• What is the problem/issue being addressed?
The project IN MOTION (Investigation and Monitoring of Time-varying Environments on Macro and Nano Scales) aimed to explore a new physical paradigm: how electromagnetic fields behave when sources, scatterers, or the environment itself are in motion or subject to dynamic perturbations. Conventional electromagnetic theory and design approaches generally assume static configurations; however, in real-world systems, ranging from airborne drones to vibrating biological tissues and reconfigurable photonic elements, motion, deformation, and temporal modulation play a crucial role. This fundamental gap in our understanding limits the design of devices capable of responding adaptively to changing environments, such as compact antennas, reconfigurable optical elements, or mobile diagnostic probes.
At its core, the project investigated the dynamic interaction between light, matter, and motion across multiple scales, i.e. from nanoscale dielectric and plasmonic particles to centimeter-scale antennas and radar systems. The motivation was to bridge the theoretical and experimental understanding of electromagnetic fields under non-static conditions and to translate this knowledge into technologies that can sense, communicate, and interact with their surroundings in real time.
The challenge addressed was therefore twofold: (1) to formulate new physical models for electromagnetic interactions in motion-based or non-stationary conditions, and (2) to realize experimental platforms for both optical and radiofrequency that can test and apply these concepts through measurable and scalable devices.
• Why is it important for society?
The consortium trained a new generation of multidisciplinary researchers at the interface of physics, engineering, and biology, with several now leading their scientific teams or industrial projects.
In essence, the project established a new research field of dynamic electromagnetic systems, enabling materials and devices that react to motion, light, and environmental change. Its outputs form the basis for future biomedical microdevices, self-adaptive sensors, and reconfigurable communication networks, being technologies critical to an intelligent, connected, and sustainable society.
• What are the overall objectives?
1. Develop a fundamental theory of electromagnetic wave interaction with non-stationary and moving media, including temporal and spatial modulation effects.
2. Design and fabricate dynamic electromagnetic materials and metastructures.
3. Demonstrate optical manipulation, imaging, and propulsion of complex particles towards theradnosic platorms
