Composites with various ingredients were developed and utilized for different engineering applications including aerospace sector over many decades. One among them is the metal matrix composites which, have been transmuted from a matter of scientific and intellectual interest to a material of technological and commercial importance. Characterization and property evaluation of the metal matrix composites developed with combinations of various matrix and reinforcement materials with a focus on aerospace applications will be presented. The significance of the reinforcement materials and the innovations in the processing methods to develop MMCs suitable for aerospace applications will also be addressed.

Rehabilitation robotics is one of the most important subdomains of the medical robotics, with a highly potential worldwide, and its development is correlated with the increased life expectancy and the growing number of elderly persons. The already achieved robotic systems for rehabilitation of upper and lower limbs have shown a continuous evolution in this challenging and difficult research field. Stroke is one of the leading causes of motor disability and a post stroke patient must undergo rehabilitation exercises to gain back its ability to perform daily life activities. The main problem here is that in the future, more precisely in the next 20 years, there is a crisis projected because the incidence of stroke will rise due to the ageing of the population and the survival rate of stroke will also increase due to medical innovation, which in turn will lead to an increased number of post stroke patients relative to the number of kineto-therapist, creating an unbalance in the healthcare system. Therefore, it is important to develop innovative robotic systems which allow physical therapists to develop patient-oriented rehabilitation programs that can maximize the therapeutic effects aiming towards an increased quality of life in the framework of Activities of Daily Living.

Robots represent the future of infrastructure inspection, and further actions such as maintenance. Exploiting the full potential of robots, it is essential to develop Digital Twins of robots and their challenging and often harsh operating environments. The digital counterparts enable a rapid and iterative process for the robot design, development, and testing, facilitating their industrial deployment and standardization. Furthermore, optimal access can be planned in digital environment and further enhanced by interaction with physical environment. The digital twins must interact seamlessly with their physical counterparts through a connective digital infrastructure, allowing for realistic simulation, emulation, and goal-oriented design modifications.

The Azores face important challenges in an increasingly global production world where trade is one main factor for improving the livelihood of any region or location. Included in a European setting there are many reference policies that need to be complied with and other major EU objectives that have to be addressed such the green and the digital transformation.
The main production and export clusters in the Azores and in S. Miguel are the agro-industrial, the fishing and fish transformation and tourism. These are all sectors that are highly exposed to international competition and thus to the need of adopting cutting edge technologies be it in cattle feed production, fishing and fish farming or in tourism marketing.
This talk discusses and presents an overview of the main policies that have been implemented to render the export sectors more competitive and assesses what still need to be done in S. Miguel and in the Azores in general, in each of its main economic sectors.