Keynote Speakers

Pietro Valdastri – University of Leeds

Talk: “Lifesaving Soft Magnetic Surgical Robots”

When: October 17th, 10:00 am, Aula Magna 

Pietro Valdastri is Full Professor and Chair in Robotics and Autonomous Systems at the University of Leeds. He directs the Science and Technologies Of Robotics in Medicine (STORM) Lab, focusing on intelligent robots to fight cancer, the Institute of Robotics, Autonomous System and Sensing (IRASS), and the Robotics at Leeds network. He received his Laurea degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Pisa in 2001 and his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna in 2006. After the PhD, he became Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering at the BioRobotics Institute of Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna. In 2011, Prof Valdastri moved to Vanderbilt University as an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering until 2016, when he relocated to Leeds.

He has published more than 200 peer reviewed journal papers in the field of medical robotics and has been principal investigator on grants in excess of $27M supported by NSF, NIH, ERC, EU-H2020, Cancer Research UK, The Royal Society, EPSRC, ARIA, Innovate UK and industry, including the NSF CAREER Award with the proposal “Lifesaving Capsule Robots” in 2015, the ERC Consolidator Grant Award with the proposal “NoLiMiTs – Novel Lifesaving Magnetic Tentacles” in 2019, and the KUKA Innovation Award for his robotic colonoscopy platform in 2019. Prof. Valdastri is a Royal Society Wolfson Research Fellow, a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Editor for Medical and Rehabilitation Robotics of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, and a member of the steering committee of the International Society for Medical Innovation and Technology (iSMIT). STORM Lab’s research has been featured by several news outlets, including the BBC, The Times, The Washington Post, The Financial Times, New Scientist, The Spectator, WIRED, IEEE Spectrum, Medgadget, Daily Mail, The Engineer, Ingenia Magazine, Medical Design Technology Magazine, Medical Xpress, Newswise, NSF Science Now. Prof Valdastri also completed a successful entrepreneurial cycle with WinMedical s.r.l., a company he co-founded in 2009 and that was acquired by a larger enterprise in 2017. He recently started a new company, Atlas Endoscopy Limited, to bring his robotic colonoscopy platform to patients.

Outline of the Talk

Magnetic fields offer the possibility of manipulating objects from a distance and are ideal for medical applications, as they penetrate human tissue without inflicting any harm on the patient. Magnetic fields can be harnessed to actuate surgical robots, enhancing the capabilities of surgeons in reaching deep into the human anatomy through complex winding pathways, thus providing minimally invasive access to organs that are out of reach with current technologies. In this talk, we will explore various robotic architectures based on magnetic control, specifically designed for lifesaving clinical applications. These architectures include a magnetic flexible endoscope for painless colonoscopy, soft magnetic tentacles personalized for reaching peripheral areas of the lung and navigating the pancreatic duct, and magnetic vine robots for endoluminal exploration. We will also discuss enabling technologies, intelligent control, potential levels of computer assistance, the path to first-in-human trials, and highlight the future challenges associated with this emerging technology.

Emanuela Girardi – President of AI, Data and Robotics Association

Talk: “Physical AI: Europe’s opportunity in the global AI race”

When: October 17th, 1:30 pm, Aula Magna 

Emanuela Girardi is the President of Adra, the European Association for AI, Data, and Robotics, partner of the European Commission in the AI, Data, and Robotics Public-Private Partnership. She is the founder and president of Pop AI, a non-profit organization dedicated to making artificial intelligence accessible and understandable to everyone. Emanuela is an expert in international AI policy and she has been a member of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development’s expert group on AI, contributing to the drafting Italy’s first national AI strategy. She serves on the industrial board of AIxIA, the Italian association for artificial intelligence, and the Advisory Board of CAIRNE, the confederation of AI laboratories in Europe.

She also brings her expertise to academia, teaching AI and sustainable development at the HumanAIze Master’s program at the Politecnico University of Turin and sits on the board of Fondazione per la Scuola of Compagnia di San Paolo. Recognized as one of the 50 most influential women in technology in Italy, Emanuela is a co-founder and board member of EquALL, an initiative promoting gender equality.

