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The paper describes the electromechanical design of a compact, light-weight Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) for archaeological applications; the vehicle is named Zeno (Zeno Environment Nautical Operator), protector of freshwater and flood victims, and was developed in the framework of the European project ARCHEOSUb; the AUV specifications, its navigation devices and payload are given. The main characteristics of the vehicle are described with particular attention to its system architecture, propulsion system and structural design. Zeno AUV is currently under assembly and its first tests are scheduled for Summer 2018.

This paper describes design methods for the plastic hull of an Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV), with a particular focus on its cylindrical body and nearly spherical domes at the ends. With the proposed approach, the methodologies reported in the literature were compared, and suitable modifications and improvements were investigated and implemented to extend the classical theories and data to this case study. The investigated underwater vehicle, named FeelHippo, was designed and assembled by the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Florence. Its main hull is composed of an extruded PMMA (PolyMethyl MethAcrylate) cylinder and two thermoformed PMMA domes. Breakage of the hull results in destructive phenomena, namely, yielding and buckling. An experimental campaign and FEM (Finite Element Method) analysis were carried out to complete the theoretical study, and the collapse pressures were compared with the derived design values. In conclusion, the proposed innovative method is a lean and effective technique for designing underwater hull domes and predicting the collapse pressures.

Robotic assistance to hand-impaired people represents an as difficult as important challenge. In this context, the research work of the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Florence (UNIFI) led to a tailor-made wearable device for rehabilitative and assistive purposes. In this paper, the synthesis of the development process, sequentially ordered, is given.