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Objective: To compare whole-body kinematics, leg muscle activity, and discomfort while performing a 10-min carrying task with and without a passive upper-body exoskeleton (CarrySuitⓇ), for both males and females. Background: Diverse commercial passive exoskeletons have appeared on the market claiming to assist lifting or carrying task. However, evidence of their impact on kinematics, muscle activity, and discomfort while performing these tasks are necessary to determine their benefits and/or limitations. Method: Sixteen females and fourteen males carried a 15kg load with and without a passive exoskeleton during 10-min over a round trip route, in two non-consecutive days. Whole-body kinematics and leg muscle activity were evaluated for each condition. In addition, leg discomfort ratings were quantified before and immediately after the task. Results: The gastrocnemius and vastus lateralis muscle activity remained constant over the task with the exoskeleton. Without the exoskeleton a small decrease of gastrocnemius median activation was observed regardless of sex, and a small increase in static vastus lateralis activation was observed only for females. Several differences in sagittal, frontal, and transverse movements' ranges of motion were found between conditions and over the task. With the exoskeleton, ROM in the sagittal plane increased over time for the right ankle and pelvis for both sexes, and knees for males only. Thorax ROMs in the three planes were higher for females only when using the exoskeleton. Leg discomfort was lower with the exoskeleton than without. Conclusion: The results revealed a positive impact on range of motion, leg muscle activity, and discomfort of the tested exoskeleton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mountain territories affected by natural hazards are vulnerable areas for settlements and inhabitants. Additionally, those areas are characterized by socio-economic marginality, further favoring their abandonment. The study area is located in Liguria (Italy), and a large, slow-moving phenomenon endangers the settlements in the region. Monitoring such phenomena requires the use of instruments capable of detecting yearly, millimetric displacements and, due to their size, the use of remote techniques which can provide deformation measurement of the entire extent of the phenomenon. The methodology proposed here couples long-term interferometric remote sensing data analysis with intensive in situ monitoring (inclinometer, piezometers and global navigation satellite systems). Furthermore, the inclinometric measurements were carried out with an experimental, robotized inclinometer. The aim is to frame the overall context of ground deformation, assure information for inhabitants, stakeholders and land-planners, and secure coexistence with the phenomenon. Remote sensing provided a time series of 28 years of deformation measurements while in situ instrumentations allowed, in the last years, a better understanding of the surficial and deep behavior of the phenomenon, confirming the satellite data. Additionally, the high-frequency monitoring allowed us to record acceleration after precipitation peaks. The proposed approach, including the experimental instruments, proved its viability and can be replicated in similar mountain contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPASs) in geosciences is often aimed at the acquisition of an image sequence to produce digital models and orthophotographs of the topographic surface. The technology can be applied for rockfall hazard and risk assessment. To study rockfalls, an approach consists in the application of numerical models for the computation of rockfall trajectories. Data required for such models include accurate digital terrain models, location of the instability source areas, and the mechanical properties of the terrain. In this article, we present an analysis of the earthquake-triggered rockfall that occurred along the SP18 in Villanova di Accumoli (Lazio, central Italy) during the 24 August 2016 seismic sequence. A survey with a multicopter was carried out to obtain an accurate surface model of the terrain, the identification and characterization of the source areas and of other instable blocks in areas not accessible in the field. The investigated area extends for 6,500 m² and was covered by 161 photographs that were used to obtain an orthophoto with a ground resolution of 2.5 cm, and a digital surface model with a ground resolution of 20 cm x 20 cm, which was processed and fused with GNSS RTK data. We run the numerical model STONE, using the source areas mapped in the field and adopting a slope threshold to get a map showing the rockfall potential trajectories. Results showed that only the part of the road SP18 hit by the rockfall was exposed to further rockfall impacts. In particular, it was observed that 16% (i.e. 5,108) of the 31,800 simulated trajectories reached or crossed this tract of the road. Based on these data, limited protection measures were suggested. The combined use of RPAS data, fused with ground GPS points, an accurate geomorphological survey, and terrain static and dynamic parameters from the literature, allows fast, low-cost and replicable numerical modelling for emergency response and adoption of proper protection measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flood mapping and estimation of maximum water depth are essential elements for a first damages evaluation, civil protection interventions planning and detection of areas where remedial are more needed. In this work, we present and discuss a methodology for mapping and quantifying flood severity over plain areas. The proposed methodology considers a multiscale and multi-sensor approach using free or low-cost data/sensors. We applied this method to November 2016 Piemonte (NW Italy) flood. We first mapped flooded areas at basin scale using free satellite data from low to medium-high resolution using both SAR (Sentinel-1, Cosmo-Skymed) and multispectral sensors (MODIS, Sentinel-2). Using very- and ultra- high-resolution images from the low-cost aerial platform and Remotely Piloted Aerial System, we refined the flooded zone, and we detected the most damaged sector. The presented method considers both urbanized and not urbanized areas. Nadiral images have several limitations in particular in urbanized areas, where the use of terrestrial images solved this limitation. Very- and ultra-high resolution images have been processed with Structure from Motion (SfM) for the realization of 3-D models. These data, combined with available digital elevation model, allowed us to obtain maps of flooded area, maximum water high and damaged infrastructures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decades, the people and the societies are becoming more vulnerable to natural disasters and environmental emergencies to society. In this context, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been increasingly considered for remote sensing operations in civilian contexts and they play an important role in emergency management. Here, we present some preliminary results of test study related to the possible use of UAVs in the field of geo-hydrological hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]