From science to sand: innovation at top speed with mission I.A.M.

Tuesday 27 May 2025

"You're crazy." "Why would you do that?!" "Unbelievable..." That's what Steven van Roon, founder of Mission I.A.M. and manager of the Robotics Centre at the University of Twente, is often told when he shares his plan: to run 120 kilometres through the Jordanian desert during the infamous Marathon des Sables – not just for sport, but for science.

Van Roon is using this extreme challenge as a springboard for a much larger mission: developing a bionic leg that will allow people with an amputation to run this ultramarathon themselves in 2030. A project that pushes boundaries, both technologically and humanly.

Together with students and researchers from the University of Twente's NEUBOTICS Lab, passionate ambassadors and ambitious athletes, we are working an advanced prosthesis that allows users to move naturally and participate fully in extreme sporting performances.

The Mission I.A.M. (Innovation – Ambition – Mobility) project is more than a technological experiment; it is a movement. With every training day, every test report and every iteration, the bar is raised – literally and figuratively. "Crazy ambitions make the world a better place," says Van Roon. "And if this is 'crazy', then I fully embrace it."

Mission I.A.M. shows how top sport, technology and perseverance can unite in one inspiring mission. Follow the story, the obstacles and the victories via the social media channels of Steven van Roon and Mission I.A.M.