Prof. Raffaella Carloni wins FSE Impact Award 2023

Prof. Raffaella Carloni won the FSE Impact Award 2023. She received the Award in the category researchers and obtained a cash prize of 1,500 euros for impact activities. Her research project is about a methodology and technology to mimic the functionality of a healthy human knee in lower-limb prosthetics. The prize was awarded during the yearly New Year's Reception in the Energy Academy.

The Managing Director Esther Marije Klop presented the award to the winner. Carloni is now FSE's candidate for the UG-wide Ben Feringa Impact Award.

MyLeg – A smart and intuitive transfemoral bionic leg

Carloni received the FSE Impact Award for her work on bionic knees. Through her discovery, the natural elasticity of the ligaments in the human knee is mimicked by an innovative implementation of variable stiffness actuators, which can mechanically adjust the joint stiffness in real-time during various activities of daily living. This important and exciting research was done within a Horizon 2020 European project, of which Carloni was the scientific coordinator and main driving force.

The FSE Impact Awards jury is very enthusiastic about the nomination and wrote in their report:

On the one hand, bigger consortia with many partners have the power to reach for impressive results. On the other hand, it requires visionary leadership and takes a lot of effort to keep such a group together and focused. The jury praises Carloni for having done both.

Carloni’s invention of a new bionic knee joint was recently patented and yielded several high-impact scientific publications, while the possibilities for a start-up company are being explored. Last December, NWO awarded Carloni a Take-Off phase 1 grant for a start-up feasibility study.

FSE Impact Award

From 2024 onward, the FSE Impact Award will be a yearly accolade allocated to two categories: the researchers and the students (this category is missing this year because no nominations were submitted). With this award, the Faculty rewards a student and a researcher who have made a special achievement in connecting scientific research to social, economic or professional practice.

A jury advises the Faculty Board about the selection of a winner for each category. The winner will be the Faculty's candidate for the yearly Ben Feringa Impact Award.

About Carloni

Prof. Carloni leads the Robotics Research Lab within the Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence as principal investigator. The team develops robotic systems that are intended to physically interact with uncertain dynamic environments and to cooperate with humans. The group’s main goal is the development of novel actuation systems, which are the key enabling components for motion generation.

Jury

The jury for the FSE Impact Award 2023 was composed of the following members:

• Prof. Erik Heeres, chair, former director ENTEG

• Prof. Pim Drinkenburg, retired scientific director Neuroscience Research at Janssen Pharmaceutica and honorary professor Translational Neuroscience for Psychopathology (GELIFES)

• Dr. Winnie Leenes, researcher Integrated Research on Energy, Environment and Society (IREES)

• Dr. Henk Mulder Programme Director, Master Science Education and Communication. Science Shop Coordinator at Science LinX.

• Didi Ubels, former student assessor FSE; master student Chemistry