University of Pisa is represented by the Interdepartmental Research Center "E. Piaggio", a research Center of the University of Pisa dedicated to Bioengineering and Robotics. The Center is a focal point for multidisciplinary research for several departments and faculties, including the Faculty of Engineering, Medicine and Natural Sciences.

Mission of the Centre is to perform research work and form research personnel for the study, design and exploitation of automation and biomedical devices. It cooperates with private and public companies to study specific application problems that need advanced or innovative solutions. The main research areas of our Center include materials engineering (piezoresistives, piezoelectric polymer, polyelectrolyte gel, conducting polymer), and bioengineering: “intelligent" materials and systems for sensing and actuation (i.e. artificial senses - touch and olfaction, biosensors, pseudo-muscular actuators).

Among the main fields of research in Bioengineering at the Centre are portable and wearable health monitoring systems and biomimetic robots mimicking the biological behaviour by means of dedicated materials and structures, likewise control strategy, algorithms and artificial neural networks. The Center is an ideal environment for the generation of new ideas, tools, research methods and patents. Members of the University join the Center on the basis of their scientific interests, providing their skills and expertise in research and teaching.