Plenary and Invited Speakers
Mariagrazia Dotoli
Website | LinkedIn | ORCID | Google Scholar
Decision and Control Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Information Engineering, Politecnico di Bari, Italy
Plenary Talk: Towards Safe and Ergonomic Human-Robot Collaboration: Control and Optimization Perspectives
(Monday, October 6, 14:00-14:45, Hall F)
The advancement of Industry 4.0 and the rise of Industry 5.0 are transforming human-robot collaboration (HRC) within industrial environments. Addressing the challenges of operator safety, ergonomic health, and production efficiency remains essential for modern manufacturing and logistics systems. This talk offers an overview of cutting-edge control and optimization strategies aimed at improving safety, ergonomics, and the operational performance in collaborative robotics and drone-supported automation. An optimization-based approach for planning time-efficient and safety-compliant trajectories for robotic manipulators is presented, with a particular emphasis on ergonomic factors and compliance with safety standards. Moreover, innovative control frameworks for human-drone collaboration in industrial warehouse settings are explored, where drones support pick-and-delivery operations by adapting their paths in real time to human movement. These methods are validated through realistic use cases, paving the way for safer and more efficient HRC in the industrial landscapes of the future.
Biography
Mariagrazia Dotoli is a Full Professor in Automation at Politecnico di Bari, Italy, where she is also the Founder and Coordinator of the Italian National PhD Program on Autonomous Systems (DAUSY). She is the founder and director (2012-) of the Decision and Control Laboratory of Politecnico di Bari and the founder (2012) of Politecnico di Bari spin-off company Innolab S.r.l. She authored 300+ international publications in automation. Her h-index in Google Scholar equals 48, with 8000+ citations. Prof. Dotoli is an IEEE Fellow and serves as VP for Membership&Student Activities of IEEE SMCS and AdCom member of IEEE RAS. She is listed in the world top 2% scientists list for career-long impact and single-year categories in the “Industrial Engineering & Automation” and “Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing” fields in accordance with the well-known standardized citation metrics author database developed by Ioannidis et al., and released by Stanford University and Elsevier BV.
Michael Heiss
Siemens AG Österreich, Austria
Plenary Talk: Scaling Industrial AI
(Monday, October 6, 14:45-15:30, Hall F)
Scaling is key to economic success—but why does it pose greater challenges in Industrial AI compared to Consumer AI? This presentation examines the key obstacles and explores proven concepts such as assistance systems, foundation models, human-in-the-loop versus closed-loop approaches, and the multi-stage adaptation of models to specific use cases. The question is raised: Is a foundation model for industrial manufacturing applications realistic? Real-world examples of implemented Industrial AI solutions in Digital Manufacturing are presented to demonstrate how these approaches are applied in practice.
Biography
Michael Heiss is Principal Consultant for Digital Enterprise at Siemens AG Österreich and Honorary Professor for Innovation and Technology Management at TU Wien.
He studied Electrical Engineering in Vienna, made a post-doc at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the field of self-learning systems, habilitated in the field of control engineering at TU Wien, started his industry career at Bosch and is since 1996 with Siemens in various leading positions for Knowledge, Innovation and Technology Management, e.g. global Vice President for Knowledge, Innovation, and Technology Management at Siemens IT Solutions and Services, or Principal for Open Innovation and Scouting at the Siemens Chief Technology Office, where he was globally responsible for the Open Innovation Networks at Siemens.
He is Chair of the IEEE Technology and Engineering Management Society (TEMS), Chapter Central Europe, and Interim Chair of the IEEE Live Members Affinity Group (LMAG) Austria. In 2017 and 2020, he was Chair of the IEEE Austria Section.
Thomas Morscher-Unger
Bechhoff Automation, Austria
Plenary Talk: ATRO - The future of robotics is modular
(Tuesday, October 7, 14:00-14:45, Hall F)
Industrial robots are typically designed with a fixed, standardized structure, which often forces manufacturers to use a system that's over-dimensioned, or far larger and more powerful than needed for the task at hand. This not only results in unnecessary costs but also takes up valuable floor space. A new approach, known as modular robotics, offers complete freedom in robot configuration. By using scalable, easily pluggable motor and link modules instead of a rigid, one-size-fits-all design, machine builders can create customized robot solutions with the precise kinematics required for a specific job. Combined with an open, PC-based control technology that provides programming options for both beginners and experienced PLC programmers, the ATRO system from Beckhoff Automation is intended to be a foundational step toward this future of modular industrial robotics.
