the dynamic field of assistive technology, soft wearable exosuits represent a significant breakthrough, setting them apart from traditional rigid exoskeletons. However, the complexity of mastering soft structures is significant: it involves not just handling the non-linear dynamics of the device but also accurately interpreting the physiological signals that are crucial to the exploit a human control loop control. My talk will cover the latest advancements from my team over the past five years, detailing our development of compact, robust, reliable, and efficient exosuits. I will discuss the critical role of integrating biomechanical modelling into control strategies to customize how the machine interacts with the user’s biomechanics, aiming to enhance human performance in tasks like collaborating with industrial manipuilators or improving running endurance. I will also introduce a new method called 'Context Aware Control,' which combines traditional control techniques with machine learning, including artificial vision, to fine-tune the assistance provided. This approach endows our exosuits with the unique ability to adapt to varying external conditions or environmental changes, significantly improving the user's integration with these wearable robotic systems.

Biography: Lorenzo Masia began his career in mechanical engineering with a degree from Sapienza University of Rome in 2003, followed by a PhD from the University of Padua in 2007. His initial steps into robotics were marked by two-year as researcher at MIT's Newman Lab for Biomechanics and Human Rehabilitation, spanning from January 2005 to December 2006.

He took on the role of Team Leader at the Italian Institute of Technology, specifically in the Robotics Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department. By 2013, Masia he was an Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University of Singapore in the School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, where he remained until 2018 and later progressed at the University of Twente, where he held the position of Associate Professor in Biodesign. Professor Masia has been at Heidelberg University in Germany (2019-2024), serving as a Full Professor in Biorobotics & Medical Technology, where he founded the ARIES Lab, focusing on Assistive Robotics and Interactive ExoSuits at the Institute of Computer Engineering (ZITI).

From the 1st of October 2024, he is Professor in “Intelligent BioRobotic Systems” and Deputy Director of the Munich Institute for Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

Professor Masia's work has garnered international acclaim, evidenced by multiple awards at leading conferences in Biorobotics and Robotic Rehabilitation, including two IEEE Best Paper Awards and three IEEE Best Student Paper Awards, among others. In addition to his research and teaching, Professor Masia holds significant editorial roles with several prestigious journals, IEEE TRO, IEEE RAL, IEEE TNSRE, JNER and Wearable Technologies. He has also played key roles as Program Chair in organizing major IEEE RAS conferences in the field, and he has been the General Chair for IEEE RAS EMBS BIOROB 2024 (1-4 September 2024, Heidelberg, Germany).

Ritu Raman, PhD
Eugene Bell Career Development Assistant Professor
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Keynote Title: Leveraging Biological Actuators for Soft Robotics

Abstract: Human beings and other biological creatures navigate unpredictable and dynamic environments by combining compliant mechanical actuators (skeletal muscle) with neural control and sensory feedback. Abiotic actuators, by contrast, have yet to match their biological counterparts in their ability to autonomously sense and adapt their form and function to changing environments. We have shown that engineered skeletal muscle actuators, controlled by neuronal networks, can generate force and power functional behaviors such as walking and pumping in a range of untethered robots. These muscle-powered robots are dynamically responsive to mechanical stimuli and are capable of complex functional behaviors like exercise-mediated strengthening and healing in response to damage. Our lab uses engineered bioactuators as a platform to understand neuromuscular architecture and function in physiological and pathological states, restore mobility after disease and damage, and power adaptive soft machines. This talk will cover the advantages, challenges, and future directions of understanding and manipulating the mechanics of biological motor control systems.

Biography: Ritu Raman, PhD is the Eugene Bell Career Development Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT. Her lab is centered on 4D tissue engineering of biological actuators for applications in medicine and machines. Ritu's research has received several recognitions including the PECASE, the NSF CAREER Award, the Army Research Office YIP Award, and the Office of Naval Research YIP Award, as well as Rising Star Junior Faculty Awards from the Biomedical Engineering Society and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. She is also the recipient of the Spira Award for Excellence in Teaching at MIT and the author of the MIT Press book Biofabrication. Ritu received her BS from Cornell University and her PhD as an NSF Fellow with Prof. Rashid Bashir at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She completed her postdoctoral research as a L'Oréal For Women in Science Fellow and NASEM Ford Foundation Fellow with Prof. Robert Langer at MIT.

