Interview with researcher Andrea Orlandini, speaker at RomeCup
Andrea Orlandini, researcher at the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies (ISTC-CNR) and member of the Scientific Council of the CNR, will be one of the speakers at the inaugural conference of the RomeCup 2025. Specialising in automated planning and robotic control, Orlandini has a solid academic background and extensive experience in applied research.
He has collaborated with prestigious institutions, including the CNRS in Toulouse, and has participated in numerous projects funded by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission. His work has focused on the development of advanced control architectures for autonomous spacecraft, systems for emergency operations and industrial robotics, contributing to strategic innovations in these sectors.
We share some excerpts from the interview conducted by Alberta Testa, to get a preview of the protagonists of the next RomeCup, scheduled to take place in Rome from 7 to 9 May 2025.
Robotics for the improvement of life. What are your visions for the future?
According to Orlandini, the potential of robotics to improve the quality of life is immense. ‘For more than eleven years I have been involved in projects that develop robots and artificial intelligence solutions for assisting the elderly and people with disabilities,’ he explained. These technologies can not only guarantee greater independence, but also lighten the workload of workers on assembly lines and in logistics activities.
However, there is no shortage of complex challenges, related both to the integration of new technologies and to the management of risks that emerge with the increasing adoption of artificial intelligence. ‘The environments in which we live have been designed based on our current technological capabilities,’ he emphasises. ‘With the introduction of new technologies, such as self-driving cars, we need to completely rethink these spaces’.
Diversity, inclusion and the need for a multidisciplinary approach
For Orlandini, technology must be designed with the principles of diversity and inclusion in mind. “We live in a society full of biases and, unfortunately, we transfer them to technology”, he says.
‘Machines are not responsible for bias, far from it. Technology is holding up a mirror to us. A few years ago we only imagined robots in factories or companies, today they are increasingly present in public and domestic spaces. In short, if robots are going to be increasingly present in our streets, they must be able to recognise and respect diversity’.
The ethical challenges linked to artificial intelligence make us reflect on the importance of a multidisciplinary approach in robotics. "We must ask ourselves how far we want to go with these technologies. Technological innovation must go hand in hand with reflection on the limits and social impact of the choices we make. Only in this way can we build an inclusive and sustainable future,’ says Orlandini, reiterating the need to involve not only engineers, but also experts in psychology, sociology and philosophy.
For young people approaching robotics, which fields of research should they explore in depth?
Research in robotics and artificial intelligence is experiencing a phase of extraordinary vitality, with developments in sectors that represent real opportunities for those who want to contribute to technological progress. Orlandini's advice: ‘for those with an engineering aptitude, the most promising innovations concern the development of increasingly powerful and light batteries, essential for improving the autonomy and mobility of robots, and the study of solutions that allow machines to replicate human actions with greater precision. For those with a more humanistic or multidisciplinary background, fascinating opportunities are opening up in the field of human-robot interaction, with research exploring psychology, physiology and how technologies can be integrated into our lives while respecting people's cognitive and emotional needs.’
AI and the role of schools
On the subject of artificial intelligence in schools, Orlandini encourages a critical approach. ‘AI cannot replace the human element,’ he says. ‘It is essential that students understand how artificial intelligence systems work in order to use them consciously.’
A message for the young people at RomeCup
‘I hope that many students will be willing to discover new things, looking at how these tools are used from different perspectives. Only in this way will they be able to propose solutions that really improve people's lives’.
Creative contests
This is precisely the spirit that animates the RomeCup every year, and in particular the creative robotics contests, a concrete example of how the collaboration between the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, universities and schools can become a laboratory for imagining innovative solutions on a human scale.
On 8 May, at Roma Tre University, teams of high school students from all over Italy will work side by side with young university researchers.
Through face-to-face and online workshops, students are already exploring applications ranging from assistance to rehabilitation, from agriculture to autonomous driving, to the sea and 5G networks, with the aim of experimenting with innovative solutions from a human and concrete point of view.
The categories in the competition
- Nonnibot: applications to connect grandparents and grandchildren, strengthening the bond between generations
- Cobot: collaborative solutions to improve industrial or personal work
- Agrobot: technologies to support agriculture and food sustainability
- Marebot: innovations for marine applications
- Tirbot: applications for autonomous vehicles
- 5Gbot: high connectivity solutions
- Dronebot: technologies for unmanned systems
Innovating means not only improving technologies, but also imagining a future in which they really serve people. This is the challenge we set for young people: to use creativity, expertise and vision to build solutions that meet the needs of a constantly evolving society.
