Tell us about your work
I am a PhD student in the Advanced Robotics Laboratory (ARQ). My main research consists of applying machine learning and computer vision techniques to detect cracks on surfaces. This helps especially in the nuclear field where nuclear waste can therefore be safely decommissioned, helping the environment as well.
My research is funded by the National Centre of Nuclear Robotics (NCNR) which is a consortium of 8 UK-based universities whose goal is to develop cutting-edge technology to solve the problem of nuclear waste. Our mission is to clear the UK of radioactive material, but the human benefits of our tech go far beyond nuclear safety.
Tell us how you got into Robotics?
Since I was a child, I was always interested in technology and understanding how things work. I was born in the first years of the ’90s, when technology was first introduced in our everyday lives with computers and these huge mobile phones that were starting to enter our houses. I remember when I was 3 years old and my father came back home with this huge computer, with no GUI and just text-based. We started playing together with these games like Monkey Island and The Fate of Atlantis which would seem so old style to today’s children. I think that was one of the first times that I was introduced to the technological world and I never left it.
When it was time for me to decide on a degree and a University, it felt like a natural choice to pursue a degree in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics at "La Sapienza" in Rome.
What brought you to Queen Mary?
After completing my Masters in Rome, I started working as a research assistant in a small village in Switzerland for one year. During this I decided I wanted to pursue a PhD and started applying to various universities. I saw online an opening to the Advanced Robotics Lab at Queen Mary, a rather new robotics laboratory but with names of known researchers in my field. I decided to apply and got an acceptance email after a few weeks.
At that time, I was also searching for a possible city where both my girlfriend and I could speak the language and be able to find work (she is in publishing, completely different from my field) and Queen Mary being one of the best Universities in London was certainly a bonus on the final decision.
What’s the best thing about your work?
Certainly the colleagues (and friends) and the fact that we are all from different parts of the world, which creates an amazing mix of cultures which makes us grow.
Being in contact with so many bright people makes you always push to the top. It is also interesting to have conversations with such different people on a daily basis, you can see a personal growth that would have been otherwise impossible.
They are indeed the best part of the work, together with being able to work on stuff that will be helpful to people and the environment.
When not at EECS, what are your interests?
Videogames are my passion and I have also thought multiple times about pursuing a career in this field but, in the end, I always decide to keep the two things separated in order to have a place to go to when I want to relax that is not connected to my job.
In addition, I also love cooking. Since both my parents were working full-time, I was raised by grandparents and my grandmother loved cooking. I remember that we were always cooking together all the types of food that you could think of and I think it stuck with me. I also think that as Italians we use cooking as a sort of loving mechanism…the more food we put on your plate, the more we love you.
I also enjoy reading books and watching movies of various genres, especially fantasy and horror with tons of gore. And, of course, I love everything Japanese related, from the food to the manga and anime. I can’t wait for the time when we will be allowed to travel around the globe and return to Japan to eat their delicious food again.