This project deals with the cooperation in the functional design and development of an innovative automatic/robotized machine, i.e. Vending Machine, for the preparation, cooking and distribution of pizzas ready for consumption. The applied research activities, carried on together with the company Cibolabs and the Fraunhofer Italia Research, will cover the following activities:

a) Feasibility study and functional design of a system of recognition of ingredients at the end of the filling phase.
b) Feasibility study and functional design of the proof-of-concept prototype able to pick and correctly place the ingredients on the pizza dough in an automatic way (robotized solutions will be preferred).
c) Prototyping of the designed proof-of-concept.
d) Testing of the proof-of-concept and demo-cases.

Collaborative robots offer the advantage of precise, fatigue-free operation combined with human adaptability and flexibility. With an intelligent design of the robot cells, these can be used flexibly for several processes, which has the advantage that the systems are already profitable for small series. In the project, the research team is testing automated processes for welding of various parts and grinding of surfaces and edges. In the course of the feasibility study, the entire manufacturing process is to be analyzed. Processes with potential for automation are collected and initial concepts for solutions are developed and tested in the lab environment and in field tests in the manufacturing hall of the company Prostahl in Kaltern.

Simulation of patient flows and waiting times in Emergency Department of the Regional Hospital of Bolzano. On the basis of collected basic data, a simulation model is created in the simulation software FlexSim (Discrete Event Simulation) and various staffing options are simulated in order to reduce waiting times and optimize costs at the same time. In a second scenario, the new infrastructures considering the reconstruction of the hospital in Bolzano will be taken into account and different scenarios will be simulated as a basis for decision making.