Robotics and artificial intelligence at Maker Faire Rome 2026
Where machines learn to play
From 23 to 25 October 2026, at Gazometro Ostiense in Rome, the Robotics & AI area of Maker Faire Rome brings visitors within a few metres of humanoid robots, drones, rovers, exoskeletons and artificial intelligence systems.
You can watch them play, move, work alongside people and make decisions in real time.
RoboCup: humanoid robot football
The big news for 2026 is the first international Italian Open of RoboCup Humanoid Soccer hosted at Maker Faire Rome.
The robots play football on their own: they see the pitch, keep their balance, recognise teammates and opponents and decide what to do, with no joysticks or commands from the sideline.
Among the teams is SPQR from Sapienza University of Rome, fresh from finishing second at the 2026 World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing.
In parallel, I-RIM 3D 2026 takes research out of the labs: live, interactive demos show robots and technologies developed by Italian research over three days.
Robots that find their own way
Away from the pitch, the challenge is working out where to go.
The University of Rome Tor Vergata has a drone and a four-legged robot work together to map an environment even without a satellite signal. The University of Salerno uses cameras, radar and sensors for the autonomous driving of vehicles and rovers.
The Enrico Piaggio Research Centre studies robots able to monitor their own mission as they move, while Roma Tre University brings an underwater robot developed by its students.
Robots alongside people
Robotics isn’t just about moving through space.
Tor Vergata presents a made-to-measure fabric glove that assists finger movement; the University of Salerno, a robotic hand that interprets muscle signals.
The IULM University studies the form and behaviour of social robots, while UNINT works on robot-mediated interaction with autistic children.
Schools are experimenting too: humanoid robots that spot workplace risks, and small robotic companions designed for play and interaction.
Artificial intelligence to put to the test
At Sapienza AI even joins a blind tasting, trying to work out who can really tell two drinks apart.
With IULM you compare the way we look with the way cameras and algorithms look. At Tor Vergata you learn instead how to compare generative AI assistants.
The CNR brings a conversational AI designed for sensitive contexts too, such as emergencies.
In industry, machine vision and robotics work together to inspect parts and step in when a defect is detected. And with CNA Roma the conversation turns to how these technologies can also make their way into artisan businesses and small enterprises.
