The DARKO (Dynamic Agile Production Robots that Learn and Optimize Knowledge Over Time) project, funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 program, has been recognized for its innovative contributions to robotics. One of the recognized innovations involves the development of bi-stiffness actuators at Professor Sami Haddadin’s chair at TUM, titled "Bi-Stiffness Actuator (BSA) for Exploiting Intrinsic Compliance, Gravity, and Inertial Coupling Effects in Elastic Joint Robots”, which has been identified as having significant potential within existing markets[SA1] [AL2] [AL3] . 

Professor Achim J. Lilienthal describes the project as „a European success story, not least through its highly innovative character. We are happy and proud that the market potential of several innovations is on the EC‘s radar. The development of bi-stiffness actuators is key to realizing robot arms that can perform highly dynamic manoeuvres (such as throwing) in an energy-efficient way.“

The Innovation Radar

The European Commission’s Innovation Radar classified this innovation as being in the "Exploring" stage of market maturity, indicating its potential for further development and application. The information about this innovation is available to the public on the European Commission's Innovation Radar platform, which features over 11,000 EU-funded innovations. This platform serves as a showcase for the technological advancements achieved through collaborative European research efforts.

This recognition is a testament to the collective expertise and dedication of all partners involved in the DARKO project, including institutions from several countries, each contributing to the advancement of dynamic and autonomous robotic systems. The DARKO project represents a significant step forward in the development of robotics technology, with a focus on creating robots that can learn, adapt, and optimize their performance in complex environments, thereby enhancing human-robot collaboration in industrial settings.