4th International Conference on Digital Futures and Transformative Technologies (ICoDT2)
KEY NOTE SPEAKERS AND TOPICS
S No | Name | Organization | Keynote Topic |
1 | Prof. Dr.Flippo Neri | Prof of CS, Uni of Naples, Italy President Virtual Labs SRL | Modern Radar and EW Systems |
2 | Prof. Dr. M Al Siyabi | Dean of the Military Technological College (MTC), Oman | Transformative Technologies Shaping the Future |
3 | Prof. Dr. Karsten Berns | Dean of the Department of Computer Science, University of Kaiserslautern, Germany | Robotics in Agriculture |
Prof. Dr. Filippo Neri
Prof. Dr. Filippo Neri received his Ph.D. in electronics engineering at Rome University, Italy. He began working in the second part of 1960 with Selenia SPA (now Leonardo), where he became the head of the Tracking Radar Department. Dr. Neri managed the development of many new radars based on advanced technologies and techniques, including the mono-pulse tracking system, coherent chain TX-RX, and frequency agility. In 1981 he was transferred to the electronic warfare (EW) division as EW systems manager. In 1985, Dr. Neri moved to Elettronica SPA in Rome, first as Director of Research and new Products and later as Technical Director, a position in which he promoted the development of the most advanced EW technologies and techniques. In particular, he contributed significantly to the implementation of the solid-state active antenna technology, presently applied both to airborne and naval ECM systems and of the Cross-Eye jamming technique implementation. In 1998-1999, Dr. Neri was the Chairman of the WEAG (Western Europe Armament Group) Study Group for EW and Direct Energy Weapons (DEW). At the end of this work, he received the “Euclid” prize.
Along his career, Dr. Neri wrote many technical articles published by several publications, including the Journal of Electronic Defense, Military Technology, Gulf Defense Magazine, and Difesa Oggi. He is also the author of “Introduction to Electronic Defense Systems”, First, Second and Third Editions, published by Artech House. Dr. Neri holds many international patents relating to inventions in both the Radar and EW fields. Presently, he is the President of Virtualabs SRL, a company fully dedicated to the Radar and EW Systems innovation where very advanced radar and EW systems are realized.
He is a life member of the Association of Old Crows (AOC) and teaches Radar and EW Systems courses in many countries, including USA. Dr. Neri received many awards and recognitions for his work, both in Italy (e.g.“Maestro del Lavoro” from Italian President hon. Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and “Commendatore” from Italian President hon. Giorgio Napolitano) and abroad (e.g. “Distinguished Fellowship Award” of Defense Science Organization (DSO) of Singapore and induction in the AOC Electronic Warfare Technology Hall of Fame of USA). Given his long experience in defense systems, Dr. Neri is often requested to revise articles for IEEE magazines, makes many Webinars on new Radar and EW Systems in several Countries and is regularly invited as Guest Speaker at International Defense Conferences.
Prof. Dr. Mohamed Al Siyabi
Prof. Dr. Mohamed Al Siyabi is a distinguished figure in the realm of military engineering, renowned for his extensive educational background and professional accomplishments. With a Ph.D. in Communication Engineering from the University of Surrey, UK, Dr. Al Siyabi holds the esteemed title of Chartered Engineer (CEng) and is an active member of distinguished engineering institutions. He is currently serving as the Dean of the Military Technological College (MTC) in Muscat, Oman, where he diligently oversees academic engineering programs, ensuring alignment with the needs of the Ministry of Defense (MOD) and SAF services.
Dr. Al Siyabi’s career trajectory exemplifies his exceptional managerial skills and proficiency in engineering program oversight. His journey includes roles such as Vice Dean for Academic Affairs at MTC and Deputy Principal at AFTC, showcasing his ability to lead and manage academic institutions effectively. His significant expertise spans project management, human resource management, and strategic planning, all underpinned by a robust academic foundation and notable contributions to communication engineering. Throughout his academic journey, Dr. Al Siyabi has garnered a series of distinguished qualifications, including an MSc in Military Studies from the Bahrain Royal Staff College and an MSc in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the University of Portsmouth, UK. His educational background demonstrates expertise in both military and engineering disciplines, covering areas such as networks security, satellite technology, and microwave engineering.
Dr. Al Siyabi’s contributions extend beyond academia into high-profile international projects, notably the Hizam Al Taawon system, where he served as the Omani director, representing Oman in meetings with GCC countries and system manufacturers. Additionally, he has been actively engaged in coordinating military networks and overseeing E-Government projects, showcasing his ability to navigate complex technological landscapes and foster international collaborations.
With his extensive experience, academic expertise, and dedication to advancing military engineering education, Dr. Mohamed Al Siyabi stands as a distinguished leader in the field, shaping the future of engineering education and contributing significantly to the defense capabilities of Oman.
Prof. Dr. Karsten Berns
-
Prof. Dr. Karsten Berns has studied computer science with a special focus on Artificial Intelligence at the University of Kaiserslautern (1982 to 1988). For his research on “Neural Networks for the Control of a six-legged Walking Machine” he received his PhD from the University of Karlsruhe in 1994. He Led IDS department at FZI, Karlsruhe (until 2003). Since 2003 he is a full professor at the University of Kaiserslautern.
Present research activities are the realization of reliable, complex autonomous robotic systems. Therefore, he and his research group are developing the robotic middleware Finroc, the behavior-based control architecture iB2C as well as different validation and verification methodologies. The main application is off-road robotics, in which autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles like a small truck, an excavator, a shuttlebus, tractors, and rescue robots are under development. In the range of humanoid robots, the social robot ROMAN and Robin is developed for the investigation of human robot interaction. Also a biological inspired biped locomotion is under development including soft actuators and the mechatronics system of the biped.
Prof. Berns is frequently reviewer and associated editor of several journals and robotic conferences like ICRA, IROS, Humanoids. Furthermore, he is editor of the ELSEVIER journal of Robotics and Autonomous Systems a member of a number of editorial boards. He also acts as reviewer for several national and international funding organizations. He was general chair of several national and international conferences. He is member of the IEEE and the Gesellschaft für Informatik (GI).
He is a member of the executive committee of the German Robotics Association (DGR) and is leader of the technical committee for robotic systems of the GI. He was Dean of the Department of Computer Science at the University of Kaiserslautern (2007 – 2010) and was member of the scientific directorate Schloss Dagstuhl – Leibniz Center for Informatics (2008- 2014). From 2010 till 2020 he was spokesperson of the Center for Commercial Vehicle Technology (ZNT) at the University of Kaiserslautern and the Commercial Vehicle Cluster, Kaiserslautern.
