Uncategorized – Sony CSL – Rome

“Duetto-Human Movement and AI”, the full documentary is now available

milena — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 10:37:47 +0000

“Duetto” is a research project in which the relationship between artificial intelligence and human movement is investigated, it was born within the S+T+ARTS project, a European program that promotes the exchange between Science, Technology and Art, and is led by Sony CSL – Rome, in collaboration with Centro Coreografico Nazionale/Aterballetto, La Piroetta Dance School/Aleph Dance Company and the European University of Rome.

Duetto is an innovative scientific project that combines generative artificial intelligence with the study of human movement. The goal is to develop models that can understand how people move in response to certain inputs. To achieve this, we asked performers at various levels to dance in front of some cameras to a variety of music asking them to improvise! During this phase of data collection, we also collaborated with choreographers and maitre de ballet so that they could, in some cases, direct the movement of the dancers through choreographic hints, to make sure that their movement was as varied as possible.

Preliminary experiments have already made it clear that “Duetto” will become more and more like a virtual creative partner for the choreographer or dancer, that is, a system capable of suggesting new movement sequences, exploring original solutions that go beyond traditional canons. Artificial intelligence would not merely imitate what already exists, but would be capable of coming up with fresh new ideas, which the dancer may or may not take in, adapt, or rework.

Watch the promo of the project below!

To better understand “Duetto,” a comparison can be made with a language model such as ChatGPT. If ChatGPT works with words and creates sentences by combining them in meaningful ways, “Duetto” does the same with the human body: it takes body postures as “words” and combines them into sequences that become actual “body talk,” or movements.

In short, “Duetto” explores the language of movement and dialogues with those who interact with it through physical propositions that stimulate the imagination, offering a new way to create, improvise and innovate in the field of dance and, more generally, the performing arts.

Studying this kind of human-machine interaction centered on movement is very interesting for several reasons, first of all there is our scientific interest in the study of what a novelty is and how it is created, then there’s the fundamental question about human creativity: far from replacing us, can AI be useful to our creativity, can it increase our creativity so that it can be useful to us in finding more and more fitting solutions to the most diverse problems of humanity? Also, it is true that we are passionate about dance and in general about all the arts and how they have been intertwined with scientific and technological development for millennia, however, dance is a nice starting point for us to be able to understand also other types of movement in which artificial intelligence can be really very useful to us, we are talking about frontiers such as microsurgery, rehabilitation, preservation of ancient gestures and so on.

Watch below the full documentary on the first project’s developments, it contains interviews to the researchers, dancers, choreographers, psychologists who are taking part in this amazing activity!

About cities and inequalities, the new study by Sony CSL – Rome featured in Nature Cities

milena — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 06:45:48 +0000

“A universal framework for inclusive 15-minute cities”, the recent publication by the Sustainable Cities Research Line at the Sony Computer Science Laboratories – Rome ends up in the monthly online journal by Nature.

“A universal framework for inclusive 15-minute cities”, the study by Matteo Bruno, Hygor Piaget Monteiro Melo, Bruno Campanelli led by Vittorio Loreto from the Sustainable Cities Research Line at Sony Computer Science Laboratories – Rome (Sony CSL – Rome) has been featured in Nature Cities and the content has been deemed to be of high interest to the scientific community. (Available here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s44284-024-00119-4).

The paper “A universal framework for inclusive 15-minute cities” starts from the concept of the 15-minute city, which proposes that urban areas can operate more efficiently, fairly, and sustainably when vital everyday services and essential amenities are accessible within a 15-minute distance of walking or biking. The study analyses a vast number of cities worldwide and finds that, within the framework of the 15-minute city, the accessibility to services by citizens is highly heterogeneous within and across cities, meaning that urban areas present a high level of inequalities given mainly by the poor or difficult accessibility to services by citizens.

The researchers tried to answer these questions by creating a “relocation algorithm,” which will help understand how to increase the number of citizens who can access services in a given urban area and reduce inequalities. In addition, the “algorithm” is also essential in simulating how a city would respond to an increase in services until it reaches the 15-minute framework and how the number of needed services can vary among different cities.

But why is all this useful? Well, in principle, to have a better comprehension of the cities we live in, of the complex problems citizens face and of the complex possible solutions, but also to understand that cities are different to each other, and they need tailored solutions to their complexities and the 15-minute framework is just one of the possible scenarios. Managing such a tool, urbanists, engineers, and policy-makers could concentrate on non-standardised solutions for their cities; on the contrary, they could work on the most suitable ones in a way that cities are more accessible to a more significant number of people.

