Would you board a plane so fast that it could cover the distance between Europe and Australia in less than three hours? No? What if you were told that it is powered by hydrogen and capable of flying at an altitude of over 30,000 meters (compared with the current cruising altitude of 9,000-12,000 meters for commercial aircraft)? Would that change your mind? In the not-too-distant future, this option could become reality. It would not only reduce travel times but also decrease emissions and noise pollution, while improving safety and lowering costs.

This is just one of the many projects that Politecnico di Torino presented at EXPO 2025 in Osaka: STRATOFLY (Stratospheric Flying Opportunities for High-Speed ​​Propulsion Concepts), an international project coordinated by Politecnico di Torino, as part of a European Horizon 2020 initiative.
It aims to realize a hypersonic civil aircraft capable of flying at Mach 8 (i.e., eight times the speed of sound, approximately 9,800 km/h), focusing on advanced propulsion and structural technologies. The goal of environmental sustainability is embodied in the use of alternative fuels, such as liquid hydrogen, and innovative aerodynamic solutions. For an ever-more connected world, where the antipodes can be reached in a few hours.
“Connecting lives” is, not surprisingly, one of the themes of EXPO: building such an aircraft is still a long-term goal, but thanks to technological progress and international collaboration, it is increasingly within reach.

“Politecnico has always been at the forefront of aerospace research,” explains Giuliana Mattiazzo, Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Politecnico and Vice Rector for Scientific and Technological Innovation, while discussing Politecnico’s presence at EXPO Osaka. “Ours is mainly applied research: we are engineers, so our main focus is serving businesses. In this field, aerospace is crucial, with significant expected progress, and it is one of our strengths. In Osaka, we presented our most advanced projects, our crown jewels. In recent years, partly thanks to PNRR funding, the aerospace sector has gained significant momentum: just think that Politecnico di Torino coordinates the spoke on air mobility (in addition to road vehicles) for the National Center for Sustainable Mobility (MOST) and leads the extended partnership Space it up, funded by the Italian Space Agency and the Ministry of University and Research, involving 37 partners. Only our solid experience and scientific expertise makes it possible to manage such large, complex projects.”

STRATOFLY is not the only project exploring super- and hypersonic flights (faster than the speed of sound, and in the latter case, more than five times faster): More&Less was also presented in Osaka, exploring the possible reintroduction of civil supersonic flight in a sustainable way, reducing sonic booms generated by supersonic speed, chemical emissions, and takeoff noise.

Eight of the Politecnico's projects hosted at the Italian Pavilion in Osaka dealt with another aspect of air mobility: the so-called “drone revolution.”

These small aircraft—which come in a variety of sizes—are expected to proliferate in our skies in the near future, serving a wide range of applications. Their integration into both the urban and rural environments requires the creation of specific models, the study of new regulations, and the design of intelligent interfaces.

In Osaka, Politecnico presented some of its leading drone projects, which range from the delivery of medicines to the transport of organs, from crop monitoring to emergency response.

Two focus on agriculture, combining this ancient practice with today's most advanced technologies:

• Agri.Q is a cutting-edge robotic platform developed by the research team at DIMEAS – Politecnico di Torino, designed to integrate an eight-wheeled autonomous rover with a dedicated drone system. The rover navigates complex farmland while collecting environmental data and supporting crop monitoring. The drone, launched and retrieved directly from the rover, is equipped with a spray system for targeted distribution of plant protection products. It is a step toward smarter, greener, and more autonomous agriculture.
• DROPLY, also developed by DIMEAS PoliTO in collaboration with MAVTech srl., offers innovative drone-based solutions for precision agriculture, with a flagship system for highly targeted spraying of plant treatments.

Two projects address transportation challenges at very different scales:INDOOR, by Fondazione D.O.T. (Organ and Transplant Donation Foundation), in collaboration with PIC4SeR (PoliTo Interdepartmental Centre for Service Robotics) and the startup ABzero, develops solutions for moving transplant organs and biological samples with drones. This will lead to increased speed and safety, plus reduced costs: a growing efficiency in responding to requests, even in the most remote areas of the country.

