Special Session 11

Industry 4.0 is radically transforming production processes and systems with the adoption of enabling technologies, such as Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, Additive Manufacturing (AM), and Cloud Computing. In this context, sensors are fundamental to extract information about production, spare parts, equipment health and environmental conditions necessary for improving many aspects of industrial processes (flexibility, efficiency, costs, etc.). Sensors should be placed everywhere inside the factory as well on machines, smart devices, objects and tools to monitor in real-time physical quantities such as temperature, vibrations, deformation that affect the production. Printed electronics offers techniques for the production of unconventional sensors and systems or for making conventional objects “smart”.

Accordingly, this special session encourages submissions about sensors integrated on objects by additive manufacturing technologies (screen printing, inkjet printing, aerosol jet printing, etc.) for applications Industry 4.0. Topics include (but are not limited to):

• Sensors for smart objects and Industrial Internet of Things;
• Innovative fabrication methods for sensors directly on objects;
• Metrological characterization of sensors for industrial applications;
• Multi-sensor architectures for industrial smart objects;
• Signal processing for sensors and smart objects;
• Measuring and monitoring systems for smart objects and smart devices.

Michela Borghetti received the M.S. in Electronics Engineering and the Ph.D in Technology for Health from the University of Brescia (Italy) in 2012 and 2016 respectively. From 2016 to 2017, she was temporary research fellow with the Department of Information Engineering, University of Brescia. Currently she is Research Fellow with the same department. Her research activity includes the design, the fabrication and the characterization of sensors for biosignals and healthcare using low-cost technologies. Furthermore, she is developing smart devices and smart objects for industrial applications.

Salvatore Castorina received the M.S. in Electronic Engineering and the Ph.D. in Electronic and Automation Engineering from the University of Catania, Italy, in 2000 and 2004 respectively. Currently he is a temporary research fellow with the Electric, Electronic and Information Engineering Department, University of Catania. His current research interests include sensor design and characterization, inkjet printed sensors, multi-sensor architectures for ambient-assisted living.