About us

Established in 1991, the PERCRO laboratory of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna is a world leading research group active in the field of advanced human-computer and human-robot interaction technologies. In the field of human-computer technologies, PERCRO has developed several complex Virtual Reality systems, integrating advanced haptic interfaces for the artificial rendering of force and tactile cues occurring during the manipulation of real objects. These VR systems have been applied in different application domains, like the rehabilitation of motor functions, the virtual prototyping of new industrial products (ergonomic assessment of vehicle interiors, assembly disassembly verifications, quality assessment of textiles, etc.), the training of equipment operators and the fruition of the cultural heritage. In the field of human-robot interaction, PERCRO has recently developed a fully actuated exoskeleton for the whole body (Body Extender), expressly conceived for the handling of heavy loads in unstructured environments.

What motivates us

The PERCRO laboratory of Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna regards joining the ECHORD project as a great opportunity to carry out application-oriented research activities in the form of an experiment which is focused on making the advanced human-robot interaction technologies that have been developed over the past decades viable for practical use. What has been highly appreciated by PERCRO in the ECHORD approach, are the very lean administrative procedures established for management of the whole project lifecycle that dramatically simplified the proposition and the selection-for-funding phases, as well as the monitoring of the results and the accounting of the project expenses.