This new Newsletter of the euROBIN project gathers the main achievements and activities developed between July and December 2025, highlighting another intense and productive period for the project.

In this edition, we look back at key events, competitions, scientific progress, and community initiatives that marked these six months. From international robotics challenges to continued research and collaboration across Europe, this period reflects the collective effort of all partners working to advance knowledge transfer, benchmarking, and cooperation in robotics and artificial intelligence.

We invite you to explore this reflection and revisit the milestones that shaped euROBIN during the second half of 2025.

 

ROBOTHON GRAND CHALLENGE AT AUTOMATICA 2025

During the second half of 2025, euROBIN supported the Robothon Grand Challenge, which took place during automatica 2025 as a key milestone for benchmarking and collaboration in robotics.

The competition brought together 8 international teams from 4 different countries, evaluated by a Grand Jury composed of 7 renowned experts. A central element of the challenge was the deployment of 6 new manipulation benchmarking tasks, all based on the TBv2025 electronic board, contributing to the advancement of standardised evaluation methods for robotic manipulation.

With 43,000 EUR raised in sponsorships and 16,000 EUR awarded in prize money, the Robothon Grand Challenge demonstrated strong engagement from the robotics ecosystem and highlighted euROBIN’s role in fostering high-level experimentation, performance comparison, and collaborative innovation.

 

euROBIN AT IROS 2025

At the IROS 2025 event, held from 19 to 25 October in Hangzhou, China, euROBIN was present at one of the leading international conferences in robotics and artificial intelligence, contributing to scientific exchange and community engagement.

As part of the conference programme, euROBIN supported the workshop “Exploring the Role of Energy in Robot Learning and Control”, which took place on 24 October 2025. The full-day workshop brought together researchers working at the intersection of energy-based approaches, robot learning, and control, highlighting how energy considerations can act as a unifying framework between AI-driven methods and traditional control strategies.

Organised by researchers from the University of Twente, Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia, and the University of Naples Federico II, the workshop fostered discussion on safer, more adaptive, and more efficient robotic systems. In recognition of outstanding research, three contributions were awarded prizes offered by the euROBIN project, reinforcing euROBIN’s commitment to supporting excellence and innovation within the robotics research community.

 

AINoEs HORIZONS | Q&A SESSION

This year, euROBIN also took part in the first AINoEs Horizons | Q&A Session, an initiative led by dAIEDGE together with the European AI Networks of Excellence.

The session focused on “The Role of AINoEs: Stakeholder-Centered Innovation” and brought together experts from dAIEDGE, ENFIELD, and euROBIN for an open discussion with researchers, students, and members of the wider AI community.

During the session, euROBIN presented its approach to building a connected European ecosystem for robotics research, strengthening collaboration across disciplines and contributing to responsible and human-centred innovation in artificial intelligence and robotics. The exchange of perspectives and questions highlighted the importance of cross-network collaboration in shaping the future of AI in Europe.

 

SCIENTIFIC PAPER | ROBOT TASK PLANNING FROM VOICE COMMANDS

During the reporting period, a scientific paper developed within euROBIN’s service robotics research (WP2) was accepted at the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS 2025).

The paper, titled “Large Language Model-Based Robot Task Planning from Voice Command Transcriptions”, addressed a key challenge in the development of general-purpose service robots: the interpretation of natural language instructions, even when voice transcriptions contain recognition errors or incomplete information.

The proposed approach leveraged a Large Language Model (LLM) to translate voice command transcriptions into coherent and context-aware action plans. The system was evaluated both in simulation and real-world scenarios, achieving a success rate of approximately 55 percent on the ALFRED dataset, including unseen environments, and obtaining second place at RoboCup 2024 in the GPSR task.

Huge congratulations to the authors Afonso Certo, Bruno Martins, Carlos Azevedo, and Pedro Lima for this important step toward more natural and intelligent human–robot interaction!

More information: “Large Language Model-Based Robot Task Planning from Voice Command Transcriptions”

 

SCIENTIFIC PAPER | SOCIALLY-AWARE ROBOT NAVIGATION

During the second half of 2025, a scientific paper developed within euROBIN’s research activities under WP7 was accepted at the IEEE RO-MAN Conference 2025.

The paper, titled “Perspective-Shifted Neuro-Symbolic World Models: A Framework for Socially-Aware Robot Navigation”, proposed new methods enabling robots to reason not only about their own navigation paths, but also about the intentions and beliefs of surrounding humans.

This work was developed by Kevin Alcedo and co-supervised by Pedro Lima and Rachid Alami. It represented an important step towards socially-aware robot navigation, contributing to smoother, safer, and more natural human–robot interaction.

More information: “Perspective-Shifted Neuro-Symbolic World Models: A Framework for Socially-Aware Robot Navigation”

 

SCIENTIFIC PAPER | ROBOT CONTESTS AND ROBOTICS SCIENCE

In 2025, an invited article linked to the euROBIN project was published in the Annual Reviews of Control, Robotics, and Autonomous Systems, addressing the role of robot competitions in advancing robotics research.

The article, entitled “Robot Contests as a Catalyst for Robotics Science”, examined how robot contests provide unique environments to benchmark complete robotic systems, encourage teamwork and problem-solving, and support technology transfer, including the emergence of spin-offs.

Written by Pedro Lima, Carlos Azevedo, and Rodrigo Serra, the paper also discussed innovative formats such as cooperative competitions, designed to improve transferability across robotic platforms and tasks. Within this context, it reflected on the contribution of euROBIN Coopetitions as a novel and impactful approach within the robotics research ecosystem.

More information: “Robot Contests as a Catalyst for Robotics Science”

 

FEATURE | euROBIN AS A EUROPEAN COMMISSION SUCCESS STORY

Also in 2025, the European Commission featured the euROBIN project in its Success Stories section, recognising the project’s contribution to strengthening Europe’s leadership in artificial intelligence and robotics.

