“TECNALIA is moving towards more human, flexible and sustainable robotics to bring real value to industry”
Robotics is evolving to meet new challenges
Robotics is moving towards a new stage where understanding the environment, collaborating with people and adapting to complex tasks is as important as automation itself.
The European Robotics Forum (ERF) 2026 brought together the most important advances in the sector, highlighting applied research and technology transfer as drivers of real transformation.
At this event, TECNALIA shared developments ranging from human-robot interaction and flexible robotics to agricultural automation and sustainability, showing how smarter and more collaborative robotics can generate a tangible impact in a wide range of industries and value chains.
Human-robot interaction and agricultural robotics
TECNALIA colleague Leire Bastida moderated a human-robot collaboration workshop and took part in another session together with Pablo Malvido (University of Tampere), presenting the progress of the AgRimate project.
In their presentation, they showed how robotics, AI and new handling techniques enable the automation of pruning tasks in vineyards, helping operators and improving precision in complex environments. A clear example of robotics that understands the context and assists people.
Flexible robotics and Physical AI
Urko Esnaola presented advances in flexible robotics and in the application of physical AI for human-centric production systems. He highlighted how this technology makes it possible to address complex industrial tasks through safer, more adaptive and efficient solutions, capable of precisely adjusting to ever-changing real-world environments.
Robotics that adapts, collaborates and transforms the way we produce.
Boosting emerging talent in robotics
Jon Agirre Ibarbia also helped to organise the Renaud Champion Workshop & Award and to choose five startups that stood out because of their potential in robotics and automation.
An edition focused on expanding the innovation ecosystem and supporting technological entrepreneurship.
Technology for sustainable robotics
In the field of sustainability, Damien Sallé presented TECNALIA’s strategy at Robotics for Sustainability, which includes robotics classification with AI, robotics for remanufacturing and repairing through additive manufacturing.
Its work has received the “Sustainability Leadership in Robotics” award thanks to the RecyStream solution, aimed at the smart waste management and promoting circular processes through robotic technologies.
Robotics ready to transform entire industries
TECNALIA’s participation in ERF 2026 proves its commitment to robotics that understands the environment, helps people and transforms processes, generating a real impact from the field to industry.