Rome – On its final day, Maker Faire Rome showcases how Italian researchers are developing robots for everyday life, industry, and space exploration. The technology fair at the Gazometro Ostiense runs from October 23 to 25, 2026. According to the event organizers, the venue will remain open until 7 p.m. on Sunday. In addition to artificial intelligence, the event will focus on autonomous machines and public demonstrations.
The program combines experimental models from universities with applications that visitors can observe firsthand. These include four-legged robots, soccer-playing humanoid machines, drones, and wearable assistance systems for physical labor. The city’s event announcement lists more than 400 exhibition booths as well as presentations by schools, colleges, and research institutions.
In the Robotics & AI section, the demonstrations will also show how machines perceive their surroundings and react to people. This involves a variety of tasks: one robot must navigate unfamiliar terrain, another must move loads, and yet another must determine its position during a soccer game.
Maker Faire Rome: Robots Learn Orientation and Movement
One example comes from Tor Vergata University in Rome. A research team coordinated by Daniele Carnevali is developing a four-legged robot designed to autonomously explore and map terrain. A drone supplements the system with aerial data. The interaction between the two devices is intended to provide a more comprehensive view of the surroundings than a single machine could.
For indoor use, the Enrico Piaggio Research Center at the University of Pisa is presenting the OmniCar. Its wheels allow it to move in multiple directions without having to turn around completely. Such systems are designed for inspections and transport in warehouses or industrial facilities.
Another section of the exhibition is dedicated to robots in competition. The RoboCup Humanoid Soccer Italian Open brings together autonomous soccer robots; the I-RIM 3D robotics conference is also part of the program. For the public, the focus is also on exoskeletons designed to assist workers in physically demanding tasks. The common thread among these projects is the application of research to specific tasks. Whether these will result in widely available products depends on the current stage of development.
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