Feb 11 (Reuters) – Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri said on Wednesday it had entered into a partnership with deep-tech company Generative Bionics to develop a humanoid welding robot designed to operate alongside workers in its shipyards.
The four-year project aims to deploy an artificial intelligence-powered robot to support welding activities in naval manufacturing, with on-site tests set to begin by the end of 2026 at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyard in Genoa, Italy.
Fincantieri said the initiative was part of its industrial plan focused on advanced robotics and “Physical AI”, as it seeks to address growing production complexity and a shortage of skilled labour.
“Advanced robotics and artificial intelligence applied to industrial processes represent a strategic lever for the evolution of shipbuilding and for the competitiveness of the European industrial system,” Fincantieri CEO Pierroberto Folgiero said in a statement.
(Reporting by Laura Contemori in Gdansk; Editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)
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