• The gathering, which took place from the 23^rd to the 27^th of March at Norway, is considered the European community’s leading hub for robotics and AI.
• The researcher at the UDC’s CITIC organised a workshop, took part in a panel discussion and presented the latest developments in the PILLAR-Robots project.

A Coruña, March 31^st, 2026

The UDC’s CITIC attended the European Robotics Forum 2026, held from 23 to 27 March in Stavanger, Norway. This event is considered the leading hub for European robotics and artificial intelligence community, bringing together over 1,000 participants from industry, academia and the public sector.

During the forum, researcher Richard Duro represented CITIC at the euRobotics General Assembly and took part in the workshop “Coupling Mobile Robotics & Manipulation”, which focused on advances in mobile robotics with manipulation capabilities. This area addresses the development of robots capable of navigating complex environments and manipulating a variety of objects, from medical samples to industrial products.

The workshop, co-organised with representatives from PAL Robotics, brought together experts from industry and academia to discuss key challenges such as the advanced autonomy integration, safety in intelligent systems, and the need for explainable solutions to facilitate their adoption in real-world environments.

During this event, Richard Duro spoke as coordinator of the European PILLAR-Robots project, funded by the Horizon Europe programme. He presented the latest advances in three strategic areas: retail, the agri-food sector and edutainment, highlighting the key role of human-robot interaction and its social impact. During his presentation, Richard Duro emphasised the importance of placing the user at the centre of technological development, addressing issues such as system alignment, robotic manipulation and user motivations.

The PILLAR-Robots project is being developed by a European consortium comprising the Universidade da Coruña (through the CITIC), the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (NNR). Sorbonne Université. The Athena Research Center, AI2Life and PAL Robotics.