Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa (ULisboa) attended Rock in Rio Lisboa 2026 as part of ULisboa’s presence, contributing to the first edition of Smart City of Rock, an innovation platform that enabled festival visitors to experience virtual reality technologies, learn about advanced applications of robotics and discover entrepreneurial initiatives developed at Técnico and at ULisboa.
Among the demonstrations presented was the “Reabi(li)tar edifícios subutilizados, reabitar a cidade”, a project by the Centre for Innovation in Territory, Urbanism and Architecture (CiTUA) that uses virtual reality to explore possibilities for reusing vacant buildings. The experience invited visitors to reflect on the role of urban rehabilitation in addressing housing challenges, regenerating cities and creating more inclusive and sustainable spaces.
The “Echo of the Abyss” project, which involves the participation of researchers from the Interactive Technologies Institute (ITI), took the public on a journey through deep-sea ecosystems. The project sought to bring visitors closer to one of the least-known environments on the planet, using technology as a way to promote new relationships between human beings and the natural world.
Robotics was represented by Rocky, a project associated with Centro de Recursos Naturais e Ambiente (CERENA). This quadruped robotic platform demonstrated the potential of autonomous robots for environmental monitoring and data collection in complex or hard-to-reach environments, with applications in areas such as air quality, geophysical prospecting and data collection in industrial and environmental contexts.
Smart City of Rock: a living laboratory for testing the future
Técnico’s presence also extended to the entrepreneurship and technology transfer dimension of Smart City of Rock.
Universidade de Lisboa was the first partner university in this innovation platform, which aimed to transform the “City of Rock” into a genuine living laboratory for testing technological solutions in a real-world context. In an environment that welcomed over 100,000 visitors every day, companies, startups, universities and public bodies had the opportunity to validate technologies, collect data and assess the impact of their solutions on a scale that would be difficult to replicate in other contexts.
Various startups born at Técnico were present at the event. Trash4Goods presented a digital solution that encourages recycling and the adoption of sustainable behaviours through gamification and citizen participation mechanisms. The startup shows how technology can promote greater community involvement in the circular economy, turning waste into opportunities for environmental and social impact; Windcredible develops innovative technologies for decentralised renewable energy production, contributing to rethinking new forms of energy generation for more resilient, sustainable cities prepared for the environmental challenges of the future.
