The 2nd edition of the Summer School on Autonomous and Intelligent Systems has concluded at Poliba

DAUSY PhD. Five days of training and innovation for PhD students. Topics covered: automatic control, robotics, machine learning, optimization, distributed systems and decision-making techniques

21 September 2026

Ongoing developments in the fields of automation, control systems, data science, and artificial intelligence are expected to profoundly affect the role of engineering systems and our societies.

Autonomous systems are the main driver enabling technologies such as smart manufacturing, autonomous vehicles, drones and smart grids. These systems are capable of learning and independently performing decision-making tasks.

The national PhD programme in “Autonomous Systems” (DAUSY), coordinated by Polytechnic University of Bari (contact person, Prof. Mariagrazia Dotoli), focused primarily on the broad field of automation engineering and its numerous connections with theoretical and applied mechanics, optimization, communication systems, information theory, machine learning, computer science, mathematics and signal processing. Not only that. In order to provide high-level skills and rigorous research training to prepare students to become versatile professionals and competent researchers, the PhD programme organized the second edition of the DAuSy PhD Summer School on “Autonomous Systems”.

Following the first edition held in January as a Winter School, the initiative offered 25 doctoral students a five-day training programme (7–11 September) with national and European lecturers. The main topics addressed were automatic control, robotics, machine learning, optimisation, distributed systems and decision-making techniques.

A distinctive feature of the second edition was the strong participation of companies. COMAU, ICAM, KUKA, MASMEC e PAL Robotics offered numerous presentations on transformations in robotics and automation, addressing topics such as artificial intelligence applied to robotic systems, autonomous mobile robotics, modular software platforms, the digitalization and sustainability of production processes. The companies also contributed outside the classroom. In fact, participants attended technological demonstrations by COMAU, KUKA and PAL Robotics, observing advanced robotic systems up close and engaging with the companies’ specialists. The School also organized a technical visit to MASMEC, providing the opportunity to learn about industrial research activities, technologies and innovation processes.

The initiative received the patronage of the Italian Chapters of IEEE Control Systems Society, of IEEE Robotics and Automation Society and IEEE Systems, Man, and Cybernetics Society.

The School was organized by the Scientific Committee, composed as follows: Mariagrazia Dotoli and Raffaele Carli (Polytechnic University of Bari), Alberto Cavallo (University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”), Laura Giarrè (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia), Federica Pascucci (Roma Tre University).

The article The 2nd edition of the Summer School on Autonomous and Intelligent Systems has concluded at Poliba comes from Poliba Chronicle.