• “Isole minori”, a project within the MOST framework, developed in collaboration with Leonardo and Poste italiane, tests a daily cargo transport via drone system capable of carrying loads of up to 40 kilograms. It involves the use of cargo drones, provided and remotely piloted by the company FlyingBasket. These drones take off from Bagnoli (Naples) and land on the island of Procida with their payload. All operations are managed from a control station operating in Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) mode: The pilot does not have a direct line of sight with the aircraft, but uses technologies such as GPS, telemetry, sensors, and FPV (First Person View) vision systems.

At EXPO Osaka, Politecnico also presented six projects focused on sustainability. Mattiazzo points out that it is now central to every University project: "It's a core issue: In the past, performance was the primary goal. Today, sustainability comes first –though. Of course, we still aim for top performance, but sustainability is the priority. On the other hand, much of the research on artificial intelligence today is also aimed at making it more sustainable."

At Politecnico, research on sustainability in the aerospace field covers many areas: new, ultra-light, high-performance materials of the latest generation, for lighter, recyclable, and efficient aircraft. All this is combined with advanced propulsion and storage systems. Politecnico is also an international leader in cutting-edge research on the latest generation of batteries.

Mattiazzo explains, “Biofuels are crucial for sustainability research, with hydrogen emerging as a key energy source. The challenge is even greater in aerospace than in automotive. Cars can bear heavy batteries; aircraft cannot. Here, mass, speed, and power requirements are very different, so progress depends on lightweight materials and alternative fuels. This research is essential.”

Concerning biofuels, Politecnico presented its role in chairing the Biofuture Platform, a multilateral initiative within the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), a high-level global forum that brings together governments (23 member countries), companies, and international organizations to promote clean energy policies and technologies. This marks the first time a European country and an academic institution have held the presidency.

The green revolution in aviation also requires a radical rethinking of infrastructure: equipped airports, storage systems, and efficient distribution networks for clean fuels. This is the focus of the H2Mobility project, one of the three flagship initiatives of Spoke 1 Aerospace and Sustainable Mobility within the framework of NODES - Nord Ovest Digitale e Sostenibile (Digital and Sustainable North-Western Italy), a NextGenerationEU program designed to accelerate the transition to hydrogen-powered transport. Coordinated by Politecnico di Torino, the project was featured in the Italian Pavilion in Osaka: it develops technologies and infrastructure to support the use of green hydrogen, particularly in energy-intensive sectors such as heavy-duty vehicles and long-range transport, including aerospace applications.

Politecnico presented in Osaka several other flagship projects focusing on sustainability, including a prototype electric aircraft built by a student team:

• Realized by the Student Team ICARUS, Politecnico exposed in Osaka the RA (Record Aircraft) prototype, a fully electric, solar-powered aircraft with extended autonomy. Designed for continuous operation with zero carbon emissions, RA is equipped with high-aspect-ratio wings, powered by high-efficiency solar cells that recharge onboard batteries. The lightweight carbon-fiber composite structure ensures both strength and durability, while the propulsion system is optimized for low-speed, energy-efficient cruising.

Two other projects concern battery research:

• The BATTERY2030+ initiative is a major European Horizon 2020 research program, aiming to develop the sustainable battery technologies of the future. It brings together 23 leading universities and research centers across Europe to design batteries that are not only high-performing but also recyclable and environmentally responsible.
• The GIGAGREEN project, led by Politecnico di Torino and funded under Horizon Europe, aims to transform lithium-ion battery production through sustainable, scalable, and cost-effective processes.

Finally, the MIMOSA project (Multimaterial airframes based on 3D joints between AM metals and carbon-fiber composites)explores new materials: it aims to transform the design and production of sustainable aircraft structures, by reducing environmental impact, optimizing material use, and improving both production efficiency and recyclability.