Keynote Title: Kinetic- and Strain-Energy Approaches in the Thermal Analysis of Constrained Mechanical Systems: A Comparative Study

Abstract: Despite the unconstrained thermal expansion is assumed stress-free, the conventional FE approach requires formulating elastic forces, and this in turn leads to elastic stresses. A displacement-based formulation, on the other hand, can be used to address this limitation by converting the thermal energy to kinetic energy instead of strain energy. The fundamental differences between the strain- and kinetic-energy approaches are discussed. It is shown that the unconstrained thermal expansion predicted using the kinetic-energy approach is independent of the continuum constitutive model, and consequently, such a formulation can be used for both solids and fluids. The displacement (kinetic) and strain (stress) formulations are discussed to shed light on the mechanism of thermal expansion at the macroscopic level. The thermal-expansion displacement formulation (TEDF) and position-gradient multiplicative decomposition into thermal and mechanical parts are used to compute the thermal stresses due to boundary and motion constraints (BMC). TEDF implementation issues are discussed and constant matrices evaluated at a preprocessing stage after applying the sweeping matrix technique to eliminate rigid-body thermal-displacement translational modes are identified. Furthermore, the softening effect due to the constitutive-model dependence on the temperature is investigated at high temperatures. Numerical results are presented to show fundamental differences between the TEDF approach that converts heat energy to kinetic energy and conventional FE approach that converts heat energy to strain energy that produces elastic stresses.

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Moataz Abdalla
University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)

Moataz Abdalla is a PhD candidate in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). Since joining the Dynamic Simulation Laboratory (DSL) in 2021, his research has focused on developing advanced numerical methods for thermoelasticity and flexible multibody dynamics. He holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he conducted research on the computational modeling of absorbable medical implants. Moataz' current work at UIC combines the Absolute Nodal Coordinate Formulation (ANCF) with a novel kinetic-energy-based approach to simulate coupled thermomechanical behavior in flexible multibody systems. This work aims to overcome key limitations in conventional FE methods commonly used for modeling thermomechanical problems, particularly in the context of large deformation and complex material behavior.

Ahmed A. Shabana
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)

Ahmed A. Shabana is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He teaches dynamics, vibration, and computational mechanics courses and has book and technical-paper publications in these areas. He is a Fellow of ASME and served as the Chair of the ASME Design Engineering Division (DED). He is the Founding Chair of the ASME Technical Committee on Multibody Systems and Nonlinear Dynamics and Founding Chair of the ASME International Conference on Multibody Systems, Nonlinear Dynamics, and Control.

George Haller
ETH

Keynote Title: Nonlinear Spectral Modeling from Data

Abstract: I discuss a dynamical systems alternative to neural networks in the data-driven reduced-order modeling of nonlinear phenomena. Specifically, I show that the recent concept of spectral submanifolds (SSMs) provides very low-dimensional attractors in a large family of mechanics problems ranging from wing oscillations to transitions in shear flows. A data-driven identification of the reduced dynamics on these SSMs gives a mathematically justified way to construct accurate and predictive reduced-order models for solids, fluids and controls without the use of governing equations. I illustrate this on physical problems including the accelerated finite-element simulations of large structures, prediction of transitions to turbulence, reduced-order modeling of fluid-structure interactions, extraction of reduced equations of motion from videos, and model-predictive control of soft robots.

Biography: George Haller is a professor of Mechanical Engineering at ETH Zürich, where he holds the Chair in Nonlinear Dynamics and heads the Institute for Mechanical Systems. His prior appointments include tenured faculty positions at Brown, McGill and MIT. He also served as the inaugural director of Morgan Stanley's fixed income modeling center. Professor Haller is a recipient of a Sloan Fellowship, an ASME Thomas Hughes Young Investigator Award, the Stanley Corrsin Award of the APS, and the Lyapunov Award of the ASME. He is an external member of the Hungarian Academy of Science and an elected fellow of SIAM, APS and ASME.

He currently serves as feature editor at Nonlinear Dynamics and senior editor at the Journal of Nonlinear Science. His research focuses on nonlinear dynamical systems with applications to mechanical vibrations, coherent structures in turbulence, and data- and equation-driven model reduction for physical systems. He has authored three monographs in these areas.

