- RoboCup-worldwide - lists.robocup.org

[meetings] [news] 2nd CfP: The 5th Benchmark for Autonomous Robot Navigation (BARN) Challenge -- ICRA 2026 Competition
by Xuesu Xiao 16 Mar '26

16 Mar '26

Now that the IROS 2026 deadline is behind us, it’s time to gear up for The BARN Challenge! Submission Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeIwC6GY_mAl1J18G1uZOaAn-OCONmmtaP… Competition Website: https://people.cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/Research/BARN_Challenge/BARN_Challenge26.ht… ROS Participation Instructions: https://github.com/Daffan/the-barn-challenge ROS2 Participation Instructions: https://github.com/Saadmaghani/The-Barn-Challenge-Ros2 Lessons Learned from The BARN Challenge 2025: https://people.cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/papers/barn25_report.pdf Lessons Learned from The BARN Challenge 2024: https://people.cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/papers/barn24_report.pdf Lessons Learned from The BARN Challenge 2023: https://people.cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/papers/barn23_report.pdf Lessons Learned from The BARN Challenge 2022: https://people.cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/papers/barn22_report.pdf Dear roboticists, are you interested in agile robot navigation in highly constrained spaces with a lot of obstacles around, e.g., cluttered households or after-disaster scenarios? Do you think mobile robot navigation is mostly a solved problem? Are you looking for a hands-on project for your robotics class, but may not have (sufficient) robot platforms for your students? If your answer is yes to any of the above questions, we sincerely invite you to participate in The 5th BARN Challenge at ICRA 2026 (https://people.cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/Research/BARN_Challenge/BARN_Challenge26.ht…)! The BARN Challenge aims at evaluating state-of-the-art autonomous navigation systems to move robots through highly constrained environments in a safe and efficient manner. The task is to navigate a standardized Clearpath Jackal robot from a predefined start to a goal location as quickly as possible without any collision. The challenge will take place both in the simulated BARN dataset and in physical obstacle courses at ICRA 2026. 1. The competition task is designing ground navigation systems to navigate through all 300 BARN environments (https://people.cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/Research/BARN/BARN.html) and physical obstacle courses constructed at ICRA 2026 as fast as possible without collision. 2. The 300 BARN environments can be the training set for learning-based methods, or to design classical approaches in. During the simulation competition, we will generate another 50 unseen environments unavailable to the participants before the competition. 3. We will standardize a Jackal robot in the Gazebo simulation, including a Hokuyo 2D LiDAR, motor controller of 2m/s max speed, etc. 4. Participants can use any approaches to tackle the navigation problem, such as using classical sampling-based or optimization-based planners, end-to-end learning, or hybrid approaches. We will provide baselines for reference. 5. A standardized scoring system is provided on the website. 6. We will invite the top teams in simulation to compete in the real world. The team who achieves the fastest collision-free navigation in the physical obstacle courses wins. If you are interested in participating, please submit your navigation system at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeIwC6GY_mAl1J18G1uZOaAn-OCONmmtaP… Co-Organizers: Xuesu Xiao (George Mason University) Zifan Xu (UT Austin) Saad Abdul Ghani (George Mason University) Aniket Datar (George Mason University) Daeun Song (Ewha Womnas University) Peter Stone (UT Austin / Sony AI) Sponsor: Clearpath Robotics, https://clearpathrobotics.com/ Thanks Xuesu ----------------------- Xuesu Xiao, Ph.D. -- Assistant Professor Department of Computer Science George Mason University xiao(a)gmu.edu <mailto:xiao@gmu.edu> https://people.cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/ https://robotixx.cs.gmu.edu/

1 0

RoboCup International Symposium 2026 second call for papers
by Matteo Leonetti 12 Mar '26

