The 2025 edition of Aerospace & Defense Meetings Torino has concluded, Italy’s most important international event dedicated to the aerospace value chain.   From December 2 to 4, the event brought together companies, startups, and innovation stakeholders in the Piedmont capital. Among the participants was Spoke 1 – Aerospace and Sustainable Mobility, represented by companies funded through the cascade calls, startups born from the project, and two of the founding Partners.   An excellent opportunity to showcase industrial research and initiatives developed thanks to the Spoke, now mature and nearing completion. Visitors and stakeholders had the chance to meet and hear from the funded companies, which presented concrete examples of applied innovation and effective collaboration between the research community and the production system. Also participating were Fondazione Piemonte Innova and the Politecnico di Torino Incubator, I3P, key Partners of Spoke 1 supporting the ongoing growth of innovative local companies and startups.   I3P, ESA BIC Turin, and startups at A&DM  

Spoke 1 NODES, on the occasion of EXPO 2025 in Osaka, presents the current state of the aerospace sector and the contribution of the North-West Italy ecosystem to the significant growth of investments in a rapidly changing industry that faces increasing challenges. During the talk "Wings of Innovation", organized by the Politecnico di Torino at the Italy Pavilion, Spoke 1 Aerospace and Sustainable Mobility presented to an international audience, including researchers from the most important Japanese universities, the role of the Italian ecosystem and, in particular, the high number and quality of actors located in the north-western territories. Giuseppe Scellato, scientific coordinator of Spoke 1, placed particular emphasis on the activities of the Spoke and on its role as an engine of innovation, thanks to substantial investments in applied research, industrial research, and training. During the talk, Professor Scellato showcased the research activities of the Space4You Flagship, as well as the initiatives born from the ecosystem’s calls, such as industrial projects carried out by companies in the sector and academic Proofs of Concept, the result of intellectual property generated by NODES researchers, along with startups and spin-offs originating from Spoke activities. The National Centre for Sustainable Mobility MOST also took part in the talk, with PoliTO researchers from Spoke 1 "Air mobility".  

A new frontier of artificial intelligence applied to robotics was explored on July 18, 2025, at Turin International Airport during the event “The Future of AI Applied to Robotics”, the official launch of the RoboAPP Proof of Concept, developed by Spoke 1 – Aerospace and Sustainable Mobility within the NODES Program. The event provided a platform for dialogue and exchange among representatives of institutions, university researchers, entrepreneurs, and research centers to explore the potential, challenges, and future scenarios related to the use of AI in real, complex, and dynamic environments.   RoboAPP: intelligent robotics at the service of people The RoboAPP – Robotic Aggregate Programming Platform – concretely demonstrates what Artificial Intelligence can achieve when integrated into intelligent and autonomous robots, capable of moving, adapting, and acting in physical spaces. Applications cover critical areas such as logistics, smart cities, and precision agriculture. The system relies on coordinated management between Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) and Small Language Models (SLM), enabling dynamic interaction and real-time contextual processing. This is complemented by an advanced digital infrastructure based on aggregate programming, intelligent sensing, resilient communication, and energy efficiency.    

A Twin for the Municipality – Spoke 1 NODES and Turin’s Digital Twin Within Spoke 1 NODES, starting from the work of the Interuniversity Department of Sciences, Design and Territorial Policies of the Politecnico di Torino and the University of Turin, the Digital Twin of the City of Turin is being developed.   The Digital Twin is (re)constructed from 32,000 photograms and LiDAR scans, precise to the centimeter. This enormous amount of data, collected both from the ground and from above, is combined to create an extremely realistic three-dimensional model, accurately reflecting the city’s appearance and proportions in great detail. Turin’s digital twin will be used by the city administration to quickly understand urban needs and to effectively plan both urgent interventions and future policies and projects. The model is indeed an ideal tool to support decision-makers, serving the citizens.   Currently, the model can be explored at the Automobile Museum of Turin through the “Spazio Futuro” initiative, which provides insight into ongoing transformations in sustainable mobility and possible future trajectories.