The first plenary meeting and general assembly of the TORNADO project took place at IRCCS San Raffaele in Rome in September 17-18, 2025.
Over two days, the consortium partners reviewed progress from the first eight months and planned the next steps concerning project management, technical activities, innovation, communication of results, expected impacts, and performance indicators. The partners focused not only on coordinating activities but also on strengthening collaboration among research groups and on planning the next steps to rapidly translate technological innovation into tangible benefits for health and quality of life.
Particularly on the first day, discussions addressed fundamental questions: What language do robots speak? How much data do they really need to learn and adapt? What do a robot’s eyes perceive? How do robots transform limited information into smart navigation and planning? And how can we connect project outcomes with real-world benefits?
The second day focused on optimizing connections between different process phases and strengthening partner relationships, while exploring the potential of innovative robotics for handling small and deformable objects in healthcare, and warehousing.
Indeed,, the project’s main goal is to develop a new generation of cognitive robots integrated with generative AI models, capable of adapting to complex and changing tasks, with a particular focus on manipulating small, soft, and deformable objects, one of the most challenging tasks in robotics.
A big thank you to ITML for their invaluable coordination, to the entire team at IRCCS San Raffaele for their hospitality and warm welcome, and to all partners for their active participation.
Wishing everyone a great continuation of work in their labs, where the real magic happens!
Italian Press Release:
- Il Tempo – Page 10 – 19/09/2025
- ilgiornale.it – WEB – 18/09/2025
- iltempo.it – WEB – 18/09/2025
- liberoquotidiano.it – WEB – 18/09/2025