Biography
Thomas Morscher-Unger, originally from Vorarlberg, began his career with an apprenticeship as a plant electrician. He then moved to Vienna to pursue a degree in mechatronics, specializing in robotics. This academic path led him to an internship at Beckhoff Automation, where he collaborated with the managing director of Beckhoff Austria to develop a concept for modular robotics. Since 2017, he has been leading a 20-person development department in Vienna, dedicated to this project.
Marian Nagy, Ivana Despotovic, and Lorenzo Tosi
M. Nagy: LinkedIn | I. Despotovic: LinkedIn | L. Tosi: LinkedIn
Raiffeisen Bank Hungary, Hungary, and Raiffeisen Bank International, Austria
Penary Talk: Conversational AI and Agents at Raiffeisen Bank International
(Tuesday, October 7, 14:45-15:30, Hall F)
This plenary talk explores how Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) leverages conversational AI and intelligent agents to transform customer interaction and internal processes. It will highlight RBI’s strategic approach to deploying AI-driven solutions, focusing on real-world applications in banking, automation of complex workflows, and enhancing customer experience through natural language technologies. The session will also address challenges in scalability, compliance, and trust, offering insights into the future of AI-powered financial services.
Biographies
Marian Nagy, MSc, is a Managing Director at Raiffeisen Bank Hungary responsible for leading diverse areas of Risk Management, Data Science and AI. He gained experience in the region in various banking groups and contributed to development of several risk organizations, built lending, asset-liability and AI solutions. As part of his division Marian deals with research, development and integration of ML/AI solutions across the bank and RBI banking group.
Ivana Despotovic, PhD, is a Senior Conversational AI Consultant at Raiffeisen Bank International, where she is shaping the future of banking through conversational and agentic AI. With prior experience at Nokia Bell Laboratories and as a consultant for Future X Technologies, she brings extensive expertise in technology, communication, and customer experience. Ivana's background in neuroscience enables her to combine a human-centered approach with innovation in AI adoption. She has presented at numerous major scientific, medical, and IEEE conferences, as well as global industry events, including Mobile World Congress and Broadband World Forum.
Lorenzo Tosi is a Senior AI & Generative AI Consultant at Raiffeisen Bank International in Vienna, where he drives innovation with applied generative AI. With expertise in Python, data science, and Natural Language Processing technologies, Lorenzo focuses on building practical solutions that empower organizations to leverage cutting‑edge AI responsibly and effectively. Previously, he graduated in from Higher School of Economics in Computational Linguistics, participating in a NAACL workshop and working on unsupervised learning for morphology analysis and text-to-speech systems for low-resources languages, then worked across diverse sectors and countries building business solutions and co gaining hands‑on experience in transforming raw data into strategic insights and scalable products.
Clara Neppel
IEEE Technology Centre GmbH, Austria
Invited Talk: Beyond Smart: Architecting Trustworthy Ecosystems
(Wednesday, October 8, 11:45-12:30, Hall N)
With autonomous systems playing critical roles across society and industry, their trustworthiness has become a foundational requirement—not only for technical reliability, but to ensure ethical, safe, and responsible deployment. As these systems increasingly make decisions that affect humans, trustworthiness is essential to earning acceptance, managing risk, and complying with evolving legal and societal expectations. This talk focuses on standards and frameworks for integrating trust into both smart system architectures and the broader cross-domain ecosystems that support their safe adoption and positive impact.
Biography
Clara Neppel is a Senior Director of the IEEE, where she is responsible for the growth of IEEE’s operations and presence in Europe, focusing on the needs of industry, academia, and government. She serves as a point of contact for initiatives with regard to technology, engineering and related public policy issues that help implement IEEE’s continued global commitment to fostering technological innovation for the benefit of humanity. As the European head of a neutral and not-for-profit institution, Dr. Neppel is dedicated, under a scientific and technological prism, to supporting and advancing human-centric and sustainable innovation. She contributes to issues regarding technology policy of several international organizations.
Dr. Neppel is a member of the Supervisory Board of the European Institute of Technology Digital, the Independent Advisory Board of the UK RI Centre for Doctoral Training in Accountable, Responsible and Transparent Artificial Intelligence, and the Scientific-Industrial Advisory Board of Research Studios Austria Forschungsgesellschaft.
She joined IEEE after many years with the European Patent Office where she was involved in various aspects relating to innovation, intellectual property and public policy in the field of information and communication technologies. She holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the Technical University of Munich and a Master in Intellectual Property Law and Management from the University of Strasbourg.
