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At Politecnico di Milano, a project does the grocery shopping for those who can’t

Posted on 11 May 2023 | by admin

The five research projects on the theme of 'Equality and Recovery', selected by the Polisocial Award 2021 and financed thanks to '5 per mille' pre-tax donations to Politecnico di Milano, are coming to an end. The public health emergency resulting from the pandemic contributed to intensifying inequality and marginalisation and actualising the risk of an increase in disparity; therefore, the funded projects work towards economic, social and cultural recovery by promoting the development of methods, strategies, tools and technologies aimed at reducing inequalities and facilitating access to resources and opportunities for particularly vulnerable people, social groups or communities.

Co-ordinated by Prof. Davide Fassi at the Department of Design, the SOSpesa project takes its cue from a grassroots neighbourhood initiative which started in a Facebook group - NoLo Social District. During the first lockdown in 2020, it was a meeting point for those who wanted to donate food, those who needed it, and those who could make themselves available to deliver groceries door-to-door. With the end of the lockdown period, Off Campus NoLo at Politecnico di Milano has decided to adopt this initiative, starting to experiment with various methods to offer a service that was previously left to individual initiative. The Off Campus spaces at the neighbourhood market at Viale Monza 54 were chosen for this. Researchers Valentina Ferreri from the Department of Design and Stefano Quaglia from the Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering explain the details of this project, moving from the desire to help families in need.

BREAD, MEAT, FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

'We wanted to provide a different service compared to the classic "spesa sospesa" offered by supermarket chains, in order to avoid the "first come, first served" crowd,' Ferreri explains. The food being given away is fresh and high-quality, and the distribution system is managed in an orderly manner: the recipients (currently around 200 families) are contacted to organise the delivery of the groceries, which takes place a couple of times a month. Each family is entitled to pick up two types of groceries, alternating between them: first a packet of surplus food, rescued thanks to the collaboration with RECUP and various neighbourhood shops that donate their unsold food, and then a bag of products worth 30 euros, bought by Off Campus.

THE POWER OF WORD OF MOUTH

How are recipient families identified? "Initially, they had to register on an online platform, then in 2021, with the arrival of our Polisocial project, a selection of recipient families and a methodology of distribution on a rotational basis were defined", Ferreri explains. "We do not ask for proof of financial status, we trust people's good faith: we have neither the means nor the ability to check. It works: we are notified of many people by Rete Qubì in Loreto, others are referred by families who already benefit from the service; some have even removed themselves from the list, because they no longer need help."

TRANSFORMING UNSOLD GOODS

Another aspect of the SOSpesa project is the 'transformation' (yes, this is what it’s called) of unsold goods: "Many shopkeepers wanted to support our initiative with unsold goods, but they had an insufficient amount of surplus. So we decided to donate a small part of the boxes we rescue thanks to the work of the Recup association to the restaurant ‘Cunza’ and the delicatessen ‘Fola’, which reprocess and cook the products to make dishes and preserves to sell. For every dish sold, the project receives one euro", explains Ferreri.

Among the most critical issues encountered, especially with an eye to the future, is the need to continuously raise funds for the project: 'We are always in need of money to buy quality food,' explains Ferreri. 'At the moment, those who wish can donate in three ways: with Satispay, by bank transfer or in cash at the collection points. In the future, however, if the model expands to other neighbourhoods, fundraising will be an aspect to be taken into account.' According to Quaglia, the added value of SOSpesa is that, by getting the real neighbourhood involved, they can better see to the social aspect and create a network of people willing to work with them.

THE ROLE OF STUDENTS

The project involved many students as volunteers: "Some student associations, such as Social Innovation Teams (SIT), took care of the relationship with the recipients, contacting them when it was time to pick up the groceries", says Ferreri. Another active collaboration is with the Muslim Students Association, which assists the volunteers delivering groceries at the Off Campus NoLo site, talking with recipients who do not understand Italian.

A SHARED REFRIGERATOR

The researchers are now ready to wrap up the project, which is in its closing phase: one of the ideas for the future, in addition to taking the model to other neighbourhoods (starting perhaps with other Off Campus sites), is to develop a neighbourhood refrigerator project. 'It would be interesting to share a cold store with other organisations and services involved in food rescue and redistribution. Rete Qubì participated in a municipal call for projects with this idea, now we just have to wait for the results,' Ferreri concludes.

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Piazzale Loreto: a square open to the future

Posted on 9 May 2023 | by admin

Milan, 2026. Exiting the Loreto underground station, you are almost delivered into the embrace of the square, which - excavated in the form of a hypogeum, in natural stone - descends to the mezzanine level to carry you up to the open sky, where, looking up, you discover the green rooftops of three buildings: prismatic structures equipped with solar panels and discreet containers for shops, while outside a network of pedestrians and cyclists moves among three hundred trees, a place of passage and meeting. This urban regeneration covers more than nine thousand square metres, including almost four thousand square metres of public green space and more than one kilometre of cycle paths in the entire project. Back to Milan, 2023. This vision is - in short - the design of the new Piazzale Loreto, winner of the international competition Reinventing Cities. Entitled LOC - Loreto Open Community, it is scheduled to start construction by autumn 2023 with the aim of completion for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, and is based on the idea of a piazza that is open to people and ideas. We spoke to Alumnus Carlo Masseroli, Development&Strategy Director of Nhood, an international real estate solutions company specialising in commercial real estate and urban regeneration - the leader of a multidisciplinary team that includes some of the best in the fields of planning, design and landscape.

THE PROJECT IS CALLED LOC - LORETO OPEN COMMUNITY: HOW DOES THE PROJECT OPEN UP TO THE COMMUNITY?

The project is divided into four stages, which over time and in various ways foresee dialogue with the community. For us, it was essential to start by listening to the local community, which does not mean neutralising potential neighbourhood committees or being careful not to touch on issues that could have generated opposition. We needed to present the project and understand with the local people themselves whether it was consistent. So, in the first listening stage it immediately emerged that there this square still retains a strong legacy of the boom in the car industry, when a different notion of the city transformed it not into a meeting place but a place of division. So much so that Piazzale Loreto separates parts of the city that are profoundly distant from one another. There is no other place in the city where, standing at the centre and looking around, you can see so many different Milans: there is NoLo, which is enjoying a new vitality generated thanks to the local residents, but which, compared to Corso Buenos Aires, for example, began with fewer services. On the opposite side we have Corso Buenos Aires, the wealthiest part, the shopping area. Continuing in line from here, we have Viale Monza and the multicultural Via Padova. And then there is Città Studi, the university district. In short, it is a road junction that from a social point of view has created a barrier to sharing the city. We want to tear down this barrier. Hence the idea for a project that is not monumental and architectural in nature - which it was originally - but which transforms the square into a place that reunites many different parts of the city. An agora, a meeting point.

THE CURRENT MEETING POINT IS LOC 2026, A PHYSICAL SPACE ON VIA PORPORA, OPEN TO ANYONE FROM THE COMMUNITY WHO WANTS TO LEARN ABOUT THE PROJECT AND ITS EVOLUTION.

Yes, and this is the stage we are in now. LOC 2026 will start hosting initiatives and events that will anticipate what we would like to see in the square. We will also organise a series of meetings for students at the Politecnico di Milano, to explain the various stages and also hear their point of view on the project. Likewise, we will meet with other local schools and actors to explain the many aspects of the project, from mobility to the environment. Regarding the environment, during my tenure as councillor for spatial development (2006-2011, ed.) we had envisaged the theme of ‘green spokes’ in the city, that is an orbital park made up of cycle paths and nature that would encircle the city, running from the centre to the suburbs. Piazzale Loreto will represent one of these green spokes. Returning to the origin of the core of this idea, I would like to add that the first milestone of this square was the construction of the working team. When the Reinventing Cities call was launched, I was at Arcadis, a design and engineering consultancy, and I wanted to build a team capable of meeting a major challenge: a private entity that for the first time transforms a public square, an emblem of regeneration that combines public interest and private viability. So we engaged Nhood, which specialises in transforming spaces into living places, the Metrogramma team of architects and MIC-HUB for public and private infrastructure mobility.

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO RETHINK AND RECONSTRUCT A SQUARE THAT HAS LITERALLY WITNESSED THE PASSAGE OF HISTORY?

On the one hand, there is enormous fear because the expectation is high. And we could envisage meetings dedicated precisely to discussing and preserving the history of this square. No one from my generation has ever set foot in the centre of this square and this will be a great new element: in the square of the future, the entire area will be open to pedestrians. From a mobility point of view, the impact is very low because we create order but without restrictions. We will reduce traffic by 5 %, but we believe that the construction period - which will be the third stage - will naturally lead to a new way of using this part of the city. Finally, and we come to the fourth stage, our ambition is that this square, like the large squares in other capital cities, becomes one of the places on Milan’s tourist tours.

AND IF YOU WERE TO LOOK BACK TO YOUR YEARS AS A STUDENT AT THE POLITECNICO DI MILANO, WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON YOU FEEL YOU LEARNED HERE AND WHICH IS STILL VALUABLE IN YOUR WORK TODAY?

After graduating in management engineering, I opened a company dealing with management control information systems. Subsequently, I was councillor for urban planning in Milan for five years, playing a public role focused on urban regeneration. Then, as general manager of MilanoSesto, I have played the role of a private individual and today part of my job is precisely to make sure that public interests match and dialogue with private interests and viability. This preamble serves to emphasise how I started working using the management skills I learnt at university but then did something else. More than vertical skills, what remained was a learned method, the ability to tackle any complex issue, to process any kind of problem. In a dramatically changing world, I have the toolbox I created at the Poli. The other lesson learned is the tendency always to provide a quantification. To maintain a pragmatic approach. Especially in the world of urban regeneration, where all kinds of very complex competences are combined and you need to be able to condense things: quantify the process, give a sense of concreteness to the things you are managing. In a nutshell: put things into numbers.

LET'S GO BACK TO THE FUTURE: HOW DO YOU IMAGINE A WALK IN PIAZZALE LORETO ON A DAY IN 2026?

For me, the centre of Piazzale Loreto is the most unreachable place for the people of Milan, almost a utopia. Being able to walk in that place and making it usable for everyone is, I think, a good symbolic goal. There, in the shade of a sunny day, I would like to toast the new square.

Can’t you see anything? Budd-e, the robot-guide for the blind, can help you

Posted on 4 May 2023 | by admin

The five research projects on the theme of 'Equality and Recovery', selected by the Polisocial Award 2021 and funded by 5 per mille donations to the Politecnico, are coming to an end. The public health emergency caused by the pandemic intensified imbalances and marginalisation and led to the concrete risk of an increase in social inequality; the projects funded acted according to a logic of economic, social and cultural recovery, promoting the development of methods, strategies, tools and technologies to reduce inequalities and facilitate access to resources and opportunities for particularly vulnerable people, social groups or communities.

The BUDD-e (Blind-assistive aUtonomous Droid Device) project is part of this framework: the team, made up of researchers from various Politecnico departments (DEIB, DIG, DESIGN and DABC), worked to develop a robot that could offer more independence to blind and visually impaired people, guiding them in everyday activities such as a run in the park or a trip to the shopping centre. "The initial idea was to provide blind and visually impaired people with a tool that would give them independence while running, but then the project was extended to other areas when we realised, together with our partners, that there are various accessibility difficulties in public spaces", explains Prof. Marcello Farina (Department of Electronics, Information and Bioengineering), the project's scientific co-ordinator.

TRIALS UNDERWAY

Before starting, the researchers presented various blind and visually impaired consumers with a series of questionnaires to find out what their habits and needs were: it turned out that most of them (75%) only moved around when accompanied by friends, relatives or volunteers, and that 1% did not even leave the house for fear of hurting themselves.

Budd-e aims to replace carers in order to give more freedom to blind and visually impaired people: "The idea is to make it a public service, an aid you can use when you go to the supermarket, the park or the station", Farina explains. "The two places where we will carry out the first trials are the Niguarda Hospital and the Centro Sportivo Giurati at Politecnico: at the Niguarda the test will probably be in June, while we have not yet fixed the date at the Centro Sportivo; however, project will be concluded by September and a closing event will take place.

ROBOTS AND RADARS FOR EVERYDAY LIFE

Budd-e has the same size and mobility as a wheelchair, and is a 2.0 version of Yape, a robot already on the market used for last-mile distribution (i.e., the last step in the supply chain, which takes place with the delivery of the product to the customer).

Find out more about Yape at this link

Compared to Yape, the most visible change in Budd-e is the addition of the 'hand strap' that serves to guide the user: "The wrist strap is active, it gives a tension of 0.6 kilograms force to the user, who thus knows where to go: Budd-e does not pull their arm, and only moves when the user moves, adapting to their speed and always maintaining the same distance", Farina explains. Powered by electric batteries, in order to function Budd-e must first map the place where it will move: in closed places (such as hospitals or shopping centres) it requires LIDAR technology (Light Detection and Ranging, an aerial remote sensing system), while for parks and open spaces, GPS mapping is sufficient.

"Budd-e is a work in progress", Farina clarifies: "Even the version we will test in June will not be the final one, as we will continue to improve it: the most important changes we want to make are the optimisation of the wrist strap pull system and the addition of an acoustic signal".

DONATE YOUR "5 X 1000" TO THE POLITECNICO DI MILANO AND SUPPORT RESEARCH: FIND OUT HOW AT THIS LINK https://www.dona.polimi.it/il-5-x-mille/

Sostieni la ricerca ad alto impatto sociale!

Launch of the JUICE mission to Jupiter

Posted on 3 May 2023 | by admin

On 14 April, at 14:14 Italian time, JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer), was launched from the Kourou base in French Guiana, the European Space Agency probe that will reach the Jupiter system in 2031 to make detailed observations of the gaseous planet and three of its moons: Callisto, Europa and Ganymede.

The Politecnico di Milano is also involved in the mission: researchers at the MetroSpace Lab in the Department of Mechanics, on the Lecco Campus, helped to design of one of the main instruments on board the probe: MAJIS (Moons and Jupiter Imaging Spectrometer), an imaging spectrometer that operates on two different spectral channels, near infrared and infrared. The instrument was built by a French and Italian consortium, (French Principal Investigator, Francois Poulet from the IAS in Paris, with Italian Co-Principal Investigator, Giuseppe Piccioni from the INAF in Rome) with Belgian support; the optical head of the instrument is the Italian contribution.

In particular, the team from the Politecnico led the initial phase of the thermomechanical project, studying a passive cooling system capable of maintaining the infrared sensor at temperatures below 90 K (-183.15 °C) and the entire optical system at temperatures below 140 K (-133.15 °C), even though the satellite will operate at close to Earth temperatures.

The executive design and construction of the instrument were conducted by Leonardo, funded by the Italian Space Agency, under the supervision of the scientific team, within which the Politecnico group will remain active during the flight and operational phase of the mission, first to refine the thermal model of the instrument, using the data collected during the cruise phase, and then to support the planning of the observations.

For further information: Space @polimi

A new digital record for Italy: a chat with Giuseppe Di Franco

Posted on 2 May 2023 | by admin

“This is a time of great development in the Italian market in terms of digital technology, driven by two fundamental trends: European investments (such as those of the NRRP) and digital transformative processes. At the head of these two trends are the large industrial groups, as one of the issues to consider is the sheer size required to make an impact in the digital sector”.

Speaking is Giuseppe Di Franco, Managing Director of the Lutech Group, CEO of Lutech Advanced Solutions and an Alumnus of the Politecnico in management engineering. He explains that in this context, one can do very little alone, and this is, as we know, a critical issue in the Italian industrial fabric, characterised by various small- and medium-sized (albeit excellent) companies. “One of the major efficiency issues of the Italian economic system lies in the low productivity of labour compared to the main European partners. The way to improve productivity, national security, data sovereignty, is linked to important digital investments. This must be done consistently with national objectives". 

This was one of the considerations that led to the negotiations for the acquisition of Atos Italia by Lutech, in partnership with the Apax funds and the Atos Group. "We have worked to create a digital champion in Italy; we aim to exceed one billion euros in turnover in approximately a year and a half with a workforce of over 5,000 people. This is a player of paramount significance internationally”.

ITALIAN INVESTMENTS TO MULTIPLY OUR COMPUTING CAPACITY

The issue is important because it points towards a dominance of Italy over innovation and design capacity"I don't think we will ever compete with China on labour costs, will we? So, you have to focus on computing capacity to design and escape the trap of competing on labour costs. That is mortifying, and has always led to devastating effects”. We ask Mr Di Franco what the next steps are in this process.

"At the end of 2022, the most significant computing project of recent years was launched by the President of the Republic. I am referring to the Leonardo supercomputer, which doubles the national computing capacity. It is the fourth most powerful supercomputer in the world and is devoted to scientific and technological research. Powered by Atos technology and managed by the Cineca university consortium, thanks also to the expertise of the then Atos Italy team, it is accessible to universities and companies throughout Italy. Leonardo is one of the examples of the fact that our country is investing in equipping itself with a first-class processing capacity at both European and international level. Which, I would say, is a basic element to be able to talk about digital development”.

DIGITAL TWINS, FROM LIGHT METERS TO THE ENTIRE PLANET

Directly related to computing power, the other element of growth is our modelling capacity. “From an unrefined model of the human body, for instance, I cannot possibly be expected to be able to study DNA. The more the model of the body can be broken down into parts increasingly faithful to their physical twins AND with higher resolution, the more effective scientific research can be in terms of predictability”. We speak, of course, of the Digital Twin, a relatively new term to define a millenary ambition of our species: that of being able, whilst having all the information available, to predict the development (i.e., obtain a model) of any phenomenon. 

"And here we touch on two important issues. First of all, as we said, the exponentially growing computing capacity. We are changing the order of magnitude of what can be simulated, of what we have simulated and thought up to now, which is fortunately in danger of becoming obsolete very soon. Starting with the concrete: think, for example, of the use of the Digital Twin for city management, for the design of complex technological elements, for the treatment of organs in the body with revolutionary drugs, for meteorological studies, for predictive technologies... the sky is the limit, so the saying goes”.

FISHING IN DATA LAKES IS NO CHILD'S PLAY

The critical aspect of all this lies in the complexity and number of variables in the information we can collect a priori; error is just around the corner, and it brings with it the risk of a drift effect. "In technology parlance we talk about building data lakes; in general, however, we are talking about an end point that does not turn on with an on/off switch. It is a path that has intermediate steps; all the big companies are working very seriously on building these datasets with data collection as a prerequisite (e.g., with IoT). To cite a domestic case, Enel is one of the largest data lakes in the world with readings and data from meters. This gives information, for example on energy consumption, the possibility of balancing the grid, the correct use of existing infrastructure, etc.”

Another bit of good news is that this is only the beginning. "Scientific and technological research is leading us towards quantum computing, which will change orders of magnitude further when we move to applications that use quantum capacity instead of parallel capacity”.

IF MACHINES DESIGN OTHER MACHINES AND THEY MAKE MISTAKES, WHOSE RESPONSIBILITY IS IT?

Let's assume that we are driving. At some point, the brake mechanism jams: there was a design error in the car, which was not designed well enough to withstand a certain use. Who is to blame? Today, we are at the point where we can design a car using Digital Twin: in practice, it is machines that design other machines, based on our preferences. This way of designing should further reduce the (already low) margin of error. But errors can never be completely eliminated, and when they occur, we ask ourselves who is to blame. We are under the impression, however, that the human user demands more from digital security than he/she does from his/her fellow human beings. In the same way we have legitimate doubts on the question of autonomous driving. Then there is an issue of opacity of choices. The question is this: can we trust a machine in the same way that we can trust a human?

“Novelty always induces concern,” replies Di Franco. “If you go from horses to cars, you worry about cars. Today, we are dealing with self-driving cars, who knows what other questions we will ask ourselves in the future. Novelty introduces uncertainty: we are attracted to it, but also frightened of it. And this is another cultural element: an evolved country must have an evolved school and university system capable of preparing the population for change”.

THIS IS WHERE CYBERSECURITY COMES IN...

"Digitisation and cybersecurity must grow in parallel, as must the skills required to manage them, otherwise we may run into the same problems that we have seen in the news from time to time. This is a cultural issue and one of the many that highlight the important role of institutions such as the Politecnico di Milano: universities such as the Poli are a driving force for the development of skills (and I cite the study programme in High Performance Computing as an example) as well as a driving force for cultural transformation. Another crucial issue is resistance to innovation. How many times do we find ourselves in companies talking about these topics and we hear the answer, especially from medium- and small-sized companies: “we don't need it”; “we have never used it”; “we have always done without it”... but digitisation requires its own supply chain: if a manufacturing company wants to digitally design a car, they need suppliers who are themselves digitised. This is the major issue of involving of small and medium-sized companies as an essential element of the country's development. Not least because it is these that represent our economic backbone”. Also in this transformation, collaboration between the industrial system and universities is key. In this sense, Lutech Advances Solutions (formerly Atos Italia) and the Politecnico di Milano have recently signed a three-year agreement to develop shared teaching, technology transfer and research projects applied to frontier areas: precisely those we have talked about here, in the field of digitisation, such as Digital Twin, High Performance Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity and Internet of Things. "It is an agreement that naturally emerges from a very long relationship, which has also seen the Politecnico involved in training our managers to know how to manage this path of change. The relationship with the Politecnico di Milano is an essential part of our strategic path and represents an exemplary case for Italy. Intensive cooperation with the university system means bringing innovation to industries and also being able to think up new models of action”.

Water wars: is water the new oil? No, it’s even worse

Posted on 28 April 2023 | by admin

We are used to turning on the tap and seeing plenty of water gush out, without worrying that it might run out. We take it for granted that we will have enough to quench our thirst and wash ourselves, but also to produce primary goods such as food and electricity. Although this attitude is changing in our country because of drought, in some developing countries water is a commodity for which people even kill: a study conducted by a group of Politecnico researchers and published in the prestigious journal Nature Sustainability investigated how water is linked to violent conflicts in the Lake Chad basin in Africa, trying to specifically understand what role this resource plays in triggering the conflict itself. We spoke to two of the authors, researchers Nikolas Galli and Maria Cristina Rulli, from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: here is what they told us.

CONFLICTS, NOT WARS

Although the phrase commonly used in English is water wars, in this case, Galli and Rulli explain, the expression is wrong: "So far, we have never had evidence of water wars in history, except perhaps one in the time of the Sumerians in the 3rd millennium BC", Rulli points out. "The term war in international law has the meaning of aggression by one state against another; in the cases we investigated, it is therefore more correct to speak of conflicts, not wars".

WATER IS ONLY ONE OF THE FACTORS INVOLVED

"We chose to focus on the area of the Lake Chad basin because it is a region that suffers from serious institutional and environmental fragility", Galli explains. "It is also often misrepresented, which is why we decided to analyse the issue of conflicts in the area in a more scientific way". One of the conclusions reached by the analysis is that water is only one of the factors at play in triggering conflicts: "There are typical socio-economic drivers behind the emergence of conflicts, such as religious or political reasons that often interact with each other and with hydrological dynamics", Galli explains. Very often, moreover, the areas most prone to conflict are those that already have a history of conflict behind them. And climate change, which brings with it the threat of desertification, is an accelerator of these drivers.

CONFLICTS OVER WATER IN EUROPE

As the problems of water scarcity and droughts become increasingly serious in the Old Continent too, will it be our turn to be involved in water wars in the future? "I hope not", commented Rulli. 'We are in a somewhat different historical phase and I hope we will not have violent conflicts like we see in Central Africa, but if we are talking about conflicts over resources, those already exist. When the resource is scarce and there are multiple users (such as the agricultural, energy or domestic sectors), managing the water resource incorrectly can lead to conflict situations'. We are talking about a social and economic conflict, of course, which does not escalate to violence, but can still have important consequences on our way of life. In this regard, Rulli cites an episode that occurred in Texas and New Mexico during a severe drought: 'Farmers were selling the water they had in concession for agricultural use to energy producers, who paid huge amounts for it: the result was that energy was being produced instead of food'.

Is thus water the new oil? 'Water is more valuable than oil and we have finally realised that now. Access to water and sanitation are in fact recognised by the United Nations as human rights. As such, it should be given a value but not a price”, says Rulli.

BEYOND WATER: A NEW STUDY ON ITS WAY

On 6 April, a new article came out that expanded on the topic covered in the Nature Sustainability study: "We deepened the water-conflict link to also include food", explains Rulli. "We focused on urban conflicts in Central America, analysing the role of water not only as a strategic resource in its own right, but also as a resource for food production".

THE IMPORTANCE OF TRANSDISCIPLINARITY

We conclude with a question: what has this research taught you? "The importance of transdisciplinarity", replies Rulli. "Having a solid scientific basis is essential, but not sufficient: one has to be modest and open to collaboration with other colleagues who are experts in other fields, especially when dealing with global social issues, as in this case". Galli responded along the same lines, stating: "The most important moment in our research was when we realised that we could see better what we were looking for when we accepted the complexity of the problem, without trying to simplify it. When analysing such important and at the same time complex phenomena, one must be modest, and study them with the awareness that, more often than not, we lack the tools to understand them completely".

The School of Management at the Politecnico di Milano is ranked 4th best in Europe

Posted on 26 April 2023 | by admin

The Italian business school landscape is growing, according to the QS Online MBA Ranking: Europe 2023, Quacquarelli Symonds' periodic ranking of the quality of business schools internationally.

In this landscape, which is in itself a positive sign for our country, the School of Management at the Politecnico di Milano ranks first in Italy and fourth in Europe, behind IE Business School (Spain), Warwick Business School and Imperial College Business School (both in the UK, the country in the European zone most represented in this ranking by number of business schools).  The ranking includes 26 European online MBA programmes.

Our school achieved excellent results in the "Faculty & Teaching" indicator, which ranks us first in Europe for the quality of professors and teaching in particular (the survey involved more than 100,000 academic profiles worldwide). The SoM also excels in Employability, meaning the level of employability of its students, for which we rank 5th in Europe, and Class Experience, the learning experience offered to participants, for which we rank 3rd.

"This recognition comes just a few weeks after that of the Financial Times; being among the best European business schools with our online Executive MBA, also according to the authoritative QS ranking, once again confirms our leadership in the field of innovation and digitalisation of managerial training", commented Vittorio Chiesa and Federico Frattini, respectively President and Dean of the Polimi Graduate School of Management in an interview "Ranking first in Europe for the quality of our professors and our teaching is a historic achievement that naturally makes us proud, as it adds to the reputation our school enjoys.

Stonehenge: Politecnico di Milano unveils one of the mysteries surrounding the archaeological site

Posted on 21 April 2023 | by admin

Stonehenge is still attracting the attention of scholars and researchers more than four millennia after its building.

An academic study by Politecnico di Milano has proposed a scientific explanation of Stonehenge's original function - debunking some current theories about the mysterious monument from the Neolithic period.

One of the most recent theories to be debunked is that Stonehenge is a giant calendar based on a numerological interpretation of Egyptian and Julian calendars with 365 days and 12 months of the year. According to professor Giulio Magli of Politecnico di Milano and Professor Juan Antonio Belmonte of Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias and Universidad de La Laguna in Tenerife, this assertion is incorrect.

«All in all, the supposed Stonehenge Neolithic solar calendar is a purely modern construct, with a poor archaeoastronomical and calendrical basis. As repeatedly happened in the past. For example, with the claims (proven untenable by modern research) that Stonehenge was used to predict eclipses, the monument reverts to its role as a mute witness to the sacred landscape of its builders, a role which - Magli and Belmonte stress - in no way detracts from its extraordinary fascination».

STONEHENGE: A NEW THEORY

In their article, published in Antiquity, one of the most prestigious scientific journals in archaeology, the authors demonstrate that the theory is based on a series of forced interpretations of the monument's connections to astronomy.

ASTRONOMICAL ELEMENT

Firstly, Magli and Belmonte analysed the astronomical element. Although the solstice alignment is accurate, the authors show that the slow movement of the sun on the horizon on days close to the solstices makes it impossible to ascertain the correct functioning of the supposed calendar, as the structure, made up of huge stones, should be able to distinguish very precise positions, less than 1/10 of a degree.

NUMEROLOGY

Secondly, they analysed the numerology. Attributing meanings to numbers on a monument is always a risky procedure. In this case, a key number of the supposed calendar, namely 12, can not be found in any element of Stonehenge, nor can any means of accounting for the additional intercalary day every four years. While other numbers are not taken into account - the Stonehenge portal, for example, was made of two stones.

CULTURAL PATTERNS

Finally, they looked at the cultural patterns. An early elaboration of the 365-day plus one calendar is documented in Egypt only two millennia after Stonehenge (and came into use centuries later). Therefore, although the people who built it took the calendar from Egypt, they perfected it themselves. Furthermore, they also invented a structure to keep track of time, as nothing similar ever existed in ancient Egypt. Finally, a transfer and elaboration of notions with Egypt that took place around 2600 BC have no archaeological basis.

Self-driving car of Politecnico di Milano at 1000 Miglia

Posted on 19 April 2023 | by admin

For the first time, the 1000 Miglia 2023event, an event that embodies the history of world motoring, will be kicked off by an autonomous car, a symbol of the future.

Called "1000-MAD" (1000 Miglia Autonomous Drive), the Politecnico di Milano project represents the first experimentation in the world of autonomous vehicles on public roads, with an extension path of more than 1500 km and a time window of over 12 months.

1000-MAD is an initiative that aims to increase the technical skills of Italian industry, to contribute to the development of sustainable mobility and to create awareness of this technology in the public .

The Politecnico project sees the support and collaboration of 1000 Miglia S.r.l., the support and patronage of MOST - National Center for Sustainable Mobility and many sponsors and technical partners. Several research groups and our departments are involved, to address in an integrated way issues of technological development, project management (led by the Connected Car & Mobility Observatory), but also design and communication.

In recent years, the Politecnico di Milano has been working intensively on the front of Artificial Intelligence and autonomous driving techniques applied to racing cars, and now, in view of a possible legislation on the circulation of autonomous cars on public roads, the "1000-MAD" project is a candidate as the first experimentation in the world of autonomous vehicles in public contexts, characterized by a very high variety of routes, iterated over several experimental rounds.

THE CAR

The vehicle that will be used for the experimentation is the brand-new Maserati MC20 Cielo, an iconic and emotional super sports car that combines the best of modern technologies with the charm of the history of Maserati (which has repeatedly intertwined with the history of the 1000 Miglia).

On this car, made available by Maserati, the Politecnico di Milano has installed all the technological elements of a "robo-driver" (actuation systems, sensors, computers, communication systems, and all the software that implements the AI-driver algorithms), to put an Artificial Intelligence behind the wheel of the "Cielo".

The use of a Maserati as the vehicle base of this project also testifies to the intense research collaboration that has existed for more than a decade between the Politecnico di Milano and Maserati engineering in the field of electronic vehicle control & automation systems.

THE 1000 MIGLIA 2023

From 13 to 17 June, the Maserati MC20 Cielo will cross the entire route of the 1000 Miglia, tackling in "autonomous driving" mode some sections of the route, where the request for authorization to the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is being completed (in particular, the crossings of the cities of Bergamo and Brescia, Italian Capital of Culture 2023, Milan, Ferrara, Modena and Parma). In the sections that will be authorized by that date, the vehicle will drive in total autonomy, respecting the rules of the Highway Code, as required by the historical regularity race in stages that takes place promiscuous to normal car traffic.

EXPERIMENTATION AND THE 1000 MIGLIA 2024

Participation in the 1000 Miglia 2023 is only the first step of "presentation" of the project. Once the 2023 edition of the "most beautiful race in the world" is over, a year of intense development and experimental refinement of the A.I-driver technologywill start, in which the car will be trained on a route similar to that of the 1000 Miglia on municipal, provincial and state roads, and partly also motorway sections, with the ultimate goal of carrying out the entire route of the "1000 Miglia 2024" in autonomous mode.

THE CO-DRIVER

To comply with the testing authorization requirements (D.M.70 "smart-roads"), the vehicle driven by the A.I-driver of the Politecnico di Milano must be constantly supervised by a human co-driver. In the 1000 Miglia of 2023 the co-driver will be exceptional: Matteo Marzotto, expert driver and member of the Board of Directors of 1000 Miglia S.r.l., with many experiences of participation in the historic 1000 Miglia. He will thus remember the 70th anniversary of his uncle Giannino's victory (1953 edition), in an ideal handover between past, present and future. This link between human driver and artificial intelligence will be visually represented by an object of modern art, under development at the Department of Design of the Politecnico, which will be unveiled at the opening of the 1000 Miglia and which will accompany Matteo Marzotto throughout the route.

THE PERCEPTION OF ITALIANS

The project also aims to make autonomous driving known to the public. According to data from the Connected Car & Mobility Observatory of the Politecnico di Milano, in fact, today Italian consumers are perfectly divided into 50% already inclined to use a self-driving car and another 50% against. The main reasons for those in favour are the convenience of "being able to do other activities during the journey" (45%), and greater safety (31%); conversely, opponents are held back by the discomfort of not having control of the car (37%) and the feeling of less security (33%). Evidence is therefore needed to inform and prepare consumers for the autonomous mobility revolution.

THE VALUE FOR THE COUNTRY

The "1000-MAD" project will enhance the Italian scientific and technological capacity, creating a unique experimental context in the world, in which to carry out research and development of new technologies for autonomous mobility. It will also help define regulatory interventions to promote the development and use of autonomous cars; create a connection between the main research centres and the territories active on the topic in Italy and abroad; it will collect and publish technical data to develop industrial strategies and technologies. Finally, the project aims to collect and publish data on the Italian territory, defining and calculating an AI Autonomous Drive Readiness Index, which can help all administrations to direct their policies (and resources) on priority issues for that territory.

Leonardo da Vinci, A New Discovery by Politecnico di Milano on Folio 843 of Codex Atlanticus

Posted on 19 April 2023 | by admin

Milan, 18 April 2023 - The Codex Atlanticus  is one of the most extensive and fascinating collections of Leonardo da Vinci's drawings and writings. Its preservation is a great challenge for scholars and researchers. An in-depth study, published in Scientific Reports, was conducted by Politecnico di Milano on Folio 843 of the Codex, to understand the origins of some black stains that appeared a few years ago on the modern passepartout that binds Leonardo's original folios.

The interdisciplinary research team coordinated by Lucia Toniolo, Professor of Materials Science and Technology at the Politecnico di Milano, used a series of non-invasive and micro-invasive analysis techniques to investigate the phenomenon and study its nature and causes.

The Codex Atlanticus, donated to the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana in 1637, was the subject of a major restoration carried out by the Laboratorio del Libro Antico (Laboratory for the Restoration of Ancient Books) of the Abbey of Grottaferrata between 1962 and 1972. The intervention ended with the production of 12 volumes with 1119 folios: each page has a passepartout with a panel (added by the restorers in Grottaferrata) framing Leonardo's original fragments. Since 1997, the Codexhas been stored in an environment with a strictly controlled microclimate, in accordance with paper conservation standards.

In 2006, very small black stains were discovered on the passepartout, located around the panel that frames and binds the folio. This phenomenon of blackening, observed on some 210 pages of the Codex from folio 600 onwards, has caused great concern among museum curators and scholars. An initial intervention in 2009 led to unbinding the volumes. Today, the drawings are individually mounted on passepartouts, in folders and acid-free boxes. The research carried out by the Politecnico began in 2021 during an initial pilot project on three Codexdrawings funded by Fondo Italiano di Investimento, which included the removal and replacement of the passepartout of the folio 843.

Previous studies had ruled out that the stains resulted from microbiological deterioration processes. Research by the Politecnico di Milano, combining hyperspectral photoluminescence imaging and UV fluorescence imaging with micro-ATR-IR imaging, revealed the presence of starch glue and vinyl glue located in the areas where the staining is most concentrated, right near the edge of the folio.

In addition, the presence of round inorganic nano-particles, 100-200 nanometres in diameter, made up of mercury and sulphur, was detected, which had accumulated within the cavities formed between the cellulose fibres of the passepartout paper. Finally, using synchrotron analysis, conducted at ESRF in Grenoble, it was possible to identify these particles as metacinnabar, a mercury sulphide in an unusual black crystalline phase.

In-depth studies on paper preservation methods have allowed us to formulate some hypotheses on the formation of metacinnabar. The presence of mercury could be associated with the addition of an anti-vegetative salt in the glue mixture used in Grottaferrata's restoration techniques, which could have been applied only in certain areas of the passepartout paper, precisely where it holds Leonardo's folio, to ensure adhesion and prevent microbiological infestations on the Codex. The presence of sulphur, on the other hand, has been linked to air pollution (in Milan in the 1970s, levels of sulphur dioxide SO2 were very high) or to the additives used in the glue, which over time would have led to a reaction with mercury salts and the formation of metacinnabar particles, responsible for the black stains.

