From 24 – 28 April, four ECHORD experiments will present their work at Hannover Messe, the world's biggest trade show. You can see the latest advances in EU-funded robotics technology development in Hall 17, stand C70, and get the chance to develop your own ideas with their on-site competition. CoCoMaps, Collaborative Cognitive Maps, uses an expanded version of the existing Cognitive Map Architecture implemented on Honda's ASIMO robot in an environment with more complex tasks than already attempted. This will allow the robot to interact in more complex ways, in particular, to simultaneously interact with another robot and more than one person at a time. Thus, the project aims for a group of 2 robots and 2 humans enabling social interactions that can coexist with the robots' attention to – and completion of – practical tasks in the workplace.

Robotics Innovation Facilities, or RIFs, are robotic labs, financed via the ECHORD project by the European Commission. They offer access to high-tech robotic equipment and expertise at zero risk; using the RIF is not only free of charge, they also safeguard their users' intellectual property. Companies, institutions, and organisations can apply to use RIFs. Currently, there are three RIFs within the ECHORD project located in Italy, France, and the UK. Two 360 Lab Tours are now available, the last video will be released late March.