12 Mar '26

Call for papers RoboCup International Symposium 2026 https://2026.robocup.org/symposium/ Monday 6 July 2026 Incheon, Republic of Korea. The 29th RoboCup International Symposium will be held on 6 July 2026, at the Songdo ConvensiA, Incheon, Republic of Korea. The symposium will be in conjunction with RoboCup 2026 (30 June to 6 July 2026). We call for submissions of papers reporting innovative, original research with relevance to areas of robotics and artificial intelligence as listed below. Within the described scope of topics, we also encourage submissions of high-quality overview articles, papers describing real-world research, and papers reporting theoretical results. Researchers are invited to submit their work independently of whether they participate in the RoboCup competitions or have a RoboCup team. In addition to the main track, this year introduces an Open Platforms & Tools Track focusing on interactive tools, hardware, and software frameworks with a high degree of usability. IMPORTANT DATES Submission of full papers: 8 April 2026 Notification to authors: 29 May 2026 Submission of camera-ready copies: 19 June 2026 RoboCup Symposium 2026: 6 July 2026 (RoboCup on 30 June - 5 July 2026) SUBMISSION AND PROCEEDINGS All papers will be peer-reviewed and evaluated by members of the program committee. The proceedings of the RoboCup International Symposium will be published and archived within the Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence (LNCS/LNAI) series by Springer-Verlag after the conference. Papers should be formatted following the LNAI author guidelines (https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gu…) and must be electronically submitted through EasyChair (https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=rcs26) Submission Types: 1. Main Track: Submissions are limited to 12 pages (including references). 2. Open Platforms & Tools: Submissions are limited to an Extended Abstract of max 4 pages, including a mandatory URL to a tutorial website (see track details below). OPEN PLATFORMS & TOOLS TRACK To foster practical exchange within the robotics community, the former Development Track has been reimagined for 2026 to focus on usability and interactivity. We invite submissions of open-source hardware designs, software frameworks, tools, datasets, and benchmarks that other teams can use. The goal of this track is to reward the creation of solutions that lower the barrier to entry or accelerate research for others. Submission Requirements: • Extended Abstract: A maximum 4-page paper describing the tool, its innovation, and its application to RoboCup or general robotics. • Tutorial Website: The abstract must include a link to a publicly accessible website containing documentation and a step-by-step tutorial. The tutorial must be sufficient to guide a new user through installing the software or building the hardware. Presentation Format: Accepted contributions will be presented at an Interactive Demonstration Session (replacing the traditional poster). Authors will be provided with a table and power to demonstrate their tool live to Symposium attendees. MAIN TRACK TOPICS Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: * Robot Hardware and Software - mobile robotics - humanoid robotics - sensors and actuators - embedded and mobile devices - robot construction and new materials - robot system integration - robot software architectures - robot programming environments and languages - real-time and concurrent programming - robot simulators - sim2real learning * Perception and Action - 3D perception - distributed sensor integration - sensor noise filtering - real-time image processing and pattern recognition - motion and sensor models - sensory-motor control - robot kinematics and dynamics - high-dimensional motion control * Robot Cognition and Learning - world modelling and knowledge representation - learning from demonstration and imitation - localisation, navigation, and mapping - planning and reasoning - decision making under uncertainty - neural systems and deep learning - complex motor skill acquisition - reinforcement learning and optimisation - motion and sensor model learning * Human-Robot Interaction - robot social intelligence - fluency of interaction - speech synthesis and natural language generation - natural language recognition - explainable robot behaviours - emotion recognition and reaction - understanding human intent and behaviour - safety, security and dependability - enabling humans to predict robot behaviour * Multi-Robot Systems - team coordination methods - communication protocols - learning and adaptive systems - teamwork and heterogeneous agents - dynamic resource allocation - adjustable autonomy * Education and Edutainment - robotics and artificial intelligence education - educational robotics - robot kits and programming tools - robotic entertainment * Applications and Benchmarking - search and rescue robots - robot surveillance - service and social robots - robots at home, at work and in public spaces - robots in the real world - performance metrics - human-robot interaction PROGRAM CO-CHAIRS Matteo Leonetti (King’s College London, UK) Asad Norouzi (Seneca Polytechnic, Canada) Jaeseo Park (Incheon Technopark, Republic of Korea) CONTACT You can contact the PC chairs at rcs26(a)easychair.org. On behalf of the program committee, Matteo Leonetti King's College London https://www.sensiblerobotsresearch.org/ https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/matteo-leonetti

