“I see Calejo becoming the standard for ‘Intelligence as a Service’ in the process industry. We will drive the shift toward self-optimizing industrial plants,” says the Calejo’s new team member and co-founder Dr Vittorio Lippi in this interview.
How would you briefly explain your background and experience, and the technological strength you are taking with you into Calejo?
"I define my professional profile as ‘AI+’, where the ‘plus’ stands for control systems, robotics, and rigorous data analysis. I hold a PhD in Robotics from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna with a thesis on machine learning. I have spent over a decade working with both physical modelling and machine learning. My experience spans developing control systems for humanoid robots to maintain balance, as well as my recent work in Generative AI and LLM architecture for engineering applications. The technological strength I bring to Calejo is this ability to combine the precision of control theory with the flexibility of deep learning."
Which will be your initial tasks and duties in Calejo?
“Initially, I will be focusing on developing the software and follow the Italian market to approach potential customers. With an eye on Germany... who knows what can happen there.”
Which challenges do you foresee for Calejo? “The approach we propose is very general. We plan to tackle different problems in different industrial sectors. The main developing challenge will be to react fast to the requests of the customers and keep our software flexible while developing it. On the market side, I expect that the enthusiasm - or hype - around AI will be of great help in promoting our products. At the same time, it creates several challenges, because we are competing with general models that are expected to do more and more things. In my opinion, the current state of the art of generative models is still far from producing reliable process models and specialized applications, like digital twins for plants and processes. Our software is advantageous in that respect, but we should be able to communicate it convincingly.”
What major AI challenges do you see for Calejo and the industry in general going forward? "The main challenge I see right now is to digitalize industrial processes properly to implement measures and control. The availability of data and sensors varies dramatically from one process to another. For example, if we want to control water pumps to save energy, we need to get access to the water level and have control over the pump motor.”
What do you think Calejo will be able to contribute to solving these challenges? “Calejo may also implement sensorization and data collection directly or build a portfolio of potential partner to develop projects that require an upgrade of the digital infrastructure. Of course the optimization capabilities of our software can allow for an informed and sensible design of such upgrade to make it in a more cost-efficient way.
Why have you chosen to combine your expertise with Calejo’s? “Throughout my career, I have always been driven by the practical application of intelligent control. Calejo represents the perfect environment to apply my specific skill set, Control Systems plus AI. I was attracted to the opportunity to move from academic and clinical research into high-impact industrial applications. I see Calejo as a company that doesn't just ‘use’ AI, but understands the engineering principles required to make it work in the physical world, which aligns perfectly with my philosophy as an engineer.”
How do you see Calejo’s future? “I see Calejo becoming the standard for ‘Intelligence as a Service’ in the process industry. Just as we saw the evolution of robotics from rigid machines to adaptive, sensor-fused systems, I believe Calejo will drive the shift toward self-optimizing industrial plants. I am excited about the opportunity to help build this future here.”
