Fincantieri and Generative Bionics, an Italian company focused on the development of autonomous humanoid robots, have launched an industrial partnership aimed at implementing a humanoid welding robot. The robot is designed to operate alongside humans in Fincantieri’s shipyards.
The collaboration is based on the integration of Fincantieri’s industrial expertise with the robotic platform developed by Generative Bionics. The goals is to increase safety and operational efficiency, improve production quality, and enhance the sustainability of work in shipyards.
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Humanoid robot for naval welding
As an initial area of collaboration, the project involves the development of a humanoid robot designed to support specific welding activities in naval manufacturing. The humanoid will be equipped with artificial intelligence as well as advanced manipulation, perception, and vision capabilities dedicated to monitoring the welding seam.
This will be paired with optimised locomotion to operate in complex environments. The system will prioritise safety, allowing collaboration with workers while fully complying with regulations and without limiting work areas.
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On-site tests this year
The collaboration programme is expected to span four years, with a strong focus on rapid deployment in operational settings. Initial on-site tests are scheduled by the end of 2026, with the objective of making operational functionalities available within the first two years, followed by further refinement, expansion, and industrial certification activities thereafter.
Development and testing activities will take place at Fincantieri’s Sestri Ponente shipyard, which will serve as the reference environment for industrial validation and certification of the technology.
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Industrial Plan
The collaboration is part of Fincantieri’s broader strategy in advanced robotics, Physical AI and innovation, which represents one of the pillars of the Group’s new Industrial Plan. In a context characterised by increasing production complexity and a growing shortage of skilled labour, the adoption of solutions based on Physical AI systems supports production continuity and assists workers in repetitive, physically demanding, or ergonomically challenging tasks, while maintaining high standards of quality and safety.
For Generative Bionics, the project represents one of the first structured industrial validation pathways for its platform in a high-complexity manufacturing environment.
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Strategic value
The partnership also has strategic value within the framework of European technological sovereignty, leveraging excellence developed across the research and advanced industrial supply chain. The project complements other ongoing robotics validation initiatives within the Fincantieri Group, expanding the range of manufacturing activities that can be carried out using advanced solutions.
Pierroberto Folgiero, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Fincantieri: ‘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. The collaboration with Generative Bionics is part of the transformation journey we are undertaking to strengthen our operational excellence, enhance the work of our people, and address in a structured way the challenges related to growing production complexity and the availability of specialised skills.’
‘In this context, the Sestri Ponente shipyard plays a central role as an industrial laboratory where technology, safety, and skills evolve together, allowing us to integrate advanced robotics solutions in support of the most demanding and repetitive tasks, while maintaining high standards of quality, sustainability, and labor protection,’ adds Folgiero.
‘The collaboration with Fincantieri is part of our path toward industrialisation and market deployment,’ concludes Daniele Pucci, CEO and Co-Founder of Generative Bionics. ‘Shipyards represent a strategic asset for global manufacturing, which is why we chose Fincantieri to demonstrate how our Physical AI solutions can translate into reliable, safe, and truly useful systems. This project enables us to develop humanoid robots designed around human work, capable of operating side by side with people and contributing to the long-term sustainability of highly intensive and specialised activities.’
Picture by Fincantieri.
