On Thursday, 16 April 2026, BENDABL participated in Future Ready 2026 in Brussels as part of the ARISE project. The event brought together researchers, innovators, industry stakeholders and policymakers to exchange ideas on how AI, data and robotics can accelerate European innovation and support stronger pathways from research to deployment. Future Ready 2026 focused on project visibility, collaboration opportunities, commercialisation roadmaps and the scaling of promising outcomes.

BENDABL’s participation offered an important opportunity to present ARISE within the wider European robotics ecosystem and to contribute to discussions on the future of autonomous task performance in industrial settings. As a partner in the ARISE consortium, BENDABL is helping advance a new generation of robotic technologies designed to operate in demanding real-world environments, where autonomy, dexterity and safe human-robot interaction are essential.

ARISE — Advanced AI and Robotics for Autonomous Task Performance — aims to realise a robotic platform addressing two crucial sectors linked to the European Green Deal: energy and agriculture. More specifically, the project is driven by the needs of solar panel installation and maintenance and the harvesting of hydroponic lettuce. It will be validated through five highly challenging use-case scenarios, including collaborative handling of solar panels with human workers, transplanting delicate lettuce, and repairing solar panel back-sheets with silicon-based sealants. These scenarios combine long-horizon task execution, contact-rich manipulation and physical human-robot interaction.

For ARISE, BENDABL’s presence at Future Ready 2026 highlighted several important takeaways.

First, autonomous robotics is increasingly expected to deliver value in practical industrial contexts. The discussions in Brussels reinforced the importance of developing solutions that move beyond lab demonstrations and respond to real operational challenges. This is closely aligned with ARISE’s mission to build robotics technologies that can function in demanding sectors such as renewable energy and agriculture, where precision, safety and adaptability are critical.

Second, complex industrial autonomy depends on combining AI, robotics and human-centred design. ARISE is not focused on a single robotic function, but on a broader platform capable of supporting challenging tasks that involve manipulation, perception, decision-making and collaboration with people. Events like Future Ready highlight how important this integrated approach has become for the next generation of European robotics systems.

Third, cross-sector innovation is one of ARISE’s key strengths. By addressing both energy and agriculture, the project shows how advanced robotics can create impact across very different industrial domains while relying on shared technological foundations. This strengthens ARISE’s relevance in a European innovation landscape that increasingly values modularity, reuse and scalable deployment strategies.

Finally, networking and ecosystem-building remain essential for project impact. Future Ready 2026 was explicitly designed to increase visibility for projects nearing completion, identify synergies, clarify scaling pathways and strengthen connections among researchers, industry and policymakers. For ARISE, participation in such events helps build momentum around the project’s results and reinforces its role in shaping the future of autonomous robotics in Europe.

As ARISE progresses, participation in events such as Future Ready 2026 remains valuable for sharing results, building collaborations and connecting the project with broader European discussions on industrial robotics and AI. Through its contribution to the consortium, BENDABL continues to support ARISE’s vision of advanced robotic systems capable of performing challenging autonomous tasks in ways that are effective, safe and relevant to real industrial needs.