International awards: Calogero Oddo, associate professor at the BioRobotics Institute and the Interdisciplinary Research Center Health Science, receives the Antonio Feltrinelli Giovani 2023 award for his studies on the artificial sense of touch

Calogero Oddo, associate professor at the BioRobotics Institute and the Interdisciplinary Research Center Health Science of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna , is among the winners of the 2023 Feltrinelli Prize, awarded each year by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei for those who distinguish themselves in the fields of arts, sciences and literature. Specifically, Oddo received the 'Antonio Feltrinelli Giovani' prize for Bioengineering thanks to his studies on the sense of touch and its technological applications. The award ceremony will take place on 23 June in Rome, at the Accademia dei Lincei, during the closing ceremony of the 2022- 2023 academic year.
"I consider this recognition - comments Calogero Oddo - as a spur to honour my social function as a researcher".

Research on artificial touch

he research activities of Calogero Oddo, who coordinates the Neuro-Robotic Touch Lab, start from the neuroscientific study and modelling of the physiology of the human sense of touch using mathematical and bioengineering methods, from which design criteria are derived for the development of artificial touch sensors using new materials and innovative electronic and photonic technologies.
"The natural application of the technologies developed in our laboratory - Oddo explains - is in the field of bionic limb prostheses, which also provide a platform for advancing our understanding of the pathophysiology of the human sensorimotor system. In parallel, we are applying our sensors with the aim of developing new biomedical tools in robotic surgery, and in particular in oncology, neurorehabilitation and cardiology, but also to innovate the organisation of the healthcare system with telemedicine tools and to promote safety in the workplace through intelligent sensors".

The other prizes

The Feltrinelli 2023 International Prize for Medicine was awarded by the Accademia dei Lincei to Özlem Türeci and Ugur Sahin, who are responsible for mRna vaccines such as those used against the Covid-19 pandemic.
For Physics, the Feltrinelli International Prize was won by Ioannis (John) Iliopoulos, for proposing the existence of a new type of quark with Sheldon Glashow and Luciano Maiani.
In the Youth category, in addition to Oddo, the winners were Raffaele Cucciniello (University of Salerno) for Environmental Chemistry and Michele Carugno (University of Milan) for Epidemiology.