The Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies at the 2025 Robotics Festival: research, underwater technologies, and robotics for active aging among the topics on the agenda in Pisa

Interdisciplinary research, a human-centered vision, and a commitment to scientific dissemination: these are the distinctive features with which the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies is participating in the 2025 Robotics Festival, scheduled to take place in Pisa from May 9 to 11. This year's edition – the fifth – is entitled Human Centered Vision and aims to focus on the relationship between people and robotic systems, with a view that embraces not only technology but also its cultural, artistic, and social implications.
 

Among the protagonists of the event, researchers from the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies will be present with demonstrations, interactive experiences, and in-depth discussions on multiple applications of robotics, particularly in the biomedical and rehabilitation sectors, areas in which the Sant'Anna School has been a national and international reference point for years.

The space set up at the Leopolda in Pisa will host many of the activities involving the School: demonstrations, panels, conferences, and stands where visitors can discover the latest frontiers of innovation: from marine robotics to educational robotics; from artificial intelligence to technologies applied to rehabilitation and neuroengineering.
 

Other example is the School's participation in the area dedicated to robotics applied to medicine, hosted in the Arsenali Repubblicani. Within a real training village, advanced robotic platforms and simulators will be presented, with the opportunity for the public to explore the technologies used in clinical training courses. Doctors and researchers will illustrate the use of robots in surgery and rehabilitation, in a context that combines training, experimentation, and direct interaction. Two scientific talk shows, featuring leading experts and scientists, will open the debate on the current and future role of artificial intelligence and robotics in medicine.
 

The Festival also offers significant space for cultural and humanistic issues, which also involve the School's areas of research. Topics such as robotics and literature, robotics and love, and robotics and international cooperation will be explored in meetings, exhibitions, and performances, promoting a critical and informed approach to innovation. In particular, it will be possible to reflect on the relationship between robots and feelings, on new forms of relationships mediated by artificial intelligence, and on the growing role of chatbots in everyday life.