About The Author & Technical Reviewer
Jonathan Cacace was born in Naples, Italy, on 13 December 1987. He holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Computer Science from University of Naples “Federico II”. Later he joined the PhD program of the same institution, earning the title of Philosophiae Doctor in Automation and Computer Engineering in 2016.
During his research career, he had the chance to participate and lead various applied research projects focused on robotics, funded by the European Union. This allowed him to explore several areas of robotics, from robot manipulation to navigation. After completing his PhD, he continued to divide his work between scientific research and applied robotics, participating in more than 50 scientific publications in the flagship robotics conferences and scientific journals. He also collaborated as a private consultant for different startups based in Europe.
From 2019 to 2023, he was an assistant professor at University of Naples, where he taught two courses: Laboratory of Robotics and Mobile Robotics. During these years, he mentored many undergraduate students in the field of Robotics and Computer Engineering. He has been an invited speaker of an international robotics workshop held at one of the Europe's most prestigious research centers and universities.
Currently, Jonathan works as a senior researcher in the field of Cognitive Robotics and Human-Robot Interaction at Eurecat - Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya in Barcelona.
When not working on robotics projects, he loves to travel, enjoy life and friendship. He loves cooking Italian food.
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ABOUT TECHNICAL REVIEWER
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Viviana Morlando obtained her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Automation Engineering from the University of Naples Federico II, graduating magna cum laude in 2017 and 2019, respectively. In 2023, she completed her PhD in Information Technology and Electrical Engineering.
Her research has focused on optimal control strategies for complex robotic systems, particularly legged robots and cable-driven mechanisms operating in field environments like farms and factories. She has authored several papers in leading journals, presented at robotics conferences, and conducted visiting research at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genoa and ETH Zurich.
Currently, Viviana works at PAL Robotics in Barcelona, where she specializes in developing control algorithms for mobile manipulators, utilizing the ROS2 operating system.