1 0

RoboCup GermanOpen - Live on YouTube
by Maike Paetzel-Prüsmann 10 Mar '26

10 Mar '26

Dear RoboCup Community, we are currently hosting the RoboCup GermanOpen in Cologne, Germany, and for the very first time, we will have a live-stream of the entire event on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@robocupgermany/live Starting tomorrow, March 11, at 10 am CET, we will showcase all the leagues present at the GermanOpen: - Humanoid Soccer League (first games in the newly merged league!) - Soccer Small Size League - @Home - Rescue & RMRC - Smart Manufacturing (first challenges in the newly merged league!) - Junior We are super excited to invite you all to join us virtually and see how the teams are preparing for the world championship in June! Spread the word & join us for our first stream tomorrow! Maike

1 0

Call for Participation - 3D Simulation - RoboCup Portugal Open
by Nuno Lau 05 Mar '26

05 Mar '26

============================================================= ---------------- CALL FOR PARTICIPATION ----------------- ============================================================= (Our apologies for any cross-posting) ROBOTICA 2026 - 26th RoboCup Portugal Open https://www.festivalnacionalrobotica.pt/ April 23-25, 2026 Barcelos, Portugal The RoboCup Portugal Open is a RoboCup Event that aims at promoting Science and Technology among students from the 1st grade to university studies, as well among the general public, through robotic competitions. We would like to invite you to participate in the 26th RoboCup Portugal Open which will take place from April 23 to 25, 2026, at Barcelos, Portugal. If you are interested in participating, please register your team in one of the promoted competitions. == 3D SIMULATION LEAGUE == The 3D Simulation League provides a great opportunity to experiment with humanoid robots without the need for investing in robot hardware. It facilitates experimenting using different learning and optimization techniques by providing a simulated environment. The league will use a new, more realistic, MuJoCo simulator in 2026, featuring (at least) a simulated Booster T1 robot. Every team participating is starting to use the new simulator, hence this is an excellent opportunity for new teams to join the Simulation 3D League. The realism of the new simulator provides a very good testbed for real humanoid robot teams. Instructions on how to use the MuJoCo simulator and base codes that may help the development of a team may be found at: https://ssim.robocup.org/3d-simulation/3d-tools/ == Schedule == Remote Team 3D Late Registration deadline (100 euros): April 6, 2026 Early Registration deadline (290 euros): March 27, 2026 Late Registration deadline (300 euros): April 6, 2026 Portuguese Robotics Open: April 23-25, 2026 All deadlines are 23:59 GMT. == Registration == Registration is performed through the on-line form at: https://forms.gle/iemBpjVULtkn8tyV8 == Description and History == The RoboCup Portugal Open (also known as Festival Nacional de Robótica) had its 1st edition in 2001. The event has had an enormous growth since the 1st edition, both in the number of teams, participants and visitors and also includes an international IEEE conference where national and international researchers present their latest work in the field of Robotics (https://www.icarsc.pt). The RoboCup Portugal Open is currently an initiative of the Portuguese Robotics Society. Hoping to see you at the RoboCup Portugal Open! Kind Regards, The RoboCup Portugal Open Organizing Committee

1 0

[Meetings[ Call for Participation - ICRA 2026 Legged Robot Challenges (Deadline 03/15/2026)
by Kim, Dongbin 03 Mar '26

