The "Federica" Hand.

Hand prostheses partially restore hand appearance and functionalities. In particular, 3D printers have provided great opportunities by simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing costs. The "Federica" hand is 3D-printed and equipped with a single servomotor, which synergically actuates its five fingers by inextensible tendons; no springs are used for hand opening.

Molecularly endowed hydrogel with an in silico-assisted screened peptide for highly sensitive small molecule harvesting.

We present a novel method for the detection of small molecules in complex fluids based on the selection of a specific peptide for target capture and its integration into an antifouling polymeric network. Such an approach can represent a universal platform for the direct and ultra-sensitive detection of small molecules in complex media.

A mechanical hand for prosthetic applications: multibody model and contact simulation.

The dynamical behavior study of a mechanical hand is a fundamental issue to verify its possible application as a prosthetic hand. Simulation approaches are widely used to predict the dynamics of mechanical components. In the context of mechanical hands, the multibody model represents a useful tool to predict the finger dynamics and therefore the phalanx rotations before the prototyping.

Cell mechanosensory recognizes ligand compliance at biomaterial interface.

Cells activate signalling through ligand-receptor bonds by sensing the mechanical properties of the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM). Ligands, indeed, have to withstand the pulling force elicited by cell receptors through focal adhesions (FAs). On this basis, we developed functional ligands to be simply adsorbed on surfaces and constituted by a two-domain peptide: one derived from ECM proteins and available to receptors to offer biochemical cues, and another adsorbed on material to withstand the tension upon receptor engagement.

Accounting for misalignments and thermal fluctuations in fluorescence correlation spectroscopy experiments on membranes.

Several authors have exploited the ability of the fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to probe motion at the molecular level. In a couple of decades, all their efforts have allowed the application of this technique even to the diffusion measurement of cellular components. Nowadays, the fluorescence correlation spectroscopy is considered a standard tool to measure diffusion in cells both in vivo and in vitro.