Inflatable robotic arms
for space.
Launch small, deploy big.

Technology

IDRA — Inflatable & Deployable Robotic Arm

A modular robotic manipulator combining inflatable links with electrically actuated joints. Extreme compactness when stowed — large workspace when deployed.

Patented technology — Deplotic S.r.l.

Large Workspace

64× larger than traditional manipulators. Large working envelope, minimal launch mass.

High Performance

High stiffness and vibration damping at low pressure — delivering performance comparable to rigid systems, at a fraction of the mass.

Scalable & Modular

Links, joints, end-effectors configurable per mission. Compatible with any spacecraft interface.

Patented Mechanism

Proprietary inflation-and-retraction system enabling repeatable deploy and restow between operations.

Platform

An integrated, mission-ready system

Deplotic delivers hardware and software as a single offering — a modular robotic platform with advanced perception, control, and digital twin capabilities.

Hardware

Modular links & joints

Kevlar-woven inflatable structural links combined with precision rotary joints — engineered for vacuum, radiation, and thermal cycling.

Mission-configured solution

Every arm configured for the specific mission — number of links, reach, payload capacity, and interfaces defined per customer requirements.

End-effectors & tools

Mission-specific end-effectors for capture, berthing, inspection, and maintenance operations in orbit.

Software

Autonomy

Autonomous control capabilities for approach, grasping, and servicing operations — from proximity manoeuvring to contact tasks.

Perception

Embedded vision systems for target identification, tracking, and proximity operations using visual servoing.

Digital Twin

Pre-mission simulation environment and real-time in-flight monitoring — validate every manoeuvre before execution in orbit.

How it works

The technology behind IDRA

IDRA combines advanced inflatable modules, a patented modular architecture, and autonomous control into a single mission-ready system.

Inflatable Modules

IDRA's links are inflatable structures wound with Kevlar aramid fibers — delivering the structural stiffness, vibration damping, and thermal stability that space robotics demands. The multi-layer architecture achieves near-zero coefficient of thermal expansion, ensuring predictable kinematics across the extreme temperature cycles of orbit.

Kevlar aramid fibers High stiffness Vibration damping Thermal stability

Robotic Architecture

IDRA pairs inflatable structural links with precision electric motor joints — links, joints, and end-effectors selected and configured for each specific mission. The result is a scalable platform: from compact small satellite applications to larger orbital infrastructure, the same core technology adapts to different reach, payload, and interface requirements.

Hybrid inflatable + electric Mission-specific configuration Scalable platform Patented mechanism

Control

IDRA integrates vision-based control systems capable of autonomously identifying, tracking, and approaching a target. The Digital Twin runs pre-mission simulations and mirrors operations in real time — reducing risk before any manoeuvre is executed in orbit.

Visual servoing Target tracking Autonomous approach Digital Twin

Applications

Advancing in-orbit servicing

Big workspace, strong software, new possibilities. After docking, IDRA reaches any part of the target — enabling operations that were previously out of reach.

Service

Reach any part of a docked target
Full workspace around the target satellite
Compatible with non-cooperative targets

Capture

Berthing and satellite reallocation
Active debris removal
Compliant, low-impact docking

Self-Maintain

Close-range inspection and fault detection
Self-servicing operations
Refueling support

Beyond orbit

Your environment. Your mission.

Compact when stowed, large when deployed, modular, easy to install — IDRA is designed for environments where space is limited and conditions are extreme. If you have a use case in mind, we want to hear it.

Minimal footprint at launch Modular & reconfigurable Harsh environment ready Large workspace when deployed

Explore your application →

Technology readiness

From lab to orbit

TRL 5 completed. IDRA is now advancing through full system integration, autonomous control, and in-orbit demonstration — a clear path from validated prototype to commercial deployment.

3–4

Proof of Concept

Analytical and experimental validation · Concept feasibility · First inflatable link prototypes · Robot control in microgravity
Completed
5

Validation in Relevant Environments

Thermal-vacuum tests on inflatable modules · Full prototype validation · ESA BIC Turin incubation · IP Award
Completed
6

IDRA.2 — Modular Architecture & AI Control

Inflatable module optimization · Modular software architecture · AI perception-decision pipeline · Co-validation campaign
2025–2026
6–7

IDRA.3 — 7-DOF Prototype & System Demonstration

Full 7-DOF arm assembly · AI-based control algorithms · Testing in representative orbital scenarios · Performance validation
2026–2027
7–9

IDRA.4 — Space Qualification & In-Orbit Demo

ECSS-compliant qualification · Industrialisation · In-Orbit Demonstration · Autonomous servicing validation in orbit
IOD

Inflatable structural link — Kevlar-woven, pressure-tested under thermal-vacuum conditions

Full-system prototype under ground testing at Politecnico di Torino

Team

Expertise. Innovation. Ambition.

Deplotic was born as a spin-off of Politecnico di Torino from the work of a research team specialised in robotic systems for harsh environments. After years of work in robotics for space, nuclear, and industrial applications, the team transformed its know-how into a company focused on a new generation of deployable robotic systems for space.

Pierpaolo Palmieri

Chief Executive Officer

Ph.D., Politecnico di Torino

Mario Troise

Chief Operating Officer

Ph.D., Politecnico di Torino

Laura Salamina

Head of Software

Ph.D., Politecnico di Torino

Matteo Gaidano

Head of Hardware

Ph.D., Politecnico di Torino

Matteo Melchiorre

Head of R&D

Ph.D., Politecnico di Torino

Stefano Mauro

Chief Scientific Officer

Full Professor, Politecnico di Torino

Partners & supporters

Backed by the best

Progetto IDRA finanziato dal Programma NODES – Nord Ovest Digitale E Sostenibile (ECS 00000036), PNRR Missione 4 Componente 2, Investimento 1.5 — Spoke 1 "Aerospace and Sustainable Mobility". Finanziato dal Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca (MUR), CUP E13B22000020001.

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