03 Mar '26

Dear Colleagues We are pleased to announce "Call for Participation - ICRA 2026 Legged Robot Challenges" Website: https://quadruped-robot-challenges.notion.site/ICRA-2026-Legged-Robot-Chall… Information: The IEEE RAS Legged Robot Challenges (LRC) evaluate remotely-operated and autonomous legged robots using standard terrains, obstacles, and tasks to quantitatively measure and compare capabilities. These challenges inspire innovation in legged robot mobility and have evolved to include embedded dexterity tasks for onboard manipulators. Any type of legged robot can participate, including quadrupeds, bipeds, or others. Each robot’s performance can be directly compared to similar implementations and sizes to identify best-in-class capabilities. Safety belays over top of each lane catch falling robots so increasingly difficult settings can be attempted without risk to the robots. These Legged Robot Challenges are hosted at major robotics conferences each year to facilitate interactions between robotics researchers, commercial manufacturers, and various user communities that need capable and easy-to-use autonomous robots to perform tasks in complex and often hazardous environments. In addition to demonstrating the state-of-the-science in robotics for unstructured environments, these Legged Robot Challenges help validate and disseminate standard test methods that emergency responders and others worldwide can use to objectively evaluate and compare commercial robots for purchasing, support training with quantitative measures of remote operator proficiency, and compare results no matter where or when the evaluations are conducted. ICRA 2026 LRC is a key opportunity for Legged Robots to qualify for a spot in RoboCup Rescue for RoboCup 2026! (https://rrl.robocup.org/) Competition Registration Deadline: March 15, 2026 For Competition Registration: * Fill out the competition registration form<https://forms.gle/sJj1cYQUzzn3eiBDA> (This is not for the conference registration). * Teams that registered for the competition may need to register ICRA 2026 separately at $300/person (early). The conference registration information will be updated later. Contact for Questions: If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at icra2026lrc(a)gmail.com<mailto:iros2025qrc@gmail.com>. Sincerely, Dongbin Kim, Ph.D. Assistant Professor College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA) University of Hartford Office: +1-(860)-768-5808 Email: dbk(a)hartford.edu<mailto:donkim@hartford.edu> [cid:90b694e7-e19a-4e24-b6f3-4061b906c89c]

1 0

ICIST 2026 – Call for Papers
by Nian Ashlee Zhang 28 Feb '26

28 Feb '26

The 16th International Conference on Information Science and Technology (ICIST 2026) will be held in Coimbra, Portugal, October 1-6, 2026. Topics include intelligent control and automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, information processing, computer vision, networking, and information security. Submission deadline: May 15, 2026. Technically supported by IEEE SMC. Accepted papers are expected to be included in IEEE Xplore. Conference website & submission: https://conference.cs.cityu.edu.hk/icist/ Please feel free to share with interested colleagues.

1 0

Postdoctoral Position at UT Austin
by Saar-Tsechansky, Maytal 26 Feb '26

26 Feb '26

Postdoctoral Position at UT Austin We have openings for postdoctoral positions in use-inspired AI research, offering opportunities to advance AI that strengthens human–AI teaming and decision-making. We seek researchers motivated to lead an impactful agenda at the frontier of productive, reliable, and grounded decision support. The start date for the position can be immediate or anytime through August 2026. This project is in collaboration with a leading university-based medical center. The postdoctoralresearcher will join an interdisciplinary team of faculty and PhD students across UT Austin, benefit from strong mentorship, and work closely with decision-makers through unique access to real-world settings. Successful candidates will also become part of UT Austin’s vibrant AI research community, with opportunities to engage in affiliated AI labs and institutes. Ideal candidates hold a PhD in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science or related areas), have a track record and interest in use-inspired AI research, and bring the independence and initiative to start and drive projects while collaborating effectively in an interdisciplinary environment. How to Apply? Please use this link to apply<https://utaustin.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UTstaff/job/UT-MAIN-CAMPUS/Postdocto…>. Required materials to apply: * A statement of research, including accomplishments (1-2 pages) * 2 representative publications * Contact information for 3 individuals who can provide a letter of reference Feel free to reach out to me with questions at maytal(a)mail.utexas.edu<mailto:maytal@mail.utexas.edu>. - Maytal Saar-Tsechansky. Maytal Saar-Tsechansky (she/her/hers) | Mary John and Ralph Spence Centennial Professor Information, Risk, and Operations Management | The Maytal Saar-Tsechansky (she/her/hers) | Mary John and Ralph Spence Centennial Professor Information, Risk, and Operations Management | The McCombs School of Business | The University of Texas at Austin Affiliated: The Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, Transplant Center, The University of Texas Science Center at San Antonio The Oden <https://oden.utexas.edu/> Institute<https://oden.utexas.edu/> Machine Learning Lab<https://ml.utexas.edu/>, Scientific Advisory Board Member Personal webpage: maytals.com<https://www.maytals.com/> --