Johannes Gerstmayr
University of Innsbruck

Keynote Title: Applications and opportunities for AI in multibody dynamics

Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are redefining the landscape of engineering, in particular multibody dynamics (MBD), opening unprecedented opportunities in simulation, teaching, and industrial applications. Large language models (LLMs) and advanced neural networks are driving innovations that enhance computational efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility in this traditionally complex domain. We present a novel "lab-in-the-loop" approach to systematically evaluate and validate the ability of LLMs to perform virtual MBD experiments. This framework automates the generation of simulation code, validation of conjectures, and extraction of results. For example, the LLM generates a Python-based simulation model to validate a hypothesis about the degrees of freedom in an MBD system, leading to the creation of a synthetic yet validated knowledge base. Preliminary results highlight the potential of this method to automate the assessment of LLM capabilities and fine-tune models for MBD tasks, enabling direct interaction with simulation tools using natural language. We also show that neural networks provide computationally efficient alternatives for tasks like simulating multibody systems at the component level, integrating seamlessly with classical numerical methods such as implicit time integration methods. Furthermore, machine learning techniques excel in real-world applications, such as classifying operating states in multibody dynamic systems using raw acceleration signals, overcoming challenges posed by limited and noisy datasets. Finally, we introduce SLIDE, a deep-learning-based method for predicting dynamic responses in MBD systems. In case of forced oscillations or controlled machines, this method allows to independently estimate input-output sequences, achieving remarkable speedups—up to million times faster—compared to traditional simulations. This method incorporates an error estimator, ensuring a safe application of the method. By highlighting the latest advancements of AI applications for engineering, this presentation emphasizes the outstanding potential of AI in MBD and beyond.

Biography: After finishing his studies in mechatronics, Johannes Gerstmayr started as a research assistant in the special research area SFB13 on Numerical and Symbolical Mathematics within the project “Structural dynamics of elasto-plastic multibody systems” in 1998. He received his doctoral degree at the Johannes Kepler University Linz in 2001. After several research visits to UIC Chicago, IST Lisbon and University Duisburg-Essen with research focus on computational methods for flexible multibody systems, he finished his habilitation in Technical Mechanics in 2007.

In the same year, he joined the Linz Center of Mechatronics (LCM) as a key researcher and became leader of the business unit Dynamics and Control. In 2014 he became full professor at the newly funded Department of Mechatronics at the University of Innsbruck. He received the Wilhelm Macke-Prize in 2005, the Upper Austrian Innovation Award in 2013, and several best paper awards hereafter. His research interests are computational methods for multibody systems, deformable bodies, robotics, machine learning methods and AI. He is associate editor of Multibody System Dynamics and in the editorial advisory board of Acta Mechanica. He served as a reviewer for more than 25 scientific journals, co-authored 70 papers in scientific journals and more than 120 proceedings papers, book chapters and patents.

Walter Lacarbonara
Sapienza University of Rome

Keynote Title: Multi-Bandgap Nonlinear Metamaterials

Abstract: This talk explores 1D and 2D metamaterials featuring a periodic arrangement of highly tunable infinite-dimensional resonators, such as cantilevers with tip masses and spider-web membranes. These resonator-embedded metamaterials exhibit distinctive dispersion characteristics, including the emergence of single and multiple band gaps. The sensitivity of these band gaps to key design parameters is examined. By harnessing tailored geometric and material nonlinearities, the resonators significantly enhance band gap behavior. Using a perturbation approach, we compute nonlinear wave frequencies and waveforms both near and away from internal resonances, showcasing remarkable nonlinear tunability—an essential attribute for advanced applications. To validate our theoretical predictions, we experimentally test various 3D-printed metamaterial samples using 3D laser scanning vibrometry. The results reveal fascinating wave propagation properties and confirm the enhanced performance driven by nonlinear effects.

Biography: Walter Lacarbonara is a Professor of Nonlinear Dynamics at Sapienza University and Director of the Sapienza Center for Dynamics. During his graduate education he was awarded a MS in Structural Engineering (Sapienza University) and a MS in Engineering Mechanics (Virginia Tech, USA), and a PhD in Structural Engineering (Sapienza/Virginia Tech). His research interests cover nonlinear structural dynamics; metamaterials and nanostructured composites; asymptotic techniques; nonlinear control of vibrations; experimental nonlinear dynamics; dynamic stability of structures.

