Tour de Suisse Robotique: Humanoid Robot GIGI Visits SUPSI’s ARM Laboratory

• August 13th, 2026

GIGI, ZHAW's humanoid robot, and Frank M. Rinderknecht, a pioneer and innovator in the field of mobility, travelled across Switzerland to explore how people interact with robots and what they expect from these technologies. Part journey, part social experiment, the Tour also stopped at the ARM Laboratory, where GIGI engaged with research activities in the Robo-Gym, an environment for research and training in collaborative robotics.

Developed within the SIRA Lab at the ZHAW School of Management and Law, GIGI is a humanoid robot designed to investigate forms of social intelligence applied to robotics. With the Tour de Suisse Robotique, the experiment moved beyond the laboratory to gather insights through encounters with students, researchers and professionals in real-world settings.

The stop at SUPSI's Department of Innovative Technologies provided an opportunity to connect this perspective with the activities of the ARM Laboratory, where one of the main research areas focuses on collaboration between people and robotic systems.

"For us, the visit created a natural connection between the Tour's human-centred vision and the research we carry out every day. Autonomy lets robots act, while collaborative intelligence helps them act with people," explains Oliver Avram, lecturer-researcher at the ARM Laboratory, led by Prof. Anna Valente.

Min. 11:25 - 12:38

In the Robo-Gym, researchers go beyond teaching robots how to perform specific movements. Their work explores how robots can actively participate in collaborative decision-making, adapting their behaviour to both the task and the person they are working with.

During a shared activity, for example, a robot needs to understand the workflow, interpret human intent and assess its own level of confidence before deciding what to do next. Depending on the situation, it may act autonomously, adapt its behaviour, ask for clarification or return control to the human operator.

"With this approach, we are taking an important step towards the future of robotics. Progress will not only mean greater precision and autonomy, but also developing robotic systems that people can trust and understand, teach and work with naturally," concludes Avram.

GIGI's visit offered a concrete opportunity to connect two research approaches that share a common goal: developing increasingly autonomous and intelligent robots that can understand the context in which they operate and collaborate effectively with people.

Find out more about the Robo-Gym and the Fluently project:

• The essence of human-robot interaction
• A robotic arm that interprets our needs (RSI)

Find out more about the Tour de Suisse Robotique project:

• World's first robot journey (Rinspeed)