1 0

ICRA26 Workshop on Shared Challenges in Human-Centered and Resilient Robotic Autonomy
by Katarzyna Pasternak 24 Feb '26

24 Feb '26

Dear RoboCuppers, We invite submissions to the workshop *“Shared Challenges in Human-Centered and Resilient Robotic Autonomy <https://sites.google.com/cs.miami.edu/scr-icra26/call-for-contributions>”*, to be held in conjunction with *ICRA 2026*. Robots are increasingly expected to operate various complex environments such as homes, factories, and disaster environments. While these domains differ in context and constraints, they share fundamental challenges such as robust autonomy in dynamic and uncertain settings, natural interaction with non-expert users, perception in cluttered or degraded environments, and reliable manipulation of diverse objects. Recent advances in AI and learning create new opportunities for adaptation and cross-domain transfer, while safety, ethics, and benchmarking remain central concerns for responsible deployment. This workshop brings together researchers from *domestic service robotics, smart manufacturing, and disaster response* to discuss cross-cutting challenges, transferable solutions, and unifying principles for resilient, human-centered robotic systems. *Topics of Interest (including but not limited to)* - Human–Robot Interaction and communication with non-expert users - Navigation, perception, and mapping in dynamic, unstructured, or degraded environments - Mobile manipulation and grasping in real-world contexts - Learning and adaptation for cross-domain transfer and task planning under uncertainty - Safety, ethics, and evaluation frameworks for long-term robust autonomy We especially encourage contributions reflecting on the transferability of skills and systems between different areas of robotics and contributions that reflect on *societal needs and implications* of deploying robotic systems in real-world settings such as homes, clinics, factories, and disaster sites. Papers may include short work-in-progress and position papers (2–4 pages) as well as long-format integration and experimental papers (4–8 pages). Each submission will undergo independent review by at least two reviewers. All submissions will be considered for both oral presentations and poster sessions. Selected high-quality submissions may be invited to a *special journal issue*. *Best Paper Award* will be presented at the workshop. *Important Dates* - *Submission deadline:* April 1, 2026 - *Decision notification:* April 15, 2026 - *Camera-ready deadline:* May 15, 2026 - *Workshop date:* June 1 or June 5, 2026 (TBD) *Submission Site* https://easychair.org/my2/conference?conf=scr2026 We warmly encourage participation from researchers across robotics, AI, and HRI communities, and we look forward to fostering a lively, cross-disciplinary discussion. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the workshop organizers. Best regards, *The SCR 2026 Workshop Organizing Committee*

1 0

Call for Participation - ICRA 2026 Legged Robot Challenges (Deadline 03/15/2026)
by Kim, Dongbin 20 Feb '26

