Industry Day at HRI 2026

March 16, 2026 | National Robotarium, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland
Co-located with the HRI 2026 Workshops, Pioneers

Industry Day returns at HRI 2026 with a full-day program designed to bring industry, researchers, and students together for meaningful exchange, collaboration, and discovery.

Hosted at the National Robotarium of Heriot-Watt University, Industry Day 2026 offers a unique opportunity to engage with local industry leaders, global sponsors, and the HRI community through short talks, interactive sessions, hands-on discussions, and networking. The day concludes with the official HRI Welcome Reception in the city centre. Please note: Workshop registration is required to attend Industry Day.

This year’s expanded format creates more space for conversation, idea-sharing, and collaboration. No preparation required—just bring your curiosity, questions, and openness to connect.

Accepted White Papers – Industry Day at HRI 2026

For the first time in HRI conference, we have launched Industry White Papers. Thanks to all those who submitted! They have helped shape the themes of Industry Day (Design, Deployment and Adoption). They will be presented as posters both during this day as well as the main conference (Tuesday 17th March). 

Decolonizing Cobots: A Framework Aligned with UN SDGs for Equitable Robotic Integration
Arvind; Kiran; Naval Kishore Mehta; Sumeet Saurav; Sanjay Singh
CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CEERI)

PlaiPin: Designing Scalable, Safe, and Socially Acceptable Physical AI Companions Through Modularity
Natalie Yeo; Irvin Steve Cardenas
PlaiPin

Beyond the Robot: Service-Led Robotics for Human-Robot Interaction in the Real World
Richard Solly
Robotics For Good C.I.C
Praminda Caleb-Solly
University of Nottingham

Operational Constraints vs Social Benefits: Trade-offs Shaping Industry Adoption of Humanoid Communication Modalities
Dylan Thomas Doyle
Peerbots
Ross Mead
Semio
Saad Elbeleidy
Peerbots

From Deployment to Practice: Lessons from Long-Term Service Robot Use in Clinical and Laboratory Environments
Alina Gasser; Michael Früh
F&P Robotics AG

Autonomous Delivery Robots in Dense Urban Environments: Stockholm’s First Unaccompanied Fleet Deployment
Hannah Pelikan
Linköping University
Daniel Rudman; Cilli Sobiech; Niklas Arvidsson
VTI – Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute
Stuart Reeves
University of Nottingham
Bern Grush
Urban Robotics Foundation

Agenda

The program will include a mix of Industry White Papers, partner lightning talks, and a panel discussion exploring early-stage research, development strategies, and emerging technologies, centered around 3 Phases (Design, Deployment and Adoption) necessary for robotics development. In the afternoon, attendees will have the chance to get to hear more industry talks and visit the Robotarium.

Morning Sessions

9:00–09:15 — Intro / Icebreaker
Kick off the day with introductions, an icebreaker session, and an overview of the agenda.

9:15–10:00 — Phase 1 (Theme A) — Design

How does a company develop the concept for a new robotic product? What concerns drive decision making – Market size/fit, Social/Individual Impact, Economics of scale? What does success look like?

White Papers

  • Decolonizing Cobots: A Framework Aligned with UN SDGs for Equitable Robotic Integration
     Arvind et al. — CSIR-CEERI
  • PlaiPin: Designing Scalable, Safe, and Socially Acceptable Physical AI Companions Through Modularity
     Natalie Yeo & Irvin Steve Cardenas — PlaiPin

HRI Partner Lightning Talks

  • Semio — Ross Mead
  • Plaipin – Natalie Yeo

Panel & Group Discussion

10:00–10:45 — Phase 2 (Theme B) — Deployment

From initial pilots to production systems, how do products and the infrastructure around them need to change? What unforseen issues arise when introducing a robot to end-users?

White Papers

  • Operational Constraints vs Social Benefits: Trade-offs Shaping Industry Adoption of Humanoid Communication Modalities
     Dylan Thomas Doyle, Ross Mead, Saad Elbeleidy
  • Beyond the Robot: Service-Led Robotics for Human-Robot Interaction in the Real World
     Richard Solly & Praminda Caleb-Solly

HRI Partner Lightning Talks

  • Peerbots — Saad Elbeleidy
  • LuxAI — Ali Paikan

Panel & Group Discussion

10:45–11:05 — Structured Networking
Speed dating + bingo session designed to foster connections between participants.

11:05–11:35 — Coffee Break 

11:35–12:20 — Phase 3 (Theme C) — Adoption

What changes when the novelty wears off and scale ramps up? Can robots be commoditized?

White Papers

  • From Deployment to Practice: Lessons from Long-Term Service Robot Use in Clinical and Laboratory Environments
     Alina Gasser & Michael Früh — F&P Robotics
  • Autonomous Delivery Robots in Dense Urban Environments: Stockholm’s First Unaccompanied Fleet Deployment
     Hannah Pelikan, Daniel Rudman, Cilli Sobiech, Niklas Arvidsson, Stuart Reeves, Bern Grush

HRI Partner Lightning Talks

  • Familiar Machines & Magic — Bahar Irfan

Panel & Group Discussion

12:20 – 13:00 – Industry White Paper Poster Session

13:00–14:30 — Lunch / Networking Game
Enjoy lunch together with themed tables for relaxed, topic-driven discussions.

Afternoon Program

14:00 – 15:00 / 15:30 – Robotarium Tour
Sign up here: https://outlook.office.com/book/NationalRobotariumTours@heriotwatt.onmicrosoft.com/?ismsaljsauthenabled

(Please select the 2:00–2:30 PM slot to ensure you return in time for the afternoon talks.)

15:30 – 16:30 – Industry Talks
Short presentations (~10 minutes each) from robotics companies.

16:30-17:00 – Closing

19:30  – Welcome Reception in the city center