He is Editor-in-Chief of Nonlinear Dynamics, former Associate Editor for ASME Journal of Applied Mechanics, Journal of Vibration and Acoustics, Journal of Sound and Vibration. He served as Chair of the ASME Technical Committee on Multibody Systems and Nonlinear Dynamics, General Co-Chair and technical program Co-Chair of the ASME 2015 (Boston, USA) and 2013 (Portland, USA) IDETC Conferences. He has organized over 10 international symposia/conference sessions and, very recently, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th International Nonlinear Dynamics Conferences (NODYCON). His research is supported by national and international sources (EOARD/AFOSR, NSF, European Commission, Italian Ministry of Science and Education). He has published over 250 papers and conference proceedings, 5 international patents (EU/USA/China), 26 book chapters, 9 co-edited Springer books and a single-authored book (Nonlinear Structural Mechanics, Springer, NY) for which he received the 2013 Texty Award nomination by Springer US.

Chiara Daraio
G. Bradford Jones Professor
Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics
California Institute of Technology

Keynote Title: Polycatenated Architected Materials for Load Adaptive Soft Structures

Abstract: In recent years, the development of architected materials has led to exciting advancements in mechanical metamaterials, particularly those exhibiting tunable mechanical properties. We recently introduced polycatenated architected materials (PAMs) that consist of topologically interlinked wireframe structures, like 3D chainmail fabrics. These materials can transition between fluid-like and rigid states, adapting to different loading conditions and external stimuli. The response of these materials depends on the particles' geometry and on the topology of their interlocks, transitioning between truss-like to granular-like as a function of the type of the external load applied. This talk will explore a few PAMs designs and their emerging responses governed by different contacts and interlocking mechanisms. These materials show potential applications in wearable impact protection, soft robotics, and stimuli-responsive technologies.

Biography: Prof. Daraio's work is focused on developing new materials with advanced mechanical and sensing properties, for application in soft robotics, wearable devices, and shock/vibration absorption. Her lab is interested in understanding how different physical functions in new materials arise from their micro- and meso-structure, in both ordered and disordered media. Some of the applications of her research include new materials and methods for acoustic imaging and thermal sensing for health monitoring, smart and tunable fabrics, as well as sustainable materials for packaging and construction. Her work is primarily experimental, but it is informed by numerical and analytical studies, which serve as a guide in new material design, fabrication, and validation of their properties.

Professor Malte Krack
University of Stuttgart, Germany

Keynote Title: How to Deal with Nonlinear Contact in Structural Dynamics?

Abstract: Contact interactions are found everywhere in technology, nature and everyday life. Dry friction causes most of the damping of aerospace structures; without it, the blades of aircraft engines would break during operation due to fatigue under high vibrations. Impacts are exploited for new technologies to mitigate vibrations and for energy harvesting. In spite of their pervasiveness, it remains a huge challenge to accurately predict the dynamics of structures subjected to contact interactions. Most computational methods are restricted to smooth behavior and fail in the presence of discontinuous transitions between opening/closing, sticking/sliding contact. In this talk, I share the experience we gained over the past decade on what approaches seem most suitable for this problem class. Our numerical simulation methods reduce the computational effort by several orders of magnitude compared to conventional finite element tools. We also develop methods for the precise experimental quantification of damping and experimental continuation. To make friction damping predictable, multi-scale approaches are developed, along with measurement technology for contact mechanical investigations with nanometer resolution. I am extremely excited not only to see our fundamentally researched theories and methods being validated in our laboratories, but also to see them through to technological maturity together with our partners from industry, who use our tools to design better and vibration-safe engines / turbomachines.

Biography: Malte Krack is a Professor at the University of Stuttgart. After obtaining his doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering 2014 at the University of Hannover, he was postdoctoral researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, before he started as a tenure-tracked professor 2016 at the University of Stuttgart, where he was promoted to Full Professor 2021. His research revolves around nonlinear structural dynamics with a particular focus on contact (dry friction; impacts), it spans the complete range from the fundamental development of computational and experimental methods to real-world engineering applications such as bladed disks in aircraft engines.

