SPECIAL SESSION #27

Ioan Tudosa

University of Unisannio, Italy

• itudosa@unisannio.it

Enrico Picariello

Ioan Doroftei

“Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Romania

• ioan.doroftei@academic.tuiasi.ro

The rapid advancement of Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT) has revolutionized industrial robotics, demanding unprecedented levels of precision, flexibility, and autonomy in manufacturing and automation processes. This special session, titled "Metrology for Robotics and Robotics for Metrology", explores the bidirectional synergy between metrology—the science of measurement—and robotics. On one hand, advanced metrological techniques are essential for enhancing robotic systems through accurate calibration, performance verification, and real-time error compensation, enabling robots to achieve higher precision in tasks such as assembly, inspection, and collaborative operations. On the other hand, robotic platforms equipped with sensors and automation capabilities are transforming traditional metrology by enabling automated, in-line, and non-contact measurements, particularly for complex geometries, large-scale components, and dynamic environments. This session will bring together researchers and practitioners to discuss innovative measurement methods, sensor integration, and IoT-enabled solutions that bridge robotics and metrology, fostering improvements in quality control, predictive maintenance, and smart manufacturing within the Industry 4.0 paradigm.

Topics of interest include but are not restricted to:

• Robot calibration and accuracy enhancement using advanced metrological tools (e.g., laser trackers, photogrammetry);
• Performance testing and verification metrics for industrial and collaborative robots;
• Robotic-mounted sensors for automated 3D scanning, surface inspection, and dimensional metrology;
• Integration of robotics in coordinate measuring machines (CMMs) and in-line quality control;
• Non-contact and optical metrology techniques enabled by robotic platforms;
• AI and machine learning for robot-metrology fusion in predictive maintenance and anomaly detection;
• Applications in smart factories: automated inspection cells, collaborative metrology, and Industry 5.0 workflows;
• Human-robot interaction and collaborative robotics;
• Tele-operation, locomotion, and manipulation in robotic systems;
• Rescue robots, swarm robotics, and evolutionary robotics;
• Robot sensors and vision, including machine vision and image processing;
• Multimodal sensing and perception, sensor fusion, and 3D sensing and modeling;
• Haptics and anti-drone systems in metrology contexts;
• Industrial automation, collaborative manufacturing, and inspection and quality control;
• Agricultural sensors and robotics, marine sensing and robotics, aqua-cultural sensors and robotics, and climate sensors and robotics.

Prof. Ioan Tudosa graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering at the “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Romania, in 2008. He received his PhD degree in Electrical Engineering in November 2011 from the same university. He joined the Department of Engineering at the University of Sannio in May 2012. Since then, he has progressed in his academic career, achieving the Habilitation as Full Professor of Electric and Electronic Measurements from the Italian Ministry of University and Research in 2025. He is currently appointed as a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, conducting research and teaching activities in the fields of electronic instrumentation design and characterization, sensors, and electronic measurements for medical applications. He has authored and coauthored more than 130 scientific papers. He served as General Chair of the 2nd IMEKO TC-6 International Conference on Metrology and Digital Transformation (M4DConf), held in Benevento, Italy, in 2025.
He is a member of the IEEE Standards Association, the Instrumentation & Measurement Society (I&MS), the Circuits and Systems Society, and the Signal Processing Society. Furthermore, he is a member of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Standards Committee for Flexible and Wearable Circuits and Systems (FWSC) and the IEEE I&MS Technical Committee 10 (TC-10) — Waveform Generation, Measurement & Analysis. Since January 2026, he is Vice-Chair of the IMEKO TC-6 “Digitalization.”

Prof. Ioan Doroftei graduated Mechanical Engineering Faculty at the “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Romania, in 1986, with highest distinction. He received his PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering, in June 1998, from the same university.
Since September 1986 till September 1990, he worked in industry, as designer engineer, for three companies. Since October 1990, he started the academic career with the “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Romania, as Assistant Professor till February 1995, then as Lecturer till February 1999 and as Associate Professor till February 2003. In February 2003, he is appointed as full Professor, teaching Theory of Mechanisms and Machines, Basis Robotics and Mobile Robotics. Since 2016, he is the Head of the Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics and Robotics Department. He is also the Director of the Research Center on Mechatronics and Robotics, since 2022. During the years 2010 – 2022, he was the Scientific Director of the Research Center on Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics and Robotics. Since September 1997 till September 2024, he has been an associate professor at the "Grigore T. Popa" University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Iasi, Faculty of Medical Bioengineering, teaching Robotics for Rehabilitation.
Between 1995 and 2002, Prof. Ioan Doroftei carried out more research internships at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, Service des Constructions Mécanique et Robotique, Belgium (post-doctoral internship, 01.01.1999 – 31.12.2001; TEMPUS individual mobility 01.04.1995 – 30.06.1995; «subside à savant» scholarship – visiting researcher, 01.10.1997 – 31.12.1997, 01.03.1997 – 31.05.1997, 01.02.1996 – 30.04.1996) and at the Royal Military Academy of Brussels, Mechatronics and Robotics Laboratory (external consultant, 01.07.2002 – 30.09.2002). Also, between 2003 – 2014, he carried out numerous ERASMUS internships at: Royal Military Academy of Brussels, Technical University of Kaiserslautern, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, University of Mihno.
Prof. Ioan Doroftei was a visiting professor at Université Blais Pascal, Clermont- Ferrand, France, (during the periods: 09.11.2014 – 22.11.2014; 12.10.2014 – 25.10.2014; 07.10.2013 – 19.10.2013; 01.04.2013 – 14.04.2013; 15.10.2012 – 28.10.2012) and at the Technical University of Moldova, Chisinau (since September 2020 till June 2021).
Prof. Ioan Doroftei is Corresponding Member of the Technical Sciences Academy of Romania and Associate Member of the Academy of Romanian Scientists. He is a member of the Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics and Robotics Committee for National Commission for the Attestation of University Titles, Diplomas and Certificates (CNATDCU), since 2011; He was also a member of Committee 10 – Engineering Sciences I permanent experts – for Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ARACIS), between January 2019 and November 2022; He was President of the Romanian Association for the Theory of Mechanisms and Machines (ARoTMM) and representative of Romania (Chair of Member Organization Romania) at the International Federation for the Promotion of Mechanism and Machine Science (IFToMM), between 2013 and 2022; Since January 2023 he is Vice-President of this association; He is a member of the Technical Committee for Linkages and Mechanical Controls and of the Technical Committee for Robotics and Mechatronics, IFToMM, since 2019; He is First Vice President of the Romanian Robotics Society (SRR), affiliated with the International Federation of Robotics – IFR, since 2021; He is a member of the International Measurement Confederation – IMEKO, TC17 – Measurement in Robotics, since 2019.
Prof. Ioan Doroftei organized three international summer schools for doctoral students, between 2009 and 2012, and several international conferences. He is a reviewer for numerous prestigious international journals and international conferences. He has been a member of the scientific committees of numerous international conferences and symposia. He is an associate editor of the Robotica journal (Cambridge University Press), topic editor for Actuators and Materials journals, member of the editorial board for the International Journal of Advance Robotics & Expert Systems (JARES), member of the scientific board for: Bulletin of the Polytechnic Institute of Iasi - Machine constructions Section; ROBOTICA & MANAGEMENT-International Journal, edited by the Romanian Robotics Society; Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Brasov, Series I: Engineering Sciences. His scientific research activity is mainly oriented in the field of robotics and mechatronics and also in the field of mechanisms and machine science.
Prof. Ioan DOROFTEI “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iasi, Romania Mechanical Engineering Faculty Head of Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics and Robotics