Spoke 5 Eng

On September 24, the final session of the Basic AI & Robotics Applications 4SMEs seminar series, part of Spoke 5’s Training Program, was held at the Talent Garden Genoa venue.

The theme of the event focused on the applications of robotics in logistics operations on the company shop floor — from workshops and laboratories to warehouses.

Joining remotely, Jody Saglia, founder of Alto Robotics, presented Node, a platform featuring an autonomous mobile robot capable of navigating company spaces through a customizable mapping system. The robot’s design won the prestigious Red Dot Design Award 2024 in the Design Concepts category.

The second speaker, Paolo Guria, Founder and CEO of Unconventional Minds—a startup studio specialized in robotics and mechatronics—shared his experience of over 20 years in automation. Over the past eight years, including six at IIT, he has focused on the design, construction, and debugging of multi-joint and humanoid robots. His presentation highlighted projects for public spaces where robotics plays not only a functional but also a choreographic role, through kinetic sculptures that strongly define the character of each space.

With this final session, the training program comes to a close, offering participants concrete and innovative insights into the integration of artificial intelligence and robotics solutions within business processes. The initiative reaffirms Spoke 5’s central role in promoting advanced technological skills across diverse audiences.

Genova Nervi has recently hosted the 3rd edition of the DRIMS2 Doctoral School, an Advanced Training Program organized as part of RAISE Spoke 5 – Boosting PhD students’ career activity.

This challenging event, which also provided a great networking opportunity for the participants, took place in the last week of August and brought together 90 participants from national and international institutions.

As part of the national PhD Program in Robotics and Intelligent Machines, the School offered several transversal activities aimed at Doctoral students from several disciplines, including a full day dedicated to the RAISE Ecosystem. The topics of Robotics and AI, Human-Centric Design of Sustainable Mechatronics Systems, as well as Advanced Manufacturing, have been discussed.

The Local Chair of the conference, Prof. Giovanni Berselli (University of Genoa and ADVR, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) comments:
“We had the pleasure to host the 3rd edition of DRIMS2 in Genova and we really have to thank many people who made this possible. It has been a truly successful edition, with high satisfaction by the participants. A special thanks to the contributing companies (Oversonic Robotics, PAL Robotics and FunctionBay S.r.l.), to all the Keynote Speakers and Tutors coming from all over Italy, as well as to the representatives of the National and Local Doctoral Schools. The results and feedbacks of the School will be presented at the national conference of the Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Machines that will be held in Rome between 17 and 19 October 2025”.

Beatrice Sola, one the students, added:
“I had the privilege of participating in the Summer School of Robotics and Intelligent Machines, organized by the I-RIM Institute and held at the Emiliani College in Nervi (Genoa), a unique location: classrooms with sea view, the cliff and the small port a few steps away, a context that made the experience even more special.
It was not just a school, but an intense week of learning, challenges, new encounters and lots of fun. Mornings were dedicated to stimulating lessons, while afternoons took place in hands-on workshops, where we applied what we learned to a group project for the final challenge. With my team we managed to win third place: a result that enhances not only the finish line, but above all the shared path and the moments lived together.
We also had the privilege of listening to speakers of the highest level, including Arash Ajoudani, Gianluca Palli, Francesco Nori, Antonio Bicchi and Elena De Momi, who shared valuable reflections and knowledge. The meeting with representatives of industry – PAL Robotics, FunctionBay GmbH and Oversonic – also offered a concrete perspective on the fact that research and industry do not replace each other but proceed on parallel and complementary lines.
The challenge allowed us to work on collaborative robots, delving into aspects such as design, computer vision, tactile sensors and control.
The Summer School was not just study: the program also left room for extra activities such as kayaking, SUP, snorkeling, and even a team treasure hunt, which made the group even more united. But one of the most valuable teachings goes beyond the technical side: I return from this experience with new friends and colleagues with whom I can compare ideas and discussions and also for the more human side of the doctoral path”.

We would like to thank Prof. Arash Ajoudani (IIT), Prof. Elena De Momi (Milan Polytechnic), Prof. Gianluca Palli (University of Bologna), Prof. Francesco Nori (Google DeepMind), and Prof. Antonio Bicchi (IIT and University of Pisa).

