Competition finals and award ceremony at the Campidoglio
This morning, at the Campidoglio, the winners of the 18th International City of Rome Robotics Trophy (categories: Rescue Line, Soccer Open League, Soccer Light Weight, On Stage Preliminary, On Stage Advanced, Explorer Junior, Explorer Senior), the Robotic Arms competition, and the SuperTeam (Rescue Line) were awarded their prizes, in collaboration with the Italian National RoboCupJunior Committee.
After a visit from Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, who attended the finals, the award ceremony featured teams from schools across Italy and a delegation from Malta.
The president of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale, Renato Brunetti, commented: ‘I want to say to you young people that with today's trials you have undergone real training for life, for what the future holds for you. Congratulations!’
‘Thank you for the teamwork, technical skills and human qualities you have brought here together with the projects in the competition. You give us hope for a future of well-being for all,’ said Alfonso Molina, scientific director of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS.
‘Over the past 18 years, the RomeCup has involved over 40,000 people and, with this edition, it confirms its status as a landmark event on the national innovation and technology scene. Behind every prototype, behind every competition, there is a human relationship that gives life to collaborations and creates a real community,’ commented general manager Mirta Michilli.
The other speakers at the award ceremony also addressed the young people in the hall directly: ‘You are not the future, but our present’ (Massimiliano Fiorucci, Rector of Roma Tre University), ‘Keep today's emotions and your ideas for the future in your hearts; today, school has entered the world of innovation’ (Carlo Tosti, President of the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome). Finally, Professor Luca Iocchi (Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome) announced: ‘The RomeCup plays a fundamental role in giving you opportunities to explore new paths. Sapienza will host the RomeCup 2026!’
Yesterday evening, in the Sala Esedra of the Capitoline Museums, the ‘Most Promising Researcher in Robotics & AI’ award was presented to Clemente Lauretti, a university researcher in Bioengineering at the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome for his project on AI-assisted robot-assisted spinal surgery. Lauretti, 34, has developed an integrated platform for robot-assisted spinal surgery that combines cooperative human-robot control, real-time 3D reconstruction and artificial intelligence for planning and execution. Already tested on anatomical models and animal vertebrae, the system is now being used in preclinical phases in collaboration with surgical teams. Upon receiving the award, he commented: ‘I wanted to work for people's well-being, which is why I left the corporate world to devote myself to research. Returning to university and seeing technology transform into concrete applications was the biggest motivational drive to persevere.’ The €20,000 prize was presented by Paolo Dario, professor emeritus of biomedical robotics at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, Alfonso Molina, scientific director of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale and Personal Chair in Technology Strategy at the University of Edinburgh, Eugenio Guglielmelli, rector of the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, and Mirta Michilli, general director of the Fondazione Mondo Digitale ETS.
