Pompeii's ancient Roman frescoes, shattered and buried for centuries, are getting a second life thanks to a pioneering robotic system designed to support archaeologists in one of their most painstaking tasks: reassembling fragmented artifacts.

Pompei

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Archaeologists in Pompeii are utilizing a pioneering robotic system to assist in the restoration of ancient Roman frescoes, many of which were damaged by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and later events such as World War II. The technology, part of the EU-funded Repair project, employs advanced image recognition, AI-driven puzzle-solving, and robotic arms to accelerate and improve the precision of the restoration process.

Researchers have tested the system on replica frescoes to avoid risking original artifacts, while AI algorithms help match colors and patterns that are not visible to the human eye. Experts believe this approach could revolutionize restoration practices globally, though archaeologists emphasize that human expertise in interpretation and analysis will remain essential.

Robots help piece together Pompeii's fragmented ancient frescoes

In Italy's Pompei, archaeologists are on a quest to put back together pieces of the once thriving city. Paintings adorn its ruins, long buried underneath rubble when Mount Vesuvius exploded thousands of years ago. Thanks to a pioneering robotic system designed to support them, Pompei's ancient Roman frescoes are getting a second life. Archaeologists and robots now work together to reassemble these fragmented artifacts, often a painstaking task. The technology, developed under a U-funded project called Repair, combines advanced image recognition, AI-driven puzzle-solving, and ultra-precise robotic hands, all aimed to accelerate traditionally slow and often frustrating restoration work. Gabriel Zuch-Triegel, director of the Archaeological Park of Pompei, says the project was necessary to recompose fragments partly destroyed during World War II. I think it is part of a much larger development where we see that in the humanities and archaeology, much of what used to be a large part of our daily work can now be done by technology, by artificial intelligence, by robotics. Experts say the task is similar to solving a giant jigsaw puzzle, with curved bones such as missing pieces and no reference image of the final result. Marcella Pellillo is a professor at Ca' Foscari University of Venice. It's like you buy four or five boxes of jigsaw puzzles, you mix everything together, then you throw away the boxes and then you try to solve four or five puzzles at the same time. The robot has twin arms with flexible hands in two sizes and vision sensors to identify, grip and assemble fragments without damaging their delicate surfaces. During its testing phase, researchers created replicas of some of the ancient city's most iconic frescoes, preserved in a fragmentary state in Pompeii's store rooms to avoid risking the original pieces. Meantime, AI and machine learning experts develop algorithms to reconstruct the frescoes, matching colors and patterns that may not be visible to the human eye. Researchers believe the technology could transform restoration practices worldwide. But for Zuckriegel, this turning point will not spell the end of archaeology as a profession. Does this mean that we don't need archaeologists anymore in the future and that everything will be replaced by machines and digital technologies? The answer is obviously no, but what's going to happen is I think that the work of archaeologists will dramatically change and in some way I think we will get back to our origins, to the interpretation of artworks, of daily life, of social structures, architecture.

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Robots help piece together Pompeii's fragmented ancient frescoes

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