PRENSILIA SRL

Their core work

Prensilia is an Italian SME specializing in the design and manufacturing of robotic hands and dexterous grippers, serving both the prosthetics and industrial automation markets. Their core competence lies in creating anthropomorphic robotic end-effectors with integrated sensing and neural control capabilities. They contribute hardware and manipulation expertise to EU research consortia working on advanced robotics for medical rehabilitation and flexible manufacturing applications.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Prensilia began its H2020 journey in medical robotics, developing dexterous prosthetic hands with neural interfaces (DeTOP, 2016). By 2020, the company had pivoted strongly toward industrial robotics — their two most recent projects focus on robot hands for flexible manufacturing (APRIL) and advanced sensor technologies (MAGNELIQ). This trajectory shows a clear shift from assistive/medical devices toward broader industrial automation and sensing, likely reflecting a strategy to scale their hand technology into larger commercial markets.

Prensilia is transitioning from niche prosthetics toward industrial robotic manipulation and advanced sensing — expect them to pursue smart gripper and tactile perception projects next.

How they like to work

Prensilia consistently participates as a specialist partner rather than leading consortia, contributing their robotic hand hardware and manipulation expertise to larger research teams. With 26 unique partners across just 3 projects, they operate in sizable consortia (averaging ~9 partners each) and are comfortable working with diverse, multinational teams. This makes them a reliable, low-friction technology partner who brings focused hardware capability without competing for coordination roles.

Prensilia has built a network of 26 partners across 12 countries through just 3 projects, indicating strong reach within the European robotics research community. Their partnerships span the breadth of EU member states, reflecting the wide consortia typical of robotics RIA projects.

What sets them apart

Prensilia occupies a rare niche as an SME that actually manufactures robotic hands — most robotics companies focus on arms, platforms, or software, not the end-effector. Their dual experience in medical prosthetics (where dexterity and sensing are critical) and industrial manipulation gives them a design sensibility that few competitors can match. For any consortium needing physical grasping and manipulation hardware with embedded sensing, Prensilia brings proven, real-world end-effector technology.

Highlights from their portfolio

• APRIL
  Largest funding (EUR 934k) and represents Prensilia's strategic pivot into industrial manufacturing robotics with federated robot systems.
• DeTOP
  Pioneering work on osseointegrated prosthetic hands with neural sensory feedback — a technically ambitious project combining mechatronics with neuroscience.