In front of representatives from the European Parliament, the European Commission, industry, and the research community, Werner Kraus and Daniel Bargmann from the Automation and Robotics research division at Fraunhofer IPA presented a robot demonstration on the automated disassembly of products, using water pumps as an example. The application illustrates that intelligent robotic systems can support the circular economy, particularly in times of skilled labor shortages, stricter regulations, and cost pressures. Automated disassembly allows valuable components and raw materials to be efficiently recovered and reused. In this way, robotics – in the context of Physical AI or Embodied AI – makes an important contribution to resource conservation, sustainability, and future-proof industrial production.

The euROBIN closing event brought together leading stakeholders from research, industry, and politics to discuss the future of AI-based robotics in Europe. In total, the euROBIN community presented 15 state-of-the-art robotic systems and applications in the fields of manufacturing, the circular economy, personal assistance, and autonomous systems. The demonstrations highlighted the technological expertise Europe possesses in robotics and how this can be more effectively translated into industrial applications and economic value creation in the future.

euROBIN is funded under Horizon Europe and connects leading institutions in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence. The goal is to establish a common European ecosystem for intelligent robotics and to develop transferable AI solutions that can be used across different robots, tasks, and operating environments.

With its demonstration at the euROBIN finals, Fraunhofer IPA shows how research findings in AI and robotics can be translated into concrete industrial applications, thereby strengthening both the circular economy and technological competitiveness in Europe.