Digital Economy

Edil San Felice presents H.E.R.O., the first patented humanoid for security

The company listed on Euronext Growth Milan invests EUR 600,000 in the project developed with the Federico II. Objective: a fleet of five operational units by mid-2026

by Marco Trabucchi

4 December 2025

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Humanoid robots are among us. And if they are not yet keeping company in living rooms at home, they could soon become a regular presence along Italian motorways. Edil San Felice, a benefit company listed on Euronext Growth Milan and an integrated operator in the infrastructure maintenance sector, presented H.E.R.O. (Humanoid for Enhanced Road Operations), the first humanoid patented specifically for operating on road construction sites, at Palazzo Mezzanotte during the eighth edition of 'Mid & Small - Milan 2025'.

An ambitious project, born from an initial investment of €600,000 and the collaboration with the Federico II University of Naples and NOTOS Group, responsible for training and developing the robot's artificial intelligence. But in addition to the numbers, there is one goal that CEO Lorenzo Di Palma considers a priority: 'Saving lives'. The statistics on fatal accidents on road construction sites, in fact, tell a story that technological innovation can help rewrite.

Chinese hardware, Neapolitan brain

At the basis of H.E.R.O. is a G1 Unitree, a Chinese-made humanoid purchased 'pure', i.e. without specific programming. The added value of the project lies in the work of the Federico II researchers, who developed the entire artificial intelligence system needed to transform a generic hardware platform into a specialised operator for road construction sites.

From a technical point of view, the humanoid integrates 360° perception via 3D LiDAR and depth camera, sensorised prehensile hands with force control, advanced mobility and an artificial intelligence platform combining reinforcement learning, road sign recognition, line following and site element localisation.

"The main tasks concern the assembly and disassembly operations on road construction sites," explains Di Palma. "Clearly the machine is programmed for the most risky operations: positioning temporary signs, managing cones along 1-2 kilometres (the industry operating standard), handling loads and monitoring the construction site area. It can recover a burst tyre, manage traffic regulation procedures, or act as a sentry man in the event of traffic disturbances. It really is all-round ready for all our activities".

From construction site to market: the business plan

The project is part of Edil San Felice's industrial strategy, historically based on the 'zero subcontracting' policy. A model that, in a company with around 400 employees, allows us to enhance in-house skills and maintain safety standards above the industry average.

The central aspect is human-robot collaboration. H.E.R.O. is not designed to replace operators, but to support and protect them in the most exposed phases. The personnel will be trained gradually so as to coordinate and supervise the activities of the humanoid according to new operational models introduced step by step.

"Once the ministerial authorisation has been obtained, the aim is to spread it to all construction sites and then physically sell the appropriately trained robots," explains Di Palma. The patent covers the safe handling of loads and the maintenance of infrastructures, areas where applications could extend well beyond the road sector.

The timeline is ambitious but, according to the CEO, realistic: 'If institutions and authorities support us quickly with authorisations, we could start as early as next year'. For motorists, this could translate into sightings of the first humanoid robots along Italian motorways as early as spring 2026.

Lorenzo di Palma

The appeal to institutions

"With this project, we make an appeal to the institutions: to support and incentivise the adoption of innovative technologies that are able to concretely protect safety on construction sites," says Di Palma. Thanks to the work with the team of young engineers from Federico II, Edil San Felice has achieved, in the words of the CEO, "an extraordinary success". A solid foundation that opens the way to potentially endless applications, even beyond the infrastructure sector.