He received 6 Best Paper Awards (5 from the ASME), and 3 best graduation awards. He is an Associate Editor of Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, served as Lecturer in 2 CISM Advanced Schools and was invited as Keynote Speaker to 3 international meetings/conferences. He has published about 70 articles in peer-reviewed high impact journals, 4 book chapters, several open source tools (incl. NLvib) and a monograph (Harmonic Balance for Nonlinear Vibration Problems, Springer), and holds 3 international patents.

Dr. Stephen "Michael" Spottswood
Senior technical staff, Aerospace Systems Directorate
Principal Aerospace Engineer, Structural Sciences Center
Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

Presentation Title: Aerothermoelastic Behavior of Aerospace Structures

Abstract: Coupled aerothermoelastic, or fluid-thermal-structural interaction (FTSI), behavior is a necessary consideration for high-speed vehicles when assuming a "hot-structure" design approach. Hot-structures, versus thermally protected ones, are weight-constrained (thinner-gauge metallic or composite) with (in-plane) confining sub- and surrounding structure. These constraints, along with the extreme and transient thermal and aero-induced loadings, result in nonlinear structural behavior that can be very challenging to predict. These prediction challenges manifest in uncertain and quite possibly non-conservative limit-state margins. To alleviate these challenges, the USAF Structural Sciences Center at Wright-Patterson AFB has been actively pursuing numerous unique and consequential FTSI experiments. The design and observations of these experiments has resulted in several validation challenge problems for the larger industry, academic and laboratory communities, and complete datasets are available for distribution. The USAF has continued to pursue research relevant to hot-structures – designing/refining a series of experiments, measurement techniques and predictive capabilities with ongoing activities in USAF and international facilities. A historical overview, notable highlights, and recent results from these experimental campaigns will be shared to motivate FTSI research and provide greater context for collaboration with the aerothermoelastic research and technology communities.

Biography: Dr. Stephen "Michael" Spottswood is a member of the senior technical staff of the Air Force Research Laboratory, Aerospace Systems Directorate (AFRL/RQ), at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and a Principal Aerospace Engineer in the Structural Sciences Center (SSC), where he leads a highly capable government, post-doctoral and academic research team. As a long-serving member of the SSC, Michael has led numerous basic-to-advanced development projects/programs and made lasting connections with the aerospace industry. He was the technical manager for the first SSC-led academic collaborative center – the Midwest Structural Sciences Center, U. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 2006-2013. In 2012, Michael was selected to head the basic research mission of the SSC, leading the AFOSR interactions and forging strong connections with Arlington, EOARD and AOARD program officers. Michael’s SSC aerothermoelastic research team is well recognized for their hypersonic structures research, e.g., 1st ever successful high-supersonic full-field observations/validation of aerospace structure at the Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) von Kármán aerothermal wind tunnel (VKF-C). Michael excels at leading diverse teams focusing on multi-discipline aerospace problems and enjoys designing and executing complex experiments exploring deleterious structural behavior and then reconciling predictions and measurements. Michael was the first USAF recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE, 2010), a 2015 AFRL Commander’s Cup/Richard Neal Special Recognition Award winner, 2017 Courtland D. Perkins Award winner, 2022 S.D. Heron Award winner, and is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Professor Richard Rand
Cornell University

Keynote Title: The Nonlinear Dynamics of the Moon-Rand Equations

Abstract: The so-called Moon-Rand equations were developed in 1985 to describe the stiffness control of flexible space structures. The equations take the form of a linear oscillator in x,y coordinates with a control parameter z, where, dx/dt = y and dy/dt = -x - z x.

The control parameter z satisfies the equation dz/dt = - k z + f(x,y) where f(x,y) is modeled as a truncated power series in x,y: f(x,y) = G_20 x^2 + G_11 xy + G_02 y^2. The question is to determine the nonlinear dynamical behavior in the neighborhood of the origin. This includes stability of the equilibrium point at the origin, Hopf bifurcation of limit cycles and so on.

Biography: Rand joined the Cornell faculty in 1967 after receiving his doctorate from Columbia University. He was a visiting professor at the University of California at Berkeley in 1981 and at the University of California at Los Angeles in 1989. Rand received teaching awards from the Engineering College at Cornell in 1986, 1993, 1995, 2005 and 2008, and from the Mathematics Department in 2013. In 2017, Rand received the Thomas K. Caughey Dynamics Award from the ASME Applied Mechanics Division.