WHERE, Walk the Future

The University of Trento and the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano will organize an intensive, hands-on summer school dedicated to the science and practice of legged locomotion — covering fundamental modeling, advanced control and learning, and culminating in experiments on a real quadruped robot.

Program of the Summer School 

• Lectures by leading robotic researchers on machine learning, control, perception, and planning for legged robots.
• Advanced lectures on dynamic control of quadrupeds, including whole-body and optimization-based approaches.
• Reduced-order modeling for locomotion, bridging theoretical foundations and practical motion generation.
• Optimal control and trajectory optimization methods, including real-time Model Predictive Control with feasibility and stability guarantees.
• State Estimation and Reinforcement Learning for robust performance under uncertainty and limited model knowledge.
• Hands-on sessions with state-of-the-art open-source tools for multi-body dynamics, visualization,  in Python and C++ using ROS.
• Integration, deployment, and evaluation of developed software on Unitree Aliengo and Unitree Go2 quadrupeds.
• Social and networking activities, including a social dinner and a trekking excursion in the Dolomites.
   

Target Group

PhD Students or last-year-M.Sc. with programming experience in C++ and/or Python.

Speakers

Michele Focchi - University of Trento DISI
Marco Frego  -  Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
Giulio Turrisi - Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia 
Andrea Del Prete - University of Trento DII
Enrico Mingo Hoffman - Inria Centre at Université de Lorraine - Nancy
Marco Camurri - University of Trento DII

Registration is closed. You may sign up for the waitlist until August 10.

PhD students or last-year M.Sc. students from the University of Trento and the University of Bozen-Bolzano: Free of Charge

I-RIM Member:

Early Bird Registration (until 30th June 2026): €250 
Late Registration (1 July – 10 August 2026): €320

Regular:

Early Bird Registration (until 30th June 2026): €350 
Late Registration (1 July – 10 August 2026): €420

The fee covers: Lectures, access to robots, lunch and coffee break, welcome drinks, social dinner, and social program.

Selection Process

The number of participants is limited to ensure an optimal student-to-faculty ratio. Our scientific committee will do a selection based on titles and you will be notified of the outcome within one week after registration.

Reimbursement Policies

Fee refunds will be granted only for valid and documented reasons:

• Serious illness or injury of the participant (supported by a medical certificate).
• Death or serious illness of an immediate family member.
• Visa denial, provided the application was submitted in a timely manner and official proof is provided.
• Travel restrictions or government-imposed measures preventing attendance.
• Natural disasters or other force majeure events affecting travel.
• Unexpected, mandatory academic or work commitments that can be officially documented.

For any communications regarding this matter, please contact where2026.disi@unitn.it

Organizing commitee

Prof.  Michele Focchi, University of Trento
Prof.  Marco Frego, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
Dr.  Giulio Turrisi, Italian Institute of Technology (IIT)

Accommodation in Trento

A list of partner hotels is available for download at the bottom of this page.

How to reach the Summer School venue

The Summer School takes place in Povo, a town that can be reached from the center of Trento by taking bus no. 5
Find the stop closest to you and check the timetable at this link: Trentino Trasporti.

For more information

For general information (related to the application procedure and the school organisation) contact:

eventi-collina@unitn.it

For specific information (related to the proposed project and the contents of the summer school) contact:

where2026.disi@unitn.it