On the occasion of the Made in Italy Day 2026, the Embassy of Italy in Singapore hosted a seminar dedicated to biorobotics and its most advanced applications in the medical, pharmaceutical, and rehabilitation sectors.
The initiative is part of the celebrations linked to April 15, symbolically associated with the birth of Leonardo da Vinci, an emblem of Italian ingenuity and creativity, and reflects the broader commitment of Italy’s national system to science, innovation, and advanced technologies.
Opening the seminar, the Ambassador of Italy, Dante Brandi, highlighted the strategic role of international scientific cooperation in the current context of technological transformation, stressing how the challenges posed by artificial intelligence and advanced robotics make it essential to strengthen partnerships between countries. In this perspective, cooperation between Italy and Singapore was recalled as a virtuous example, developed through bilateral cooperation frameworks that have enabled the launch of joint projects across several strategic sectors.
The seminar provided an overview of the state of the art in robotics research. Prof. Barbara Mazzolai (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia) introduced the principles of biorobotics and its nature-inspired applications. Jennifer Woo (National Robotics Programme) presented Singapore’s national strategy in the field of robotics and technological innovation, with particular reference to the development of soft robotics and applications in healthcare.
The dimension of bilateral scientific cooperation was further explored by Prof. Cecilia Laschi (National University of Singapore), who presented the results of a joint Italy–Singapore project on soft robotics, highlighting its interdisciplinary nature and its potential to develop into a structured, long-term collaboration between research institutions in both countries.
The dialogue between research and industry was was represented by Fedegari (Italy) and Articares (Singapore), which showcased advanced technological solutions in the fields of pharmaceutical sterilization and rehabilitation robotics.
