Call for Workshops

We invite proposals for half-day workshops and tutorials to take place in conjunction with the “Robotics: Science and Systems” (RSS) 2026 conference. Proposals should be submitted by February 12, 2026, 23:59 AOE. The conference, including its workshops and tutorials, is planned as an in-person event.

The RSS workshops and tutorials provide high-quality, topically focused forums for researchers at the forefront of robotics. They will take place at the University of Technology Sydney in Sydney, Australia, on Monday, July 13 (morning half-day events) and Friday, July 17, 2026 (two half-day events).

Workshops are intended to supplement the research presented in the main proceedings. Tutorials should support researchers new to the field in quickly gaining the necessary skills and knowledge. We are encouraging events that will promote discussion and interaction among the participants. We will prioritize proposals with high educational value, interest, and relevance.

This year, ALL workshops will be half-day events, arranged into three time slots. Workshop organizers should keep this format change in mind when proposing events. Workshops which are focused and targeted on specific topics are preferred, as opposed to overly broad (e.g. a workshop on robot manipulation).

Specifically, we welcome:

• Proposals with a diverse set of confirmed speakers as well as with a plan for active participation from the audience (e.g., submissions for posters/presentations, discussion sessions, interactive hands-on tutorials, etc.).

• We encourage organizers to consider, among others, the diversity of presenters in terms of: i) Seniority and academic rank (speaking opportunities for junior researchers, including Ph.D. students and postdocs are strongly encouraged), ii) Geographic location and institution, iii) Gender, iv) Race and ethnicity, v) Professional backgrounds (e.g., industry, government, and academia).

• Innovative event structures that will encourage discussion and interaction among the participants. Previous examples include structured debates or groupings of senior and junior researchers for brainstorming new research directions.

• Proposals that will encourage the participation of communities that have not traditionally participated in RSS but are relevant to robotics science and systems, or the practice and philosophy of the discipline.

• Workshops that will encourage analysis and reflection on topics and issues, which formulate challenging problems and promote discussion, debates, and long-term vision. This includes workshops on ideas that may be important for the field but may be poorly treated by the formal peer-review process.

• This year, we particularly encourage workshops which emphasize forward-thinking discussions over presentation of previously published results. For example, presentations and posters which highlight new or in-progress ideas are encouraged, and duplicate presentations of papers at the main RSS conference or a prior conference are discouraged.

Invited speakers and panelists are limited to accepting a speaking and/or panel slot at a maximum of ONE workshop. It is acceptable to agree to two proposed workshops tentatively during the application process, but speakers must decide on one workshop upon acceptance. Organizers should explicitly remind and verify this recommendation with the invited speakers.

RSS requires that at least one of the organizers be present in person at the event in person.

Workshop/tutorial schedules should adhere to a 4 hour time block (morning or afternoon) with a 30 minute coffee break which may overlap with poster sessions.

Submission

All proposals must be prepared using the template here and should be no more than 4 pages in length. Workshop and tutorial proposals should be submitted via OpenReview here.

Please contact the workshop chairs Masha Itkina (masha.itkina@tri.global) and Michael Posa (posa@seas.upenn.edu) for any clarifications.

Review Process

Workshop proposals will receive two single-blind expert reviews, which will be considered by the workshop chairs when accepting proposals. Workshop chairs will also consider topics to ensure a breadth of coverage at the conference.

Reviewers will be asked to rate workshops on the four criteria below.

• Workshop topic or theme
  • What does the workshop topic add to the conference, beyond the traditional presentation of papers at the main conference?
  • Is the topic timely and novel / unique? Why should this workshop be held in 2026?
• Format
  • Does the workshop format foster interaction between researchers?
  • Is the workshop format forward-thinking, encouraging discussion of the future, or does it focus on presentation of completed work?
  • Highlight any interesting or creative elements to the format.
• Participants
  • How will the workshop promote diversity among its participants and speakers? Consider, among other criteria, ensuring opportunities for junior researchers, diversity across gender, ethnicity, geographic location, institution, and professional background. These opportunities should ideally extend beyond presenting at poster sessions and/or “lightning talks.”
  • Are the invited participants active experts in the topic?
  • Reviewers this year are explicitly instructed to NOT evaluate proposals based on the stature or prestige of invited speakers.
• Workshop feasibility:
  • Evidence that organizers have thought through the logistics to enable the workshop to succeed.

Important Dates

Please check the conference website and the conference’s social media accounts for more information.