3rd Partner Meeting MAGICIAN – 31st March-4th April , Genoa, Italy
From 31st March to 4th April, MAGICIAN Partners met for the third time in Genoa to discuss latest project progress, upcoming steps, and test the first robot prototype. Hosted by Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (iit), technical partners first had an intense week dedicated to discussing the technical integration of the robotic solutions, which concluded with a succesful testing of the multi-modal perception system integrating vision and tactile sensing.
Other focus points of the Partner Meeting were:
Progress in User-centred design (Uni Lund)
To gather first-hand feedback from workers and thus insights into a human-centered design for the MAGICIAN robotic solutions, Günter Alce from University of Lund visited the TOFAS production site to interview workers on their perspective regarding the introduction of robotic solutions and understand on-site work processes in detail. Key findings on the introduction of robots from this field study include:
- need for transparent communication and alignment with existing routines regarding robots and AI functions to avoid discomfort and ensure trust
- results in shifting work responsibilities, including hierarchies
- the need for flexible robotic solutions that adapt to human needs such as varying physical requirements, and existing characteristics of quality control processes, to enhance human capabilities
These findings will inform the design of MAGICIAN robotic solutions and thus contribute to a trust-based human-robot interaction. For more details, take a look at the full report on Initial User Requirements here.
Open Calls (Zabala)
The 1st Open Call was launched on 3rd February and will be open until 2nd May 2025. For eligible startups and SMEs, the Open Call offers 200,000€ for up to 5 selected projects and offers the opportunity to work together with MAGICIAN partners on integrating new functionalities into MAGICIAN robotics solutions.
To support applicants, Zabala has established a weekly helpdesk and organized a dedicated webinar to elaborate on the content, conditions, and process of the Open Call. The recording of this webinar can be found here.
For more information, check Open calls | MAGICIAN and/or join our weekly helpdesks.
The Partner Meeting concluded with another highlight: Luca Muratore presented robots developed by iit in the frame of other EU projects, such as the CONCERT robot for construction, and the CENTAURO robot intended for disaster response, both confirming iit’s impressive work in robot development.
With significant project progress achieved, the first prototype tested, and partner energy channelled, the MAGICIAN consortium is ready to take on the next project steps! The next Partner Meeting will take place in Istanbul in autumn 2025.