IROS 2028 — IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems

IROS 2028, the IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems, runs 2–6 October 2028 at the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) in Sydney, Australia. It is one of the two flagship robotics conferences worldwide alongside ICRA, and it is where embodied AI — robot learning, manipulation, perception, human-robot interaction and field robotics — is presented before it reaches industrial products. The 2028 edition is the first time in the conference's roughly thirty-year history that it will be held in the Southern Hemisphere. The bid was led by BESydney with Australian robotics researchers including professors Dana Kulic, Peter Corke, Denny Oetomo and Hanna Kurniawati, supported by the NSW government, and is expected to draw 7,000 to 10,000 delegates and generate an estimated A$31 million in direct expenditure. Bid co-chair Dikai Liu of the University of Technology Sydney credited the win to the growing reputation of Australian robotics research.

Date

October 2–6, 2028

Location

International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney), Australia

Format

In-Person

Event Type

Conference

Status

Upcoming

Expected Attendance

7,000-10,000

Pricing

Paid

Organizer

IEEE Robotics and Automation Society and the Robotics Society of Japan

Added

Aug 10, 2026

Updated

Aug 10, 2026

• ✓Robotics researchers and engineers
• ✓Embodied AI and robot learning researchers
• ✓Automation and controls engineers
• ✓Heads of R&D at manufacturing and logistics companies
• ✓CTOs and VPs of Engineering at robotics startups
• ✓PhD students and postdocs in robotics
• ✓Industrial automation buyers and integrators

If your operations roadmap includes warehouse automation, inspection robots, autonomous field equipment or any form of physical AI, IROS is the one week a year where the researchers building those capabilities, the vendors commercialising them and the integrators deploying them are all in one building. A head of R&D or VP of Operations leaves with a grounded sense of which manipulation and navigation problems are genuinely solved versus still research, which suppliers are working from real published results rather than marketing, and a direct line to the labs whose graduates you would need to hire. For Asia-Pacific companies this is a rare domestic edition — the flights alone usually make attendance a hard sell.

• ✓Main technical programme of peer-reviewed robotics and embodied-AI papers
• ✓Plenary and keynote sessions from the international robotics community
• ✓Full-day workshops and tutorials on focused robotics topics
• ✓Industry exhibition with robotics hardware, sensor and integration vendors
• ✓Live robot demonstrations and competitions
• ✓Late-breaking results and interactive poster sessions
• ✓Student programmes and career/recruiting activities
• ✓Host venue confirmed at ICC Sydney, 2–6 October 2028

• ★One of the two flagship robotics conferences in the world alongside ICRA — the venue where embodied-AI methods are published years before they show up in commercial robots.
• ★First Southern Hemisphere edition in the conference's ~30-year history, which makes it a one-off for Asia-Pacific teams who normally have to fly to North America, Europe or Japan.
• ★Anchored in a genuine local research cluster — the UTS ARC Research Hub for Human-Robot Teaming, the University of Sydney's Australian Centre for Field Robotics, and the ARC Australian Robotic Inspection and Asset Management Hub all contributed to the bid.
• ★Expected at 7,000–10,000 delegates, which puts it among the largest technical robotics gatherings anywhere and gives the exhibition real vendor depth.
• ★Backed by the NSW government and BESydney with an estimated A$31 million direct-expenditure impact, so venue and programme scale are underwritten rather than speculative.

No registration rates have been published for IROS 2028. The edition website has not launched — the conference is more than two years out and only the host city, venue and dates have been confirmed through the IEEE RAS conference calendar and the winning bid announcement. IROS registration is normally tiered by IEEE/RAS membership and student status, but the 2028 figures are not available to quote.

When is IROS 2028?

IROS 2028 takes place October 2–6, 2028 in Sydney, Australia.

Where is IROS 2028 held?

IROS 2028 is held in Sydney, Australia. The event format is in-person.

How much does IROS 2028 cost?

IROS 2028 is paid. No registration rates have been published for IROS 2028. The edition website has not launched — the conference is more than two years out and only the host city, venue and dates have been confirmed through the IEEE RAS conference calendar and the winning bid announcement. IROS registration is normally tiered by IEEE/RAS membership and student status, but the 2028 figures are not available to quote.

Who should attend IROS 2028?

IROS 2028 is aimed at Robotics researchers and engineers, Embodied AI and robot learning researchers, Automation and controls engineers, Heads of R&D at manufacturing and logistics companies, CTOs and VPs of Engineering at robotics startups, PhD students and postdocs in robotics, Industrial automation buyers and integrators.

What topics does IROS 2028 cover?

IROS 2028 covers Robotics, Embodied AI and robot learning, Robot perception and computer vision, Manipulation and grasping, Human-robot interaction, Field and inspection robotics, Autonomous navigation, Machine learning for control.

This page was written from 3 sources, 2 on domains other than ieee-ras.org.

1. 1.ieee-ras.org — irosvendor
2. 2.c-mw.net — sydney wins bid for 2028 international robotics conference
3. 3.cimunity.com — sydney to host iros 2028