Outline of the Talk

AI is increasingly embodied in physical systems, from industrial robotics to domestic assistants, marking the rise of Physical AI. While the global AI race is today dominated by the US and China, both racing toward AGI and investing massively in AI-powered robots, Europe has a unique opportunity to reposition itself as a key player in this frontier field. In my keynote, I will first introduce ADRA, the European partnership on AI, Data and Robotics, and its role in supporting innovation and technological sovereignty. I will then highlight how Physical AI can be Europe’s strategic leverage: combining our excellence in robotics, manufacturing, and human-centric values to compete globally. At the same time, I will address the challenges still ahead, from technical hurdles to skills gaps, and propose concrete steps such as Qualification and Testing Centers to accelerate safe deployment and adoption. Physical AI is not only about technology: it is about Europe’s chance to reclaim a leadership role in shaping the future of intelligent robotics.

Alessandra Sciutti – IIT

Talk: “Embodied Cognition for Human-Aware Robotics”

When: October 18th, 9.30am, Aula Magna

Alessandra Sciutti is a Senior Tenure Track Researcher and head of the CONTACT (COgNiTive Architecture for Collaborative Technologies) Unit of the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT). She received her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Bioengineering and her Ph.D. in Humanoid Technologies from the University of Genova in 2010. After two research periods in the USA and Japan, in 2018, she was awarded the ERC Starting Grant wHiSPER (www.whisperproject.eu), focused on the investigation of joint perception between humans and robots. She has published more than 100 papers and abstracts in international journals and conferences, coordinates the ERC POC Project ARIEL (Assessing Children Manipulation and Exploration Skills), and has participated in the coordination of the CODEFROR European IRSES project (https://www.codefror.eu/).  She is currently Chief Editor of the HRI Section of Frontiers in Robotics and AI and Associate Editor for several journals, including the International Journal of Social Robotics and Cognitive System Research. She is an ELLIS scholar and the corresponding co-chair of the IEEE RAS Technical Committee for Cognitive Robotics. Her research aims to investigate the sensory and motor mechanisms underlying mutual understanding in human-human and human-robot interaction.

Outline of the Talk

Autonomous robots will only become meaningful partners in society if they achieve genuine mutual understanding with humans. This requires moving beyond data-driven models toward embodied architectures that tightly couple perception, action, and cognition. Cognitive competence demands social awareness, just as social skills must be grounded in robust cognitive frameworks.

This talk will argue that embodied cognition provides the foundation to unify these dimensions. By enabling humanoid robots to learn from first-person experience, form episodic memories, and anticipate human intentions, we can create systems that are both intelligent and socially legible. Such robots not only advance human-aware interaction but also serve as experimental probes into the mechanisms of human cognition. I will highlight how predictive, adaptive, and transparent behaviors can emerge from bio-inspired models, with emphasis on non-verbal communication and prospection. This perspective paves the way for robots that are not only technically proficient but also trustworthy long-term partners.

Antonio Bicchi – Univeristy of Pisa

Talk: “From human-robot interaction to human-robot integration”

When: October 18th, 10.00am, Aula Magna

 Antonio Bicchi is a scientist interested in robotics, automatic control and haptics. He holds a chair in Robotics at the University of Pisa and leads the Soft Robotics Laboratory at the Italian Institute of Technology in Genova. His research work produced many publications largely used and cited, and earned him several awards, including and is recognized as the Pioneer Award from the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society. He helped start the WorldHaptics Symposium series, the IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, and the Italian Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Machines. He is currently Editor in Chief of The International Journal of Robotics Research (IJRR).

Plenary Event 1

Round Table “From Curiosity to Application: The Funding Dilemma in Robotics”

When: October 17th, 1:40 pm, Aula Magna 

Short abstract: The event explores challenges in securing funding for robotics research, balancing curiosity-driven goals with agency-driven priorities and application-oriented agendas. It will address the need for large investments, global competitiveness, and the ethical implications of dual-use technologies.

Invited Speakers: Emanuela Girardi (pop AI, ADRA), Loredana Zollo (UCBM), Manolo Garabini (UniPI), Federica Ferraguti (UniMORE), Diego Coglitore (APRE), Kashiri Navvab (Leonardo), Matteo Elli (RoboIT), Vito Cacucciolo (PoliBa)

Moderators: Gionata Salvietti (University of Siena), Andrea Orlandini (National Research Council of Italy)

Plenary Event 2

Round Table: “Do we really need humanoids?”

When: October 18th, 14:00 pm, Aula Magna

Short abstract: Humanoids robots are currently a hot topic in the media. In China, humanoids welcome people in hotels. Is this creating potential discomfort?  As researchers and developers, we are facing the question: can we envisage a future where humanoids will surround us in our everyday life or just in some professional situations?

Invited Speakers: Francesco Ferro (PAL), Fabio Puglia (Oversonic), Alessandra Sciutti (IIT)