The forth general meeting of the MAPWORMS Consortium was held in Pontedera from March 16 to 18, 2026, hosted by SSSA at The BioRobotic Institute. This in-person event provided partners with a valuable opportunity to reflect on progress, coordinate future activities, and prepare to the last Review Meeting in May 2026.
Over three days, the consortium reviewed updates across all Work Packages (WPs), including WP2 (bioinspiration from marine Annelida), WP3 (shape-morphing modeling), WP4 (stimuli-responsive hydrogels), WP5 (bioinspired morphing robots), and WP6 (application and exploitation strategies). Coordination, communication, and dissemination efforts (WP1) were also discussed.
Prof. Arianna Menciassi, Project Coordinator, opened the meeting with a technical overview of the project, presenting its vision to develop a new generation of soft robots inspired by the adaptable and decentralized systems found in marine annelids. She emphasized key concepts such as mechano-morphing, modularity, and synthetic actuation, highlighting the strongly interdisciplinary character of the project, which brings together marine biology, materials science, and robotics.
WP2 reported on ecological and morphological investigations of annelids, highlighting Phascolosoma stephensoni as a particularly suitable model organism owing to its high phenotypic plasticity. Additionally, studies on G. tridactyla were presented, highlighting different configurations of pharynx. A new virtual gallery has been created for the MAPWORMS project.
WP3, presented remotely by Prof. Antonio De Simone, detailed the modelling of annelid-inspired shape morphing, with particular emphasis on peristaltic locomotion.
WP4, led by HUJI, showcased new class of stimuli-responsive gel matrices, namely enzyme-free, dissipative, transient-responsive gel frameworks of chemical-and photochemical-responsive Fe³⁺/Fe²⁺-crosslinked CMC. Additionally, they showed the development of methods to synthesize CaCO3-immobilized chemical and photochemical-responsive Fe3+/2+-crosslinked CMC dissipative hydrogel microcapsules and microgels.
WP5, coordinated by SSSA, demonstrated robotic prototypes, including:
- A magnetic eversible robot simulating annelid eversion and retraction through internal fluid displacement,
- A peristaltic magnetic robot capable of directional motion, gap-bridging, and transport,
- A pneumatic neurosurgical access port, enabling tool insertion within constrained environments,
- A pneumatic colon simulator, eventually usable for surgeons training
WP6 focused on validating these systems in realistic scenarios. ACMIT presented testing in anatomical phantom models, especially targeting minimally invasive neurosurgery. A new case scenario was introduced and discussed, based on magnetic actuation. Specifically, an optical fibre equipped with magnetic coating is used as the measuring beam in OCT measurements. The magnetic coating enables a remote bending of the fiber using a multi-pole electromagnet. Soft magnetic coating of an optical fibre for OCT eye-scanning is a specialized topic that has its seed in cooperation with another EU-project, GEYEDANCE, which has been accomplished in the meantime.
Hands-on experiments on the final days included the assessment of the bending capability of the optical fiber under the application of an external magnetic field. Tests in a real case scenario were also performed. Additionally, tests on pneumatic neurosurgical access port were conducted, assessing exertion force and eversion ability of the proposed solution.
During the meeting, the reviewers’ comments were carefully discussed and addressed. The main action points focused on strengthening integration across the WPs, refining the exploitation strategy, and reinforcing the connection between biological investigations and robotic development. Overall, the meeting helped define the path toward the final deliverables due at Month 48 and reaffirmed the consortium’s shared commitment to advancing innovation through bioinspired engineering.