Adaptronics and Fluid Wire Robotics have announced that they have each been awarded a €2.5 million grant under the European Innovation Council’s EIC Accelerator, a European Union programme to support high-impact, high-risk innovations promoted by start-ups and SMEs. Both companies were selected from over 900 applications from 32 countries and awarded prizes in the thematic challenge ‘Innovative in-space servicing, operations, robotics and technologies for resilient EU space infrastructure’.
Adaptronics is part of the ESA BIC Turin programme, managed in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (ASI) and the European Space Agency (ESA). The Bologna-based start-up, which develops, manufactures and markets electro-adhesive devices for the controlled robotic gripping of objects of any shape and material on Earth and in space, has begun the in-orbit validation phase of its technology.
Fluid Wire Robotics specialises in robotic systems for extreme environments and has been identified as a contributor to strengthening the resilience of the EU’s space infrastructure. FWR has been incubated since 2024 at I3P – the Innovative Business Incubator of the Polytechnic University of Turin – and is part of the ESA BIC Turin programme.
Founded in 2022 as a spin-off of the University of Bologna, Adaptronics develops electro-adhesive devices for the controlled robotic gripping of objects of any shape and material on Earth and in space. At the heart of the innovation is the proprietary EAAL (electro-active adhesive layer) technology, a gripping system based on electrostatic forces and integrated tactile feedback, which allows robots to grasp objects in an extremely versatile, fast and efficient way, eliminating the need for pneumatic, magnetic or mechanical components and functioning even in a space operating environment.
Applications range from industrial automation to in-orbit operations – maintenance, refuelling, service life extension and space debris removal – strategic areas for the security and sustainability of European space infrastructure. Thanks to EIC Accelerator funding, Adaptronics will be able to accelerate in-orbit validation, expand market access and develop its commercialisation strategy, consolidating the company’s position as a European leader and global benchmark in electro-adhesive gripping technology for industrial and orbital robotic manipulation, making a concrete contribution to the technological autonomy and competitiveness of the continent’s robotics and space sector.
Fluid Wire Robotics, a spin-off of the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, is developing a new generation of robotic arms for space operations, designed to make satellites serviceable on a large scale and strengthen European space infrastructure. Its innovative systems concentrate motors and electronic components in a compact unit protected inside the spacecraft, while the external arm transmits movements via mechanical fluid tubes (Fluid Wires). This architecture ensures precise and controlled movements, resistance to extreme temperatures, radiation and vacuum, as well as a modular structure that is lighter, more versatile and less expensive than traditional arms.
FWR solutions enable inspection, maintenance, debris removal and assembly activities in orbit, reducing dependence on non-European suppliers and promoting a safer, more sustainable and operational space environment, just like any critical infrastructure on the ground. The technology has already been validated in extreme environmental conditions representative of the space environment, and EIC Accelerator funding will enable the development of a fully qualified system, the conduct of an in-orbit demonstration mission and the start of initial production, enabling the start-up to consolidate its role as a European leader in space robotics and making a concrete contribution to the scalability and competitiveness of the continental orbital sector.
“The selection of Adaptronics and Fluid Wire Robotics by the European Innovation Council is a source of great satisfaction and pride for us,” said Giuseppe Scellato, president of I3P and coordinator of ESA BIC Turin, in a statement. . “We are confident that, thanks to the new funds, the companies will be able to continue their growth roadmap with even greater momentum, bringing value to the entire entrepreneurial ecosystem they are part of and providing a new example of success in the field of technology transfer from academia to the international market.” (in the opening photo, the Adaptronics team)
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