Automation that doesn’t believe it. A special robot dog awaits you at Maker Faire Rome 2025

Robotics is a field with infinite possibilities

We see some of them firsthand every day. Others are being developed in fields and sectors far from our gaze, yet close by. More than we imagine. At Maker Faire Rome 2025, from October 17th to 19th at the Gazometro Ostiense, we will open many windows onto automation. The one focusing on environmental monitoring, assistive robotics, and accessibility will be in the Pavilion marked with the letter D. The map is HERE.

Safe-eye: students reinvent safety

Led by Professor Giuseppe Aleci, a mixed group of computer science and applied science students has developed Safe-eye, an intelligent video surveillance system that detects the absence of PPE or dangerous situations in real time, triggering voice alerts. Everything works offline, in open source mode.

«We want security to be accessible to everyone, not just large companies», they explain. The project has already been tested and is expanding: a concrete solution, developed to improve workplaces and schools.

Safe-eye transforms video surveillance from passive to active: thanks to artificial intelligence, it automatically detects risky situations and the lack of PPE from multiple cameras, generates real-time voice alarms, and stores evidence. It works offline and is customizable.

The Safe-eye project is a fully functional prototype and has already been tested in laboratories and schools. We are currently testing it in real-world settings, gathering feedback from teachers and operators. The goal is to extend its use to businesses and develop new features.

Safer, the robot from Catania that protects workers

In the D11 space, Safer is the robot from Catania that protects workers. From the IT Archimede facility in the Sicilian city, an open-source autonomous robot designed to detect workplace risks in real time is arriving. The project was born from the collaboration between two teachers passionate about STEM and a group of student makers.

This isn’t their first time: they’ve participated in RoboCup in the past and designed accessibility systems. With Safer, they’ve combined their expertise in AI, automation, and sensors to build a robot that monitors temperature, gases, noise, and PPE usage, sending instant alerts. The prototype is already being tested in simulated environments. Now, the team is aiming for an industrial version, collaborating with companies to take safety to the next level.

The wheelchair that listens to the voice

Since 2014, students in Siena’s Electronics and Robotics program have been creating impactful projects. Their latest? A voice-controlled smart wheelchair, developed thanks to artificial intelligence and the passion of a school community that has over time become a true maker center.

«We wanted to make the chair more accessible and autonomous», the teachers explain. After remotely controlling it with a smartphone and then with head movements, this year it was the turn of voice commands. The system, based on UDOO and microphones, interprets simple keywords and transforms the voice into movement. An idea born from the desire to make disability less limiting, carried out with teamwork and great commitment during afternoon returns.

The Robodog that understands your gestures

RoboDog, a robotic dog capable of responding to human gestures, was born from the Luigi dell’Erba Institute of Advanced Studies. The project, conceived by students passionate about robotics, aims to make human-machine interaction natural, without voice commands or controllers.

«Our idea is innovative because it simulates animal behavior and reacts only with body language», they explain.

The robot recognizes gestures through artificial vision, demonstrating how advanced technologies can be experimented with even in school settings. RoboDog is still in development, but it is already capable of performing realistic movements and responding to gestural input with increasing precision. This is proof that empathy and artificial intelligence can communicate.