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Largest robotics gathering visits UK for the first time
Published:  03 May, 2023

The IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) – described by its organisers as being the world’s leading robotics event – is visiting the UK for the first time for five days at the end of May. More than 4,000 delegates from around the world are expected to attend the event at the ExCel centre in London’s Docklands.

ICRA 2023 – the 40th in the series – will be “the largest ever gathering of the world’s top academics, researchers and industry representatives in the fields of robotics and automation”. The theme of the conference is Embracing the future: Making robots for humans.

Keynote sessions will cover topics including Robots for Society, Healthcare Robotics, Morphological Computation, and AI in Robotics.

There is also more than 4,500m2 of exhibition space, with more than 100 organisations showcasing the latest robotic technologies.

There will be a series of competitions for university students from around the world, including: an autonomous grand prix; humanoid robot wrestling; an autonomous quadruped challenge; and robot manipulation and grasping.

“ICRA 2023 will showcase the latest innovations in robotics technology and research and offers unparalleled access to the industry’s leading minds, technology and research from around the world, all under one roof,” says Kaspar Althoefer, professor of robotics engineering and head of the Centre for Advanced Robotics at Queen Mary University of London, who is chairing ICRA 2023. “The UK is perfectly placed to host the world’s largest-ever ICRA conference. It’s home to some of the world’s leading research hubs and – combined with the government’s ambitions for the UK to be a world-leading ‘science superpower’ – has a unique opportunity to accelerate innovation in robotics.”

Delegates attending the conference will be able to visit robot labs at universities in London and Oxford. Remote hubs will livestream the event to universities in low-income countries, allowing the global community to participate.

The conference, taking place from 29 May to 2 June, is aimed at anyone working in the field of robotics and automation.