From tech conventions to public debate, humanoid robots dominate the contemporary innovation scene. Questions abound: will they replace humans in domestic tasks, will they become sentient, and who will be responsible for their actions?

Alongside this narrative, however, there is also research focused on more targeted goals, such as reducing risks to humans. This is the case of the work carried out by the Automation and Machines Laboratory (ARM) of the Institute of Systems and Technologies for Sustainable Production (ISTePS), which for years has focused primarily on quadruped robots designed to facilitate high-risk operations and improve operator safety. The latest result is GRACE, unveiled to the public for the first time during the Swiss Robotics Days, held in November 2025 in Lausanne (watch the presentation).

Grace, an evocative female name in keeping with the laboratory’s tradition, was developed within the project The first robotic hyper-animal safely and empathically cooperating with humans in the MRO value chain. The project was funded by the EUREKA programme and carried out in collaboration with DKTM Consultancy, a Dutch company specialising in the maintenance of tanker vessels.

The application context is that of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) activities, a sector in Europe worth around 220 billion dollars and which still relies largely on human labour, especially in offshore environments. Shipyards, power generation plants, oil platforms and refineries are complex and often hostile locations, where thousands of serious injuries and fatalities are recorded every year.

“Our robots are changing the way work is carried out in these sectors and, above all, they save lives by allowing operators to avoid direct exposure to high-risk situations,” explains Prof. Anna Valente, head of the ARM laboratory and co-director ad interim of the ISTePS Institute.

There are currently around 30 models of quadruped robots on the market, increasingly advanced in terms of mechanics, mechatronic robustness and control. What sets Grace apart is its versatility of movement: by integrating four legs with reconfigurable feet, in closed mode it ensures stable locomotion on horizontal surfaces, while in open mode it activates a patented vacuum-based adhesion system that enables it to cling to and climb even irregular vertical walls, from concrete to corroded steel.

In addition, thanks to advanced vision sensors, Grace acquires environmental data in real time and autonomously adapts its behaviour to deal with unforeseen events typical of maintenance operations, such as visual occlusions or operational anomalies.

“We are trying to replicate human behaviour in dangerous situations,” continues Prof. Valente. “When we perceive a threat, our body activates chemical and neurological preservation mechanisms that help us reassess the situation and react effectively.” The goal of the research is to transfer this principle, which for humans is the result of millions of years of biological, cultural and social evolution, to robots, transforming them into robot habilis, capable of adapting and surviving in extreme environments.

Grace can make mistakes; it can get stuck. But what makes it special is its ability to look around, search for objects and tools that can help it secure itself and complete the mission. This resilience allows it to maintain autonomous operation, albeit limited, further reducing the need for human intervention.

The result is therefore an approach that raises safety standards while at the same time opening up new opportunities for the application of autonomous robotics and artificial intelligence in extreme industrial scenarios. Looking ahead, further developments could extend Grace’s use to strategic sectors such as civil infrastructure and advanced industrial inspections. Because sometimes the most important innovation is not the one that looks most like us, but the one that allows us to return home safe and sound.