The feature highlighted euROBIN’s role in building a truly connected European ecosystem, enabling robots to share knowledge, learn from one another, and adapt to new challenges across domains and applications. Particular attention was given to the collaborative dimension of the project, including interactions between humanoid robots and multi-robot systems, as well as the strong cooperation between research teams across Europe.

The recognition also underlined the progress already achieved by the project, noting that euROBIN had demonstrated tangible results and impact even before its completion. This acknowledgement by the European Commission represented an important milestone for the project and its partners, reinforcing euROBIN’s vision of collaborative, human-centred robotics innovation in Europe.

Read the full feature here: euROBIN as a Success Story

 

FEATURE | euROBIN IN IEEE ROBOTICS AND AUTOMATION MAGAZINE

In September 2025, the euROBIN project was featured in the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Magazine (RAM), one of the most prestigious international publications in the field of robotics.

The article, entitled “Door-to-Door Parcel Delivery From Supply Point to User’s Home With Heterogeneous Robot Team”, presented the euROBIN hackathon scenario, in which heterogeneous robotic platforms including wheeled, legged, aerial, and manipulation robots collaborated to accomplish a complex, real-world task.

This feature highlighted the value of collaboration, benchmarking, and knowledge sharing promoted by the euROBIN project, demonstrating how coordinated multi-robot systems can address challenging scenarios with practical relevance. Being showcased in IEEE RAM represented a significant recognition of the consortium’s collective work and reinforced euROBIN’s international visibility and impact within the global robotics community.

More information: “Door-to-Door Parcel Delivery From Supply Point to User’s Home With Heterogeneous Robot Team”

 

1717 Followers on LinkedIn

As this edition of the euROBIN newsletter came to a close, the second half of 2025 stood out as a period of strong scientific progress, international visibility, and meaningful collaboration across the European robotics and AI ecosystem.

From major international events and workshops to high-impact scientific publications and recognitions by leading institutions, these six months reflected the collective effort and commitment of all partners involved in the project. Each milestone contributed to strengthening euROBIN’s mission to enable knowledge transfer, benchmarking, and cooperation across robots, researchers, and application domains.

By the end of the year, the euROBIN LinkedIn community had grown to more than 1,700 followers, reflecting the increasing interest in the project and its activities. euROBIN continued to grow not only through research and innovation, but also through the engagement and support of its wider community.

We would like to warmly thank all euROBIN partners, collaborators, and followers for their continued dedication and interest. While significant progress had already been achieved, the journey of euROBIN continued, with new challenges and opportunities ahead.

We invited you to stay connected and follow the next steps of the project as euROBIN continued to shape the future of collaborative robotics in Europe.

The euROBIN Team

The euROBIN project has successfully completed its Open Calls programme, supporting innovative collaborations and technology exchanges across Europe’s robotics community. These initiatives aim to strengthen cooperation between academia and industry, foster new partnerships, and accelerate the development of advanced robotics technologies aligned with euROBIN’s mission — enabling skill and knowledge transfer across robots, tasks, and domains.

1st Open Call – Collaborative Projects

The first Open Call focused on collaborative projects between research institutions and companies.
Out of 65 applications received, 12 beneficiaries were selected, representing a wide range of topics and innovative ideas.

 

Technology Exchange Programme

Through the Technology Exchange Programme, euROBIN has also supported collaborations between research teams and industrial partners.
Across three calls, more than 150 applications were submitted, and 26 projects were selected, engaging organisations from all over Europe.
These projects are advancing robotics and strengthening cross-border cooperation and technological exchange within the euROBIN network.

The selected beneficiaries span Europe — from Portugal and Spain to Sweden and Greece — reflecting the diversity and excellence of the European robotics ecosystem.

The IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine (RAM) is one of the most prestigious publications in our field. Known worldwide, it provides authoritative insights into the latest advances, applications, and challenges in robotics. For researchers, engineers, and industry stakeholders alike, being featured in RAM is not just visibility — it is recognition of scientific and technological relevance at the highest international level.

That is why we are thrilled that the September 2025 issue highlights euROBIN with the article:
“Door-to-Door Parcel Delivery From Supply Point to User’s Home With Heterogeneous Robot Team.”

What is it about?

The article presents the euROBIN hackathon scenario, where multiple robots — wheeled, legged, aerial, and manipulation platforms — collaborated to complete a complex real-world task: preparing, transporting, delivering, and unpacking a parcel. This challenge demonstrated how heterogeneous robotic systems can integrate their unique capabilities to achieve seamless cooperation in logistics.

Why is it important?

• It shows the potential of collaborative robotics to address complex real-world problems such as last-mile delivery.

• It demonstrates the value of benchmarking through hackathons, where diverse platforms are tested in shared scenarios, producing comparable results and lessons for the community.

• It embodies the spirit of euROBIN: connecting teams, domains, and technologies across Europe to expand what robots can achieve together.

This recognition in IEEE RAM is not just about one scenario — it highlights the importance of enabling knowledge and skill transfer across robots and researchers, and fostering innovation that benefits both science and society.

For the consortium, this is a collective success. It shows that our efforts are resonating globally, inspiring discussions, and setting benchmarks for the future of robotics research.

 

So, if you are interested in exploring more about the future of robotics and AI in Europe, take a look at the euROBIN Strategic Research Agenda (SRA), which outlines our roadmap for the years ahead.

- Read the September 2025 issue of IEEE RAM: https://magazines.ieee.org/ra/library/page/september_2025/8/
- Explore the euROBIN SRA: https://www.eurobin-project.eu/index.php/showroom/news/159-europe-robotics-strategic-agenda-sra-2025