Human-Centred Multi-Robotics at ADRF26

How can human task intentions be translated into safe, transparent and reliable actions for multiple robots? This is the central question addressed by the workshop “From Task Intentions to Reliable Multi-Robot Work in Human-Centred Environments” at the ADRF26 – AI, Data and Robotics Forum in Porto.

The workshop will take place on 13 October 2026 from 15:15 to 16:30 at the Alfândega do Porto Congress Centre, D. Maria room. The session is co-organised by Sharath Chandra Akkaladevi, Scientist in Robotics and Automation Systems at PROFACTOR, who will also moderate the workshop.

From Human Intentions to Reliable Robotic Execution

Future robotic systems will increasingly need to support people beyond traditional, static automation cells. In these dynamic working environments, tasks, tools, objects, layouts and priorities are constantly changing.

The workshop therefore explores how human task intentions can be translated into concrete and verifiable actions for people and multiple robots. Particular emphasis will be placed on reliable task allