TWENTE UNIVERSITY STEFANO STRAMIGIOLI Prof. Dr. Stefano Stramigioli is Professor of Advanced Robotics at the University of Twente and knowledge partner in the Smart Tooling project. Aside from being a scientist, Stefano is a talented speaker on robotic applications and Artificial Intelligence. "A few years ago I gave a lecture at an event on maintenance inspections. That's where I met Jan Mol from KicMPi", says Stefano. "It turned out that we had quite a few common ambitions. My department fit perfectly within the framework of the Smart Tooling project so we stepped aboard. For scientists it's really fantastic if a professional group like KicMPi ensures that a subsidy comes in. And that we, as the University of Twente, will then be one of the parties that can work with it". "Robotics have been used successfully in many different areas for some time now, for example in the medical world. In maintenance and inspections in the industry it is relatively new. The challenges we face to obtain a wellfunctioning, robust and autonomous robot have not yet been overcome, but we are well on our way". KEY GROUP Stefano: "For example, from 2013 to 2016 I was an advisor to the European Petrobot project, where significant steps have already been made. All kinds of large companies were involved. In fact, it was the beginning of the focus on robotics in the industry. It was also the start of Sprint Robotics. KicMPi then came into the picture as an important group for the processing industry". 47
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