Picking up objects is an easy task for some of the smallest humans, but robots have a tougher time. The EU-funded MOZART project aims to improve how robots handle and manipulate soft and heterogeneous objects. To do this, researchers will develop a new concept for handling objects using deformable manipulation surfaces supported by artificial intelligence control tools. The surfaces will consist of three parts: a modular electronics layer responsible for communication, power and computation, an actuation layer and a soft poroelastic sensing skin. The surface will change its curvature to manipulate different objects. The technology will be demonstrated in three tasks in the food industry – descaling fish, sorting chicken and presenting chicken. The goal is to eventually automate processes in food packaging.