The research will be focused on the development of structural materials that will be used for the production and characterization of a lightweight exoskeleton. A particular interest will be given to smart materials and systems, in order to develop intelligent three-dimensional structures.

Magnetostrictive materials and shape memory alloys will be considered as promising innovative candidates for this kind of application.
The focus on the production technology will be directed toward the tuning of versatile techniques that will allow the coupling of the materials development with a continuous design of the kinematic and dynamic behaviour of the system.