News

The participation of the Athena Research Center in the 2nd Automation & Robotics Exhibition, A+R EXPO 2026, held from April 25 to 27, 2026 at the Athens Metropolitan Expo, was successfully concluded. Athena’s presence served as a key reference point for showcasing Greek research activity in the fields of Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, and modern industrial systems.

 

With the strong presence of its researchers and staff, Athena attracted significant interest from industry professionals, researchers, and representatives of the academic community, creating fertile ground for networking, knowledge exchange, and the exploration of future collaborations.

 

This year’s participation featured the Industrial Systems Institute (ISI), the Robotics Institute (RO), and the Hellenic Robotics Center of Excellence HERON, presenting a wide range of innovative applications. RO and HERON focused on advanced robotic technologies with applications in critical sectors such as agriculture, the marine environment, security, and healthcare. At the same time, ISI highlighted cutting-edge technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, showcasing solutions that integrate 6G, Artificial Intelligence, and intelligent transport systems.

 

Particular interest was drawn by the robotic exoskeleton system for lower-limb assistance, demonstrating the contribution of robotics to improving the quality of life for individuals with mobility impairments. In parallel, the capabilities of modern robotics were showcased in areas such as exploration of hard-to-reach environments, protection of the marine ecosystem, and rescue applications. Solutions for precision agriculture were also presented, including an electromagnetic soft gripper designed for harvesting delicate crops.

 

Visitors also enjoyed hands-on interaction with the mobile manipulator robot TIAGo, used in applications such as human-robot collaboration and indoor task automation, while the robotic arm SO-ARM100 demonstrated advanced control techniques and the transition from simulation to real-world environments.

 

In addition, visitors to the Athena booth were introduced to self-adaptive digital twins for production lines, while the MoBAGen DT platform highlighted the role of Generative Artificial Intelligence and semantic modeling in optimizing industrial processes, offering a clear vision of the factory of the future.

Significant interest was also attracted by a reconfigurable intelligent IIoT & Edge Computing node, integrating advanced data management capabilities and supporting the development of digital twins in complex cyber-physical systems.

 

Athena’s dynamic presence at A+R EXPO 2026 underscored the continuous expansion of its activities in robotics and intelligent systems, shaping a strong footprint in a field of growing strategic importance.