The agri-food industry is experiencing a consistent number of challenges like climate change, soil degradation, waste productions, consumption of natural resources, greenwashing phenomena and the issue of sustainable food production has become increasingly important at international level as clearly witnessed by initiatives like Sustainable Development Goals, Farm to Fork Strategy and Food System Summit. The present research project aims to expand the debate regarding environmental sustainabi...
Economic inequality in income (Atkinson et al., 2011) and wealth (Piketty and Zucman, 2014; Chancel et al., 2022) has become a defining challenge of the twenty-first century, affecting not only individual livelihoods but also the broader macroeconomy. Addressing this challenge requires analytical tools capable of capturing the complexities of inequality and informing effective policy interventions. This thesis is grounded in the evolutionary paradigm, understanding economic systems as complex...
This doctoral dissertation aims to analyze oncology patient pathways from different perspectives. The oncology patient is a complex patient who is often multi-pathological and whose care needs do not end in the hospital pathway of diagnosis and treatment. The SARS-CoV2 pandemic has accelerated the shift in the care setting from hospital to primary care and home. In this thesis, several networks and trials are analyzed that aim to bring care closer to the patient and identify the best and most...
This thesis investigates the dynamic behavior and actuation mechanisms of liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) slender structures, focusing on the development of finite element models to gain a deeper understanding of their response to various external stimuli, such as light and heat. The research begins with the development of a reduced-order model to study the photo actuation of LCE beams under light illumination, incorporating both photochemical and photo thermal effects. This model involves var...
Bioinspired and biomimetic robots can move efficiently, with agility, even in unstructured scenarios, being highly adaptive and reducing ecosystem disturbance during exploration and inspection tasks. These robots can be applied in agriculture and animal farming, as well as wildlife monitoring. This thesis presents the design and development of aquatic biomimetic robots with a focus on three main areas: 1) the reproducibility of marine-inspired locomotion mechanisms, 2) bioinspired control str...
The research topic encompassed diverse areas, both industrial and natural. In the industrial sector, the research focused on inspection and monitoring. Two production lines were studied, with a custom solution developed for each. In one case, an innovative solution was found for sorting and monitoring packages. In the second case, a production line for industrial bearings was analyzed, and modifications were proposed to standardize and speed up the entire production process. Additionally, two...
Advancements in bioengineering paved the way for innovative tools that enhance our ability to probe and monitor the cardiovascular system. We created an open-source toolbox for analyzing microneurographic recordings from human peripheral nerves, enabling the study of both afferent and efferent axonal signals at various levels of detail, from multi- to single-unit activity. This program addresses the limitations of existing computational tools, which are often limited in scope or not open-sour...
Restoring normal urinary function is often one of the most desired outcomes for patients suffering from neurological disorders due to the profound daily life disruptions it causes. Symptoms such as incontinence and the inability to control urination lead to social embarrassment, anxiety, and severe health complications impacting their quality of life, independence, and emotional well-being. Conventional treatments include medications or catheters. Medications often have limited effectiveness ...
How do different systems perceive and respond to their environments? This fundamental question drives research in sensory-motor control, particularly in the contrast between centralized and distributed strategies. Biological systems offer compelling examples, particularly in case of soft embodiments such as elephant trunks and climbing plants. Animals rely on a central nervous system to process sensory information, predict outcomes and plan movements, whereas plants adapt through distributed ...
The exploration of piezoelectric organic nano-transducers stands at the forefront of biomedical engineering, offering promising avenues for advanced applications. This endeavor entails a multidisciplinary approach, amalgamating materials science, nanotechnology, and biomedical engineering. Piezoelectricity is a property where certain materials can be polarized when subjected to mechanical stress and undergo minute deformation when small voltages are applied, forming the foundation of these na...