A thank you also goes to all the members of the DRIMS2 Steering Committee: Calogero Oddo (Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies), Andrea Zanchettin (Milan Polytechnic), Matteo Matteucci (Milan Polytechnic), Gabriele Costante (University of Perugia), Gionata Salvietti (University of Siena), Nicola Pedrocchi (CNR), and of course the students and fantastic tutors who participated in the school.

Last but not least, thanks to the National Doctoral Coordinator, Prof. Antonio Sgorbissa, the Vice-Rector for Research, Prof. Laura Gaggero, for their continued support within RAISE Spoke 5, Oversonic Robotics, PAL Robotics, and Function Bay for sponsoring the School and participating in our “round tables with industry”.

The CROSSROADS Doctorate Summer School took place from July 14 to 18, 2025, at the historic Villa Giustiniani-Cambiaso, home to the University of Genoa. The initiative was part of program P8 – Boosting PhD Students’ Career, coordinated by Spoke 5 of RAISE Liguria within the framework of the Training Program, and aimed to provide PhD students and early-career researchers with a high-level and strongly interdisciplinary learning opportunity.

The School, conceived by Giorgio Cannata, Valentina Di Gregorio, and Vice-Rector Laura Gaggero, stood out for its innovative and distinctive approach compared to similar programs. From the outset, the initiative sought to foster dialogue among PhD students from highly diverse backgrounds – from law to robotics, from computer science to the social sciences – with the goal of addressing, in an integrated and collaborative way, the pressing issues emerging from the development of robotics and artificial intelligence.

The Summer School was designed to promote deep exchange and co-learning on emerging topics related to AI and robotics, with a particular focus on their social, economic, legal, and ethical implications. In this context, dialogue across disciplines was encouraged to develop a systemic understanding of the challenges posed by the integration of intelligent technologies into society.

The educational program included lectures by nationally and internationally recognized experts, interactive group work sessions, and participant-led presentations. Activities were structured to stimulate active engagement and critical thinking, with strong grounding in real-world case studies, future scenarios, and concrete implications in key sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, the environment, and civil society.

“This Summer School offers a unique experience in the European landscape: there are very few opportunities where students and PhD candidates can engage in a truly interdisciplinary way with complex topics such as robotics and artificial intelligence, combining legal, engineering, and scientific perspectives. Initiatives like this, which integrate law, technology, and ethical reflection, are essential for preparing the next generation to face the challenges posed by emerging technologies. It’s a virtuous model that deserves international recognition,” said Professor Aurelia Colombi Ciacchi, Professor of Law and Governance at the University of Groningen (Netherlands), who taught the module on Fundamental Rights Impact Assessments under the EU Artificial Intelligence Act at CROSSROADS.

Key topics covered during the week included the safety of robots and autonomous systems, technologies for digital health and personalized medicine, the regulation and governance of artificial intelligence, the reliability and explainability of intelligent systems, and the ethical and social implications of emerging technologies. Special attention was also given to bio-inspired applications of robotics and AI.

Primarily intended for PhD students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) and ELSE (Economics, Law, Social Sciences, Ethics) fields, the School also welcomed scientists and professionals interested in exploring the intersection between technological innovation and society from an integrated, interdisciplinary perspective. The limited number of participants ensured a dynamic, stimulating, and highly interactive learning environment.

“The CROSSROADS Doctorate Summer School was born out of a desire to build a community of young PhD students and researchers from various disciplines. Artificial intelligence and robotics are evolving rapidly and becoming pervasive technologies, with fast-growing markets. It is therefore essential that these academic and scientific communities learn to collaborate to jointly address the emerging challenges — from data control and management to the safe use of robots. Only through a synergistic and integrated approach across all disciplines can we effectively tackle the critical issues that come with the accelerated development of these technologies,” said Professor Giorgio Cannata, faculty member at DIBRIS, University of Genoa.

Participation was free of charge, subject to registration through the dedicated portal, making the initiative both accessible and of great value for the advanced training of the next generation of researchers.