Global Conference in Pittsburgh Puts Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Leadership in the Spotlight
Media Inquiries
Carnegie Mellon University’s deep roots and latest innovations in robotics will be on display this month as thousands of researchers, industry leaders and robotics professionals from around the world converge on Pittsburgh for one of the field’s premier conferences.
Pittsburgh will host the 2026 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS)(opens in new window) Sept. 27 through Oct. 3 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center Downtown.
The conference will bring more than 4,000 participants to Pittsburgh and researchers will present nearly 2,000 papers tackling the toughest challenges in robotics. The exhibition floor will feature innovations from 145 organizations, including CMU, with the event's robot parade rounding out the program.
“Carnegie Mellon has shaped robotics since its beginnings and continues to push the field forward,” said Martial Hebert(opens in new window), dean of the School of Computer Science and University Professor of Robotics. “IROS is an opportunity to bring the global robotics community together and to highlight the breadth of research happening at CMU and throughout Pittsburgh. We are excited to welcome researchers from around the world and share the ideas and technologies that will shape the next generation of robotics.”
CMU’s presence at IROS reflects a robotics legacy that stretches back more than four decades to the founding of the Robotics Institute, the first academic department in the U.S. dedicated to robotics. Since then, CMU researchers have helped push robotics out of the lab and into challenging real-world environments in fields ranging from autonomous vehicles and disaster response to manufacturing and space exploration.
Pittsburgh last hosted IROS in 1995, the same year as “No Hands Across America,” a pioneering road trip where an autonomous vehicle developed at the Robotics Institute drove nearly 3,000 miles across the country. This year, roughly 300 members of the CMU community are registered to attend IROS, including more than 170 volunteers helping with the conference. CMU researchers will present 180 papers; organize workshops spanning topics from navigation and manipulation to locomotion and learning; and deliver keynote addresses.
“Hosting IROS in Pittsburgh is especially meaningful to me. I’m deeply grateful to the extraordinary team whose hard work made it possible,” said Howie Choset,(opens in new window) the Kavčić-Moura Professor of Computer Science in the Robotics Institute and general chair of IROS 2026. “I am proud to welcome the global robotics community back to RoboBurgh — a city that has helped shape both my career and the future of robotics.”
Pittsburgh has long been a melting pot of industry and innovation. CMU established the Robotics Institute in 1979 and the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) in 1996, cementing Pittsburgh’s position as a powerhouse in the field. The university's Robotics Innovation Center opened earlier this year, providing a state-of-the-art facility for the latest research in physical AI, automated science and field robotics. During IROS, CMU will offer attendees tours of NREC, the Robotics Innovation Center and Mill 19 — the headquarters of the Manufacturing Futures Institute (MFI) and home to some of the most advanced manufacturing research being done in the U.S.
Carnegie Mellon has fostered a rich robotics ecosystem in Pittsburgh. Robotics Row, a collection of robotics companies lining the Allegheny River from Lawrenceville to Downtown, is dotted with CMU spinout companies filled with university graduates and faculty. Leading companies like Aurora(opens in new window), Skild AI(opens in new window) and HEBI Robotics(opens in new window) got their start at CMU.
“IROS has always been a place to find inspiration, exchange ideas and build lasting connections with researchers from around the world,” said Wenshan Wang(opens in new window), an RI systems scientist and co-chair of the IROS Publicity Committee. “I’m especially excited to welcome the robotics community to Pittsburgh and share the energy and innovation that make this city such a special place for robotics.”
