HERON at European Researchers’ Night 2026

HERON – Hellenic Robotics Center of Excellence together with Athena Research Center, participated once again in the European Researchers’ Night 2026, bringing researchers, students and visitors closer to current developments in robotics, artificial intelligence and human-centred technologies.

Researchers from HERON presented a series of interactive demonstrations and research activities, offering visitors the opportunity to explore how AI and robotics can be applied to real-world challenges.

From the research group of Prof. Petros Maragos:

• Angeliki Tsinouka showcased work related to pose estimation and robotic grasping, introducing visitors to applications of computer vision and robotic manipulation.
• Katerina Papadimitriou demonstrated Fingerspelling Recognition, showcasing how AI can support the recognition and interpretation of sign language and contribute to more accessible human–computer interaction.
• Chatzichristodoulou presented 3D Human Shape and Pose Estimation, demonstrating how computer vision techniques can be used to understand human body shape, posture and movement.
• Konstantinos Spathis presented Face Anonymization, highlighting approaches that protect personal identity while preserving useful visual information for research and analysis.
• Nikolas Chatzis presented Robotic Grasping in Agricultural Settings, demonstrating how robotic systems can perceive and manipulate objects in challenging agricultural environments.
• Stelios Zarifis presented Reinforcement Learning in Robotics, introducing visitors to how robots can improve their behaviour through interaction, feedback and repeated experience.
• Isidoros Marougas presented a Robotic Grasping Demo, offering visitors a practical view of robotic manipulation.
• Panagiotis Roditis introduced visitors to work involving reinforcement learning and neural networks, highlighting their role in current AI and robotics research.

From the research group of Prof. Panagiotis Vartholomeos:

• Nikolaos Leventakis and Foivos Golois presented an exoskeleton system, introducing visitors to robotic technologies designed to support and augment human movement.
• Lydia Gialama presented a robotic biomimetic catheter, demonstrating how robotics and bio-inspired design can contribute to advanced medical and interventional applications.

The event was also an important opportunity for HERON to connect with society, introduce people to the world of robotics and artificial intelligence, and highlight how they can continue engaging with science through HERON’s upcoming educational activities, workshops and outreach initiatives.

 Building these connections, particularly with younger audiences, is an important part of HERON’s mission to make research more accessible, encourage curiosity and inspire the next generation of researchers, engineers and innovators