Read the article here

What to see at Design Week 2023: the Politecnico’s (partial) guide

Posted on 17 April 2023 | by admin

Milan Design Week can be a real treasure hunt. Choosing what to see is no easy task, so we decided to start with the help of the Politecnico di Milano’s Design System — the School of Design, the Department of Design and POLI.design, which take part in various events with the aim of highlighting the projects and creative processes of our students, the true stars of our university: an opportunity to discover your Politecnico outside the 'walls' of the institution. You can find a guide (not exhaustive, that would be impossible), here.

A TOUR FOR ALUMNI

While waiting for these six intense days, from 17 to 23 April, we also had a chat with Politecnico alumna and designer Elena Salmistraro, one of the most important figures in international contemporary design, to (try to) create a 'pocket guide' to the 61st edition of the Fuorisalone. Even for her, it is not easy to select the most interesting places to see, given the possibilities the Fuorisalone offers. She tries anyway: "Alcova is all about innovation, and it is definitely a place to visit, also because it gives ample space to experimentation," she begins. Founded in 2018, Alcova is a touring platform for independent and sustainable design that this year, in its fifth Fuorisalone participation, is hosted by the former slaughterhouse in Porta Vittoria, at Viale Molise 62 (which could be the next big thingin Milan, following the expansion of NoLo). Here we also find an old acquaintance of the editorial staff, designer Matteo Ragni.

"The Brera Design District," adds Salmistraro, "is also an well-established space, and not to be missed”: Brera, with its mysterious alleys and squares full of light, is hosting more than 200 events and installations this year. Between events, we recommend a relaxing break at the Botanical Garden, where you can also find designer and Politecnico architecture graduate Italo Rota. Then she accompanies us, metaphorically, through the beautiful cloisters of the University of Milan, which, by now a tradition, host numerous conceptual and interactive installations. Keeping with the 'Poli' theme, here you will find Amazon's The Amazing Playground, featuring Stefano Boeri Interiors.

Our tour with Salmistraro (which is only one of a myriad possible routes) ends in the place that feels most like home, inextricably linked to the history of the Fuorisalone: the famous Quadrilatero, which needs no introduction. "This year, Tortona is back in vogue. Among many events, it will also host an exhibition by Giulio Cappellini in which I am also participating."

Elena Salmistraro. Credits: www.elenasalmistraro.com

A MUCH-LOVED REGULAR FIXTURE

Salmistraro tells us how she experienced Design Week as a student active in the Fuorisalone, going on to become a leading figure in the Salone itself. "When I started studying Industrial Design at the Poli, I looked forward to the Fuorisalone with great enthusiasm and tried to experience all the events taking place in the Via Tortona area, actively getting involved by handing out tickets and magazines. For me, the Fuorisalone was the Salone." What drove her was above all the curiosity to observe new techniques and materials at close quarters, but also, especially 'as a grown-up', an opportunity to create new contacts and collaborations. "Every age has its season," she explains. In fact, Elena won the prize for 'Best Emerging Designer at the Salone del Mobile' in 2017 with I vasi dei Primati, establishing herself as a designer against the mainstream at a time when minimalism was definitely in fashion. It was a risk, but it all ended well: "You can't imagine the queue that formed at the stand to see these vases!. I went from fear of failure to seeing my name on the stage as a prize winner. I can honestly say that I don't even remember what I said in my acceptance speech, but it was the most amazing feeling."

Primates, Ceramic vases for Bosa by Elena Salmistraro. Photo By: Tiziano Rossi. Credits: www.elenasalmistraro.com

COLLABORATIONS IN 2023

During the six-day Design Week 2023, our Alumna will have to divide her time between the Salone and the Fuorisalone. It is hard to count the number of projects that host her work, but we will highlight two of them. She has worked with Tai Ping Carpets, a specialist French carpet maker, wth an exhibition in the Brera Design District, in the Fuorisalone: "It is a collection of six carpets, which I have called 'Legami' (Ties), created using many different techniques combined: like a sampler of all possible processes that recreate these interwoven elements, forming knots that are meant to represent human bonds. For Design Re-Evolution, Interni's installation in the Statale area, she instead collaborated with Hines on a digital installation on the Torre Velasca, which is still under renovation. A unique opportunity to see this historic Milanese landmark in a new light. And this is precisely one of the main features of Milan Design Week: seemingly abandoned warehouses magically come to life and light, like modern magic pumpkins hosting not one Cinderella, but thousands of people.

True, you can't find a taxi, let alone a parking space, but it doesn't matter: it's better to walk and enjoy the setting, because for a few days, spaces open up that are usually closed, such as courtyards, luxurious lofts, industrial areas and historic buildings. If someone were to ask us what design is, we would say that it is the work to bring beauty into the objects and habits of everyday life, an arena in which technique, aesthetics and functionality meet. And, of course, the design capacity of the Politecnico. For Elena, the feeling is to all effects a function of the object and perhaps that is why she encapsulates the 'meaning' of the Fuorisalone in these few words: “For me, it represents the very life of Milan.” Always with great frankness, and indeed Salmistraro concludes: "The most important thing for me is that the companies I work with maintain a very high quality, so as to make my work easier."