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

The technology, developed under an EU-funded project called RePAIR, combines advanced image recognition, AI-driven puzzle-solving, and ultra-precise robotic hands to accelerate traditionally slow and often frustrating restoration work.

Launched in 2021 and coordinated by Venice's Ca' Foscari University, the robotic project showcased in Pompeii this week brought together international research teams that used the archeological site as their testing ground.

The robot uses twin arms equipped with flexible hands in two sizes and vision sensors to identify, grip and assemble fragments without damaging their delicate surfaces.

The project "actually started from a very concrete necessity to recompose fragments of frescoes that had been destroyed during the Second World War," said the site's director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel.

The once-thriving city of Pompeii, near Naples, and its surrounding countryside were submerged by volcanic ash when Mount Vesuvius exploded in CE 79.

Researchers focused on some of the most iconic frescoes preserved in a fragmentary state in Pompeii's storerooms, creating artificial replicas during the testing phase to avoid risking the original pieces.

While the robotics teams worked on designing and building the system, experts in artificial intelligence and machine learning developed algorithms to reconstruct the frescoes, matching colors and patterns that may not be visible to the human eye.

Experts say the task is similar to solving a giant jigsaw puzzle, with extra difficulties such as missing pieces and no reference image of the final result.

"It's like you buy four or five boxes of jigsaw puzzles," said Marcello Pelillo, the Venice university professor who coordinated the project. "You mix everything together, then you throw away the boxes and try to solve four or five puzzles at the same time."

Researchers believe the technology could transform restoration practices worldwide. However, according to Zuchtriegel, this turning point will not spell the end of archeology as a profession.

Instead, the job "will dramatically change, and in some way we will get back to our origins, to the interpretation of artworks, of daily life," he said.