The aim of AMADEUS is to provide unprecedented experimental information on K$^-$ absorption in light nuclear targets, to face major open problems in hadron nuclear physics in the strangeness sector, namely the nature of the $\Lambda$(1405), strongly related to the possible existence of kaonic nuclear clusters, kaons and hyperon scattering cross sections on nucleons and nuclei. These issues are fundamental for a better understanding of the non-perturbative QCD in the strangeness sector.

AMADEUS step 0 deals with the analysis of the 2004-2005 KLOE collected data. The interactions of the negative kaons produced by the DA$\Phi$NE collider (a unique source of monochromatic low-momentum kaons) with the materials of the KLOE detector, used as active targets, provide samples of K$^-$ absorptions on H, ${}^4$He, ${}^{9}$Be and ${}^{12}$C, both at-rest and in-flight.
A second step deals with the data from the implementation in the central region of the KLOE detector of a pure graphite target, providing a high statistic sample of K$^- \, {}^{12}$C nuclear captures at rest. For the future a new setup, with various dedicated gaseous and solid targets, is under preparation.