The EUROBENCH project aims at creating the first benchmarking framework for robotic systems in Europe. The framework will allow companies and researchers to test the performance of robots at any stage of development. The project will primarily focus on bipedal machines, i.e. exoskeletons, prosthetics and humanoids, but will be designed to be easily extended to other robotic domains. The EUROBENCH framework will be composed of: - A methodological component, which will include methods and metrics to calculate the System Ability Levels of a robotic system. These methods will be integrated in a professional software tool to permit its wide use across domains and laboratory conditions. The main goal of this unified software is to facilitate the use of benchmarking methodology at all levels from research to pre-commercial prototyping. - An experimental component, which will concentrate the state-of-the-art test benches in two facilities, one for wearable robots (including exoskeletons and prostheses), and one for humanoid robots. These facilities will allow companies and researchers to perform standardized tests on advanced robotic prototypes in a unique location, saving resources and time, and preparing for certification processes. During the project, the Consortium will provide Financial Support to Third Parties interested in: - Designing and developing specific test benches or benchmarking methods. These solutions will be integrated into the framework, and made available to the industrial and academic community. - Using the framework, at zero-costs, to test the performance of different kinds of robots. This will allow to validate the EUROBENCH outputs and prepare for the exploitation of results. The successful achievement of these goals will put Europe in the lead on providing the groundwork for the evaluation of robotic systems, facilitating the process of bringing innovative robotic technologies forward to market.

EU manufacturers are increasingly adopting automation solutions that can improve productivity and reduce costs.Enterprises’ ability to utilize these technologies may be their single most important competitive advantage, and the specific skills, experiences, competences,and flexibility of workers are pivotal to and at the core of this ability.To create a healthy workplace and increase the competitiveness of the manufacturing firms, the creation of an optimal environment for human automation integration and cooperation that harnesses and supports the workers’ capabilities is needed.The HUMAN project,with 12 partners from 6 European countries, aims to define and demonstrate workplaces where automation and human workers operate in harmony to improve the productivity,quality,performance of the factory as well as the worker satisfaction and safety.Objectives to be met are:Improving the integration of humans with their workplace;Enhancing the monitoring and wellbeing of human automation co-operation;Stimulating and advancing human-automation interaction and co-operation for optimal performance and achievement of complex tasks;Establishing adaptable workplaces and tasks to human cognitive and physical skills.These objectives will be achieved by developing and employing physical, conceptual, methodological, technological, and knowledge-based tools. 3 use case companies from the Furniture Manufacturing (ROYO Group), Automation Manufacturing (COMAU), & Defence & Aerospace (AIRBUS) sectors are involved. Proposed advances offered by HUMAN solutions will remove the barriers for:adaptability and flexibility of humans to continuously changing workplaces;alignment of new and complex tasks with human cognitive and physical skills;and synchronization of enterprise goals with human expectations.These advancements will in turn have significant impacts on higher customization capability,productivity,quality,worker satisfaction,and empower competitive position of the EU manufacturers.

From a parent coordinating movements to help a child learn to walk, to a violinist training a concerto, humans rely on physical interaction to learn from each other and from the environment. Building on a strongly multidisciplinary foundation with an integrated approach, CONBOTS proposes a paradigm shift that aims to augment handwriting and music learning through robotics, by creating a physically interacting robotic platform connecting humans in order to facilitate the learning of complex sensorimotor tasks. The newly designed platform will combine four enabling technologies: i) compact robotic haptic devices to gently interact with upper limbs; ii) an interactive controller yielding physical communication, integrating differential Game Theory (GT) and an algorithm to identify the partner’s control; iii) a bi-directional user interface encompassing AR-based application-driven serious games, and a set of wearable sensors and instrumented objects; iv) Machine learning algorithms for tailoring learning exercises to the user physical, emotional, and mental state CONBOTS is building on recent neuroscientific findings that showed the benefits of physical interaction to performing motor tasks together, where the human central nervous system understands a partner motor control and can use it to improve task performance and motor learning. This will be implemented on innovative robotic technology, wearable sensors and machine learning techniques to give rise to novel human-human and human-robot interaction paradigms applied in two different learning contexts: i) training graphomotor skills in children learning handwriting; ii) augmenting learning performance in beginner musicians. Using its neuroscience-driven unifying approach to motor learning and physical communication CONBOTS will expand the impact and the application of robotics to the education industry.

AgRimate focuses on transforming pruning tasks for small-scale farmers by using Augmented Reality (AR) and Robotics technologies, enriched with Artificial Intelligence (AI). Tackling the significant challenges and labour-intensive aspects of pruning in high-value crops like olive groves and vineyards, AgRimate introduces an innovative and scalable solution. This solution relies on an artificial intelligence module capable of learning from expert human knowledge to address tree pruning challenges. This module extends its functionality to the solution through various tools, from a learning tool that adapts to the user's knowledge to an Augmented Reality solution providing real-time guidance during the pruning process with the human at the centre. It seamlessly integrates with two different robotic solutions, either assisting the user with exoskeletons or autonomously performing tasks with a highly advanced robot. Additionally, AgRimate incorporates a comprehensive assessment tool designed to evaluate the solution's impact, not only on farmers but also on rural communities. This holistic approach aims not only to enhance productivity and resource efficiency but also to improve social inclusiveness and working conditions within the agricultural sector. By forging a consortium of leading research institutions, SMEs, and agricultural stakeholders from across Europe, AgRimate is at the forefront of cultivating sustainable, technologically advanced, and socially responsible farming practices. Ultimately, AgRimate stands as a beacon of innovation in agricultural technology, keenly aligned with the EU's broader goals of digital transformation, environmental sustainability, and socio-economic equity, showcasing a path forward for future farming that prioritizes both yield and community wellbeing.

The global goal of the CYBERLEGs Plus Plus project is to validate the technical and economic viability of the powered robotic ortho-prosthesis developed within the framework of the FP7-ICT-CYBERLEGs project as a means to enhance/restore the mobility of transfemoral amputees and to enable them to perform locomotion tasks such as ground-level walking, walking up and down slopes, climbing/descending stairs, standing up, sitting down and turning in scenarios of real life. Restored mobility will allow amputees to perform physical activity thus counteracting physical decline and improving the overall health status and quality of life. This consortium will pursue the achievement of the global goal by addressing four specific innovation objectives. 1) Further developments of the existing CYBERLEGs hardware modules, namely the 2-degree-of-freedom active transfemoral prosthesis, the active wearable orthotic device, and the wearable sensory apparatus. 2) Further developments of the existing multi-layered CYBERLEGs control system, to enhance its reliable use in real-life scenarios. 3) Carrying out two multi-centre clinical studies, that validate the therapeutic potentialities and the economic viability of a robotic ortho-prosthesis which restores the amputees’ locomotion abilities in scenarios of activities of daily living. 4) Implementation of a 3-phase strategy to foster the start of the market exploitation within the time frame of the CLs++ project. This proposal focuses on the demonstration in an operational environment (TRL=7) from both the technical and economic viability view point of a modular robotics technology for healthcare, with the ultimate goal of fostering its market exploitation. The proposals involve players from academia, end users, as well as robotics and healthcare industry. Therefore this proposal fits the specific challenge of the scope c of the call H2020-ICT-25-2016-2017.