20 Feb '26

Dear Colleagues We are pleased to announce "Call for Participation - ICRA 2026 Legged Robot Challenges" Website: https://quadruped-robot-challenges.notion.site/ICRA-2026-Legged-Robot-Chall… Information: The IEEE RAS Legged Robot Challenges (LRC) evaluate remotely-operated and autonomous legged robots using standard terrains, obstacles, and tasks to quantitatively measure and compare capabilities. These challenges inspire innovation in legged robot mobility and have evolved to include embedded dexterity tasks for onboard manipulators. Any type of legged robot can participate, including quadrupeds, bipeds, or others. Each robot’s performance can be directly compared to similar implementations and sizes to identify best-in-class capabilities. Safety belays over top of each lane catch falling robots so increasingly difficult settings can be attempted without risk to the robots. These Legged Robot Challenges are hosted at major robotics conferences each year to facilitate interactions between robotics researchers, commercial manufacturers, and various user communities that need capable and easy-to-use autonomous robots to perform tasks in complex and often hazardous environments. In addition to demonstrating the state-of-the-science in robotics for unstructured environments, these Legged Robot Challenges help validate and disseminate standard test methods that emergency responders and others worldwide can use to objectively evaluate and compare commercial robots for purchasing, support training with quantitative measures of remote operator proficiency, and compare results no matter where or when the evaluations are conducted. ICRA 2026 LRC is a key opportunity for Legged Robots to qualify for a spot in RoboCup Rescue for RoboCup 2026! (https://rrl.robocup.org/) Competition Registration Deadline: March 15, 2026 (Extended) For Competition Registration: * Fill out the competition registration form<https://forms.gle/sJj1cYQUzzn3eiBDA> (This is not for the conference registration). * Teams that registered for the competition may need to register ICRA 2026 separately at $300/person (early). The conference registration information will be updated later. Contact for Questions: If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at icra2026lrc(a)gmail.com<mailto:iros2025qrc@gmail.com>. Sincerely, Dongbin Kim, Ph.D. Assistant Professor College of Engineering, Technology, and Architecture (CETA) University of Hartford Office: +1-(860)-768-5808 Email: dbk(a)hartford.edu<mailto:donkim@hartford.edu> [cid:6032de9d-7af8-4cfa-818a-b4fbdd04594a]

1 0

[meetings] Hands-on Humanoid Robot Reinforcement Learning
by YUHONG LIN 19 Feb '26

19 Feb '26

Dear Roboticists, We’re excited to announce a new *hands-on, on-site training* focused on *reinforcement learning for humanoid robots*. This training is designed for engineers, researchers, and teams who want to understand *how humanoid robots are actually controlled today* — beyond demos and simulations. During the training, you will: - Work directly with the Unitree G1 EDU development PC and Unitree’s SDK to command, monitor, and control the robot at a low level - Build and train reinforcement learning pipelines for humanoid locomotion and motion control in simulation - Deploy learned policies on real humanoid robots and integrate them into a ROS 2 system for autonomy, perception, and navigation The training combines high-fidelity simulation, real robot execution, and hands-on debugging of simulation-to-real gaps that commonly appear in humanoid systems. *Training details* - *Location:* Barcelona (on-site) - *Dates:* April 8–10, 2026 - *Format:* Small cohorts · Hands-on · Real robots - *Seats:* Limited per cohort - *Registration link: * https://www.theconstruct.ai/humanoid-robot-reinforcement-learning-training/ *Humanoid Platforms Used in the Training:* - Unitree G1 Edu - PAL Robotics Kangaroo *Training Schedule:* - Day 1. RL for Humanoid Locomotion and Teleoperation You will work on: - Reinforcement learning based walking control for the Unitree G1 humanoid robot - Teleoperation and imitation learning using Isaac Lab Mimic - Day 2. RL for Humanoid Whole-Body Control You will work on: - Full-body control from motion tracking using reinforcement learning - Deployment of learned policies using ros2_control - Day 3. Vision-Language-Action Models and MuJoCo Lab You will work on: - Vision-Language-Action models for generalized humanoid skills using Gr00t - Training and validation of humanoid behaviors in MuJoCo Lab *Questions?*Contact info(a)theconstruct.ai [image: Logo] <https://www.theconstruct.ai/> Yuhong Lin Product & Project Manager | The Construct E: ylin(a)theconstruct.ai | theconstruct.ai [image: Banner] <https://www.theconstruct.ai/robotics-developer/?utm_source=email&utm_medium…>

1 0