At the 2025 European Robotics Forum (ERF) in Stuttgart, Germany, the workshop on Mobile Manipulation of Rigid and Deformable Objects: Community Challenges and Opportunities brought together some of Europe’s most forward-thinking researchers and innovators in the field of robotics.
Synergies That Moved the Field Forward
Building on the momentum of the 2024 edition, the 2025 workshop offered a stronger-than-ever alignment across leading EU-funded projects. While the core topics remained rooted in advancing mobile manipulation capabilities, this year’s focus was on collaboration, cross-project integration, and shared challenges — setting a precedent for what collective R&D can achieve.
The speaker lineup included:
- Richard Duro (University of A Coruña) – PILLAR
- Florent Lamiraux (LAAS-CNRS) – Agimus
- Gianluca Palli (University of Bologna) – Intelliman
- Francesco Grella (University of Genova) – Sesto Senso
- Ganix Lasa (University of Mondragón) – Inverse
- Florian Pokorny (KTH) – SoftEnable
- Lorenzo Natale (IIT) – Convince
Technological highlights discussed included:
- Technological highlights discussed included:
- AI-driven autonomy and the role of learning in unstructured environments.
- Advanced perception systems enabling robust interaction with both rigid and deformable objects.
- Enhanced dexterity through novel gripper designs and manipulation strategies.
- Energy optimization and sustainability, a recurring theme in discussions on long-term autonomy.
- Smart connectivity and IoT, linking robots with cloud infrastructure and each other.
A Collaborative Fabric of EU Projects
One of the standout aspects of the workshop was the cohesion across multiple EU projects that presented their latest progress. Speakers and contributors from PILLAR, Agimus, Intelliman, Convince, SoftEnable, Sesto Senso, and Inverse demonstrated how their individual research trajectories are mutually reinforcing.These projects don’t just coexist — they share methodologies, datasets, and experimental challenges, showing that synergy across efforts is accelerating innovation in the mobile manipulation space.
Engaged Debate and Forward-Looking Insights
The workshop closed with an open panel and Q&A session. Panelists included:
- Stephane Doncieux (Sorbonne University)
- Maximo Roa (DLR)
- Radhika Gudipati (ARIA)
- Francesco Ferro (PAL Robotics)
- Enrico Mingo (Inria)
They delved into:
- The real-world impact of mobile manipulation technologies,
- The balance between AI and model-based approaches,
- How industry and academia can better collaborate,
- And whether Europe should prioritize ambitious moonshots or a constellation of smaller initiatives.
Audience participation played a key role, with researchers and practitioners contributing thoughtful questions and fresh perspectives.
The 2025 workshop was an important snapshot in how Europe approaches mobile manipulation — not as isolated innovation, but as a coordinated effort to meet shared challenges with shared solutions.