The accurate design of experimental tests is pivotal to guarantee the quality of the output data as well as for the optimization of the resources needed to carry out an experimental campaign. Indeed, if it is true that an objective can be achieved following different paths, it is beyond doubt that it is often necessary to save time and money while guaranteeing the accuracy of the tests performed and the quality of the data gathered. Hence, starting from the fundamentals of measurements, it is important to follow basic and straightforward guidelines to make the right choices when dealing with the design of an experimental setup.
This tutorial is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of a rigorous approach to be adopted to optimize a measurement setup, going through the essential aspects of the topic and showing how each step can be optimized.
These steps include the choice and the definition of multiple aspects, as follows:
- The acquisition system, dealing with sampling and quantification procedures.
- The test population, considering statistical power and significance level.
- The operating conditions, taking into account possible interfering factors.
- Signal processing, including filtering techniques and comparative analyses.
Finally, an insight on practical applications is provided.
Instructor
Gloria Cosoli
Gloria Cosoli was born in Chiaravalle, Ancona, Italy, in 1989. She received the Bachelor degree in Biomedical Engineering, the Master degree in Electronic Engineering, and the Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from Universita Politecnica delle Marche (UNIVPM), Ancona, Italy, in 2011, 2013, and 2017, respectively. From 2016 to 2023, she was a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow with the Department of Industrial Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (DIISM), UNIVPM. Since 2023, she has been a research collaborator at DIISM; since May 2024 she has been an Associate Professor at the Department of Theoretical and Applied Sciences of eCampus University, Novedrate, Italy. From November 2024 she has been the Deputy Coordinator of the Bachelor and Master degree courses in Computer and Automation Engineering at eCampus University.
She is the author of 36 articles, 43 conference proceedings, and two national patents. Her research interests include non-invasive physiological measurements, numerical modeling, mechanical and thermal measurements, signal processing, and non-destructive techniques. She received the IEEE MeMeA 2015 Best Poster Award and the IEEE MetroLivEnv 2023 Best Paper Award.
Publication Year: 2025