The initiative focuses on two main areas: precision agriculture and land management. In vineyards, the project aims to automate labour‑intensive annual tasks, especially winter pruning, by advancing a robotic system developed in a previous project. Improvements will include more efficient cutting tools, enhanced neural network performance, and better locomotion, implemented on both quadruped and tracked robotic platforms. These machines will also handle delicate fruit thanks to newly designed soft grippers, while miniaturised devices will provide in‑situ plant monitoring and controlled delivery of molecules, using innovative attachment methods that avoid damaging fragile leaves.
Beyond agriculture, the project develops robotic solutions for environmental management. A quadruped robot will be adapted to automate litter collection on beaches and in narrow alleys, improving both its mechanical components and its autonomous capabilities. A second system, equipped with an elephant‑trunk‑inspired soft manipulator, will handle larger waste items. For wide and difficult‑to‑access areas, drones will disperse biodegradable devices designed to integrate with the ecosystem, capable of penetrating soil autonomously, releasing seeds, and monitoring key environmental parameters.
Through these integrated terrestrial and aerial platforms, the project seeks to enhance agricultural productivity, support sustainable land management, and offer practical robotic tools for monitoring and intervention across diverse landscapes.