AI-powered robot helps reassemble Pompeii’s centuries-old frescoes
Archaeologists at Pompeii are testing a groundbreaking robotic system to reconstruct the city’s fragmented ancient frescoes, buried and damaged over centuries. Developed under the EU-funded RePAIR project, the technology combines AI-driven puzzle-solving, advanced image recognition, and ultra-precise robotic hands to accelerate painstaking restoration work.
The robot, equipped with flexible twin arms and vision sensors, can identify, grip, and assemble fragments without harming their delicate surfaces. Researchers first tested replicas of frescoes damaged in the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius and later shattered during World War Two bombings, as well as pieces from the ‘House of the Gladiators,’ which collapsed in 2010, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
“It's like solving four or five jigsaw puzzles at once without the boxes,” said Marcello Pelillo, Venice’s Ca’ Foscari University professor coordinating the project. Experts hope the technology could revolutionize restoration practices globally, helping bring lost works of art back to life.
Similar news