The benefits of more equitable cities are infinitely varied: having better access to healthcare, education, culture, amenities, and all the range of opportunities cities can offer as centres of human creativity makes us better citizens of the entire world.

About Nature Cities

Nature Cities is the monthly online journal that publishes insightful research and opinions about cities and urban issues broadly, aiming to deepen and integrate basic and applied understanding of the nature of cities, including their roles, impacts, influences, past, present, and future. At this scope, the journal features cutting-edge research, synthetic reviews and timely news and opinions. By bringing together diverse content and voices, it aims to transcend divides among disciplines, regions, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and the public. (ref: https://www.nature.com/natcities/journal-information)

Calvino is in the City, Dialogues between Literature and Science

milena — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 12:23:38 +0000

Within the framework of the “Dialogues between Literature and Science” the Sony Computer Science Laboratories in Rome proudly presents “Calvino is in the City,” an event dedicated to the author of the “Invisible Cities,” one of his most well known masterpieces, which is highly celebrated and remarkably relevant for an era where the debate on the future of cities becomes more pressing.

The event will begin with the reading of excerpts from the book, followed by an initial commentary with a scientific flavor. Subsequently, other guests will share their perspectives, opening the discussion and perhaps delving deeper into Calvino’s narrative, vision, insights, and transversality. The event will take on the form of a genuine and multi-voiced dialogue, where syntaxes intertwine and listen to each other.

In addition to Vittorio Loreto, Director of Sony CSL – Rome and Physics of Complex Systems lecturer at La Sapienza University in Rome, there will be contributions from Laura Guglielmi, journalist and writer, also an expert on Calvino and author of the book “Calvino and Sanremo”; Andrea Prencipe, Rector of LUISS Guido Carli University and author of the books “The Cybernetic Viscount” and “The Rampant Innovator,” accompanied in the narration by Manuela Cherubini, a director, actress, and expert in scientific narratives.

The event is open to public through the registration at this link. Entrance from Piazza del Viminale 1, Rome.

Sony CSL – Rome Gold Partner of Maker Faire 2023

milena — Thu, 19 Oct 2023 10:00:15 +0000

The Sony Computer Science Laboratories – Rome (Sony CSL – Rome) is participating in the 11th edition of Maker Faire Rome, from October 20th to 22nd at the Fiera di Roma

Once again this year, Sony CSL – Rome is taking part in Maker Faire Rome, the event dedicated to makers and innovators from across Europe that is more and more reserving a wide space for the world of research as the various editions over the years, where Sony CSL – Rome has participated in and supported the initiative underlined.

In this specific 11th edition, those visiting Fiera di Roma from tomorrow until Sunday will explore the Sony CSL – Rome stands located in Pavilion 3 and discover its latest developments and research projects, with some insights from the labs in Paris and from the headquarters.

Numerous research projects will be showcased at the fair, focusing on two key words: humanity and technology. The researchers from Sony CSL – Rome will elaborate on these two major topics within the Maker Faire context, discussing, for example, how data can be used to improve our cities and make them accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Starting with mobility and touching on social inclusion, urban design, and citizen well-being, the “Sustainable Cities” research line will not only talk about “15-Minute Cities” as during the previous editions, but also about the “City of the Opportunity”. The team will also present an interactive installation where people will be asked to help researchers to create a perception map of the city of Rome. Not just scientific research, but also sharing and listening to citizens’ needs.

Within the Sony CSL – Rome exhibition area at the fair, colleagues from the Enrico Fermi Research Center will also be present with a stand dedicated to the physics of complexity and how this discipline can be useful in different areas such as technological innovation and the economy.

Furthermore, it will be possible to understand how a virtuous integration between AI and humans is achievable in areas of application such as learning, information, and art, to name a few. Projects like “ARTIS”, in collaboration with CRC, aim to use AI to improve text comprehension in children in elementary and middle school. The platform also provides valuable support in case of learning disorders, expanding the possibilities of therapeutic professions. The “VALAWAI” project and all the related research from the “Infosphere” line will give an overview on the health status of our information system and will focus on how AI can be used against some of its most serious issues like misinformation and polarization. Continuing with AI, the “Face to Face” project by the “Augmented Creativity” research line will reveal how machines’ creativity really works and how it is evolving, with an interactive installation open to all. Through the new edition of “S+T+ARTS,” a project funded by the European Union, the relationship between art and science will be investigated in a perspective where the two different fields are not in antagonism but can mutually benefit.

The art-science relationship is also prominent in another significant project at the fair: the “Dis.able | Hyper.able” project, born from the collaboration between Sony CSL’s labs in Rome and Tokyo, and the National Choreographic Center Aterballetto. Researcher Ken Endo from the Sony CSL – Transboundary Research in Tokyo has worked for years on the idea of prosthetics as an extension of the body capable of making it hyper-able. An extension of the body that is no longer just a tool to address a physical trauma or conceal a disability but becomes a true expressive tool. The performance that will be presented in preview this afternoon during the opening ceremony at Gazometro Ostiense, is titled “Body into the fight,” and it is a collaboration between the National Choreographic Center/Aterballetto and Sony CSL – Rome. It has been created by Diego Tortelli for Karim Randè, a disabled circus artist, and for the performer Giuseppe Morello.

It represents an important stage of the project “Dis.able | Hyper.able” that was born from the desire to overcome the boundaries of various disciplines and address some important social themes in a transversal way.

During the performance, Karim Randè will dance wearing a special prosthesis designed by Ken Endo.

"That with Maker Faire," says Vittorio Loreto, director of Sony CSL - Rome, "it is now a collaboration that goes beyond the presence of our laboratory at the fair; it is a consolidated relationship aimed at giving a voice to science, promoting interdisciplinarity, and increasingly boosting a creative approach to solve the problems and great challenges of our time."

Pictures: “CCN/Aterballetto – Body into the fight – ph. Nicola Stasi”

Joint Seminar between Sony CSL – Rome and CREF: Frank Schweitzer

milena — Wed, 18 Oct 2023 13:09:23 +0000

On the 18th of October Sony CSL – Rome and CREF hold a new joint seminar with Professor Frank Schweitzer from ETH Zurich.

Frank Schweitzer has been Full Professor for Systems Design at ETH Zurich since 2004. He is also associated member of the Department of Physics at the ETH Zurich. Frank Schweitzer received his first Ph.D. (Dr. rer. nat.) in theoretical physics and his second Ph.D. (Dr. phil.) in philosophy of science, he further earned a habilitation/Venia Legendi in Physics. The research of Frank Schweitzer focuses on applications of complex systems theory in the dynamics of social and economic organizations. His methodological approach can be best described as data-driven modeling. It combines the insights from large-scale data analysis with the power of agent-based computer simulations and the strength of rigorous mathematical models. Frank Schweitzer was a founding member of the ETH Risk Center, Editor-in-Chief of “Advances in Complex Systems” (2007-2022), Editor-in-Chief of “EPJ B: Statistical Physics and Complex Systems” (2007-2012) and foundig Editor-in-Chief of EPJ Data Science (2012-2017).

His gave a seminar on “Modeling and Measuring the Resilience of Social Organizations” of which you can read more below:

Resilience denotes the capacity of a system to withstand shocks and the ability to recover from them. What does this mean for social organisations that are very volatile in their dynamics, for example collectives or project teams? Differently from engineered or ecological systems, a resilient reference state cannot be defined because individuals join or leave and social relations change quickly. To model such organizations, we combine agent-based modeling and multi-layer network approaches. They allow to quantify the impact of agents and their relations, using data about the collaboration in teams. Based on these information, we model the robustness and the adaptivity of social organisations and propose a novel resilience measure combining these two dimensions.

Joint seminars between Sony CSL – Rome and CREF: Edgardo Brigatti and Pierluigi Mancarella

milena — Wed, 07 Jun 2023 15:09:23 +0000

During the years of our joint collaboration with CREF we have been boosting shared knowledge as much as we could, both within the framework of our joint project and promoting new ideas, research projects and different perspectives from outside.

After the numerous seminar series we have been attending this year, such as the CREF Talks by CREF and the Étincelle by Sony CSL, we are now jointly launching a new format for seminars that will concern either the topics related to our joint research lines or external seminars we both believe to be interesting for our two organisations.

We started last week on the 31st of May with the seminar held by Edgardo Brigatti from the university of Rio De Janeiro, who spoke about “Entropy estimation in bidimensional sequences and the classification of built environments in different spatial cultures”.

About the seminar: Estimating entropy in multidimensional patterns is a nontrivial task, particularly when involved and long-range correlations are present. In this seminar, first, we show how methods usually applied to one-dimensional sequences can be adapted to analyze bi-dimensional systems. Then, we use this approach to estimate the Shannon entropy of urban patterns.
Findings suggest that this methodology can identify similarities between cities, generating accurate results for recognizing and classifying urban morphologies. This approach allows the introduction of a classification scheme that opens up new questions about the idea that urban form can embody characteristics related to different cultural identities, historical processes, and geographical regions

Next joint seminar will be on the 13th of June at 2.30 pm and on the occasion we will host Pierluigi Mancarella from the University of Melbourne.

About the seminar: Distributed Energy Resources (DER) are becoming widespread in most countries worldwide. In particular, at the household level rooftop solar photovoltaics, electric heat pumps, battery energy storage systems, and soon electric vehicles too, are poised to play an essential role towards power and energy system decarbonisation and more consumer-centric markets. Local energy systems with shared
assets such as community storage are also emerging as important options of interest. Key ongoing
debates now refer to how different DER technologies and schemes should be fully integrated into power and energy system and market operation.
In this talk we will present fundamental techno-economic aspects of key aggregation approaches that could enable large-scale deployment of DER, namely, virtual power plants, energy communities, and
microgrids. More specifically, we will discuss the key features of these different aggregation models (“what”), under which conditions each of them should/could be considered (“where”), and potential
technical and commercial opportunities and challenges for different stakeholders involved with DER development, e.g., aggregators, energy managers, distribution system operators, and so forth (“who”).
Several case studies from a number of recent projects in Australia, UK, Europe, Malaysia and Chile will be used to exemplify the concepts presented.

Stay tuned, amazing things are coming!

Want to join us? Look at these two job opportunities to work in our labs in Rome and in Paris

milena — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 16:48:54 +0000

If you are willing to join our team at Sony CSL, you’d better go through this blog post an have a look at the following job opportunities! We are searching for two postdoc researchers in the field of Computational Social Science and in Natural Language Processing and Data Science.

Here it follows all the info about the two opportunities and the way to apply!

Postdoc in Computational Social Science (CNRS & Sony CSL)

Workplace Rome

CNRS-GEMASS and Sony CSL are collaborating in the framework of an ANR-funded “ScientIA” project. ScientIA aims to investigate the mechanisms favouring the spread of AI technologies, the effects of this disrupting innovation on scientific cultures and practices, and the social consequences of the AI-induced transformation of the scientific ecosystem. Standing on a solid interdisciplinary framework, combining computational tools and social science methodologies, ScientIA aims to analyse, with a multilevel and comparative perspective, the impact and implication of the introduction of AI in academic and industrial research in a wide range of disciplines. The interdisciplinary consortium of ScientIA will develop an innovative research framework on AI, filling the large gap between scientometric studies on the growth of AI-based scientific research and the general analyses of AI’s impact on society.

Postdoc in Natural Language Processing and Data Science

Workplace Paris

Sony Computer Science Laboratories (Sony CSL) is looking for a passionate full-time post-doctoral researcher to join VALAWAI (short for Value-Aware AI), an EU-funded project about consciousness and values in AI. “Value-aware AI” refers to an AI that includes components performing the same function as human moral consciousness: a system that helps decide whether or not certain actions are morally acceptable. This system will be based on the Global Neuronal Workspace model developed on the basis of neurophysiological evidence and psychological data (Dehaene, S., Changeux, J. P., & Naccache, L. The global neuronal workspace model of conscious access: from neuronal architectures to clinical applications, 2011).
At our lab we will look at how moral values can be extracted from texts (e.g., news items, social media posts) to visually represent and detect hallmarks of the social dialogue emerging from a given corpus.

Synecoculture: Human Augmentation of Ecosystems, the seminar by Masatoshi Funabashi

milena — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 09:28:49 +0000

The seminar, held by Masatoshi Funabashi, Senior researcher and Planetary Navigation Group Leader for the Sony Computer Science Laboratories, will take place on the 14th September 2022 at 16.00 in Aula Fermi of the Enrico Fermi Research Center in Rome. It will provide an introduction about Synecoculture.

Synecoculture is a method of farming that produces useful plants while making multifaceted use of the self-organizing ability of the earth’s ecosystem. It is characterized by a comprehensive ecosystem utilization method that considers not only food production but also the impacts on the environment and health.

The talk will introduce essential experimental results and recent activities in Japan and Sub-Saharan Africa, which showed that the self-organized primary production of ecosystems follows a power law and performs better compared with conventional monoculture methods in:

promoting diversity and total quantity of products along with rapid increase of in-field biodiversity, especially in a semi-arid environment where local reversal of regime shift is observed;
a fundamental reduction of inputs and environmental load; and
ecosystem-based autonomous adaptation of the crop portfolio to climatic variability.

The overall benefits imply substantial possibilities for a new typology of sustainable farming based on human-guided augmentation of ecosystem functions that could overcome the historical trade-off between productivity and biodiversity.

The same principle also applies to the design of green infrastructure in urban environments, where multiple ecosystem services could promote human health and provide an interactive platform for education. The discussion on the possibility of adaptation to European cities that strive to realize resilient and sustainable lifestyles in the post-pandemic era are welcomed.

Find more info here.