From March 23rd to 27th, 2026, the MAPWORMS project took part in the European Robotics Forum (ERF) in Stavanger, Norway, one of the most important annual events for the European robotics community. In collaboration with its partners, MAPWORMS contributed to the event through both a dedicated exhibition booth and a thematic workshop, with the aim of presenting the project’s latest developments, engaging key stakeholders from the robotics ecosystem, and collecting feedback on the potential applications of the technologies developed within the project.
The workshop, entitled “How to Bring Soft Robotics to Applications?”, was co-organized by Dr. Linda Paternò (Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies), Dr. Gernot Kronreif (Austrian Center for Medical Innovation and Technology), Prof. Matteo Fumagalli (Technical University of Denmark), and Ilaria Cedrola (Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies). The session brought together invited speakers from academia, start-ups, and innovation-oriented organizations, offering complementary perspectives on the current state and future uptake of soft robotic technologies.
Dr. Florian Hartmann (Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems) opened the workshop with a presentation on small aquatic robots and flexible drive technologies for agricultural environmental monitoring. He then addressed how sustainability in robot manufacturing can be achieved, beginning with the careful selection of materials.
Dr. Francesco Stella (Embodied AI) then presented the work carried out within Embodied AI, a Swiss-Dutch spin-off from EPFL and TU Delft, of which he is CEO. His talk introduced the company’s soft and flexible manipulator, with particular emphasis on its application in real-world scenarios, and also provided an overview of their new humanoid robotic platform.
Dr. Martina Maselli (Capio Robotics) presented Capio Robotics, a startup of Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, and showcased the development of a soft and compliant gripper designed to address the need for improved harvesting procedures.
Dr. Gernot Kronreif (Austrian Center for Medical Innovation and Technology) provided an in-depth overview of the MAPWORMS project, with particular attention to its potentially exploitable results.
Finally, Prof. Matteo Fumagalli (Technical University of Denmark) concluded the presentation session by introducing an innovative technology capable of modulating body rigidity on demand.
The workshop concluded with a panel discussion focused on the main challenges associated with translating soft robotics research into practical applications. In addition to the invited speakers, the panel also included Dr. Niccolò Pagliarani (Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies and Capio Robotics) and was moderated by the organizing team. The discussion prompted an active exchange with the audience, whose questions and comments further enriched the debate and contributed valuable perspectives on the opportunities and barriers affecting the field.
A key message emerging from the workshop was that soft robotics is rapidly gaining traction as a promising approach for the development of compliant machines capable of safely interacting with complex environments, with potential applications across a broad range of sectors. At the same time, despite the significant scientific advances achieved in recent years, several critical barriers still hinder the transition of soft robotic systems from laboratory research to real-world deployment. Major challenges remain in areas such as materials, control strategies, scalability, durability, and integration into industrial processes. In this context, the session highlighted the need for strategies to improve system reliability, validation procedures, and integration into operational environments. An important added value of the workshop was the balanced participation of academics, SMEs, and end-users, which fostered a cross-sector dialogue on the translational dimensions of soft robotics.
Alongside the workshop, the MAPWORMS team also hosted an exhibition booth designed to showcase the project’s bioinspired technologies and engage visitors in an interactive way. The booth featured a main display area with robotic prototypes and live demonstrations, as well as a questionnaire, accessible both via QR code and in printed form, through which attendees could share their views on potential application areas.
Additionally, a 10-question survey was developed to capture visitors’ interests, expectations, and perspectives regarding MAPWORMS technologies. Overall, MAPWORMS’ participation in ERF 2026 represented a valuable opportunity to disseminate project achievements, collect stakeholder feedback, and stimulate discussion on the future uptake of soft robotics. Organized by euRobotics, ERF continues to provide a unique platform for connecting research and industry through exhibitions, B2B meetings, workshops, and technical talks, thereby contributing to shaping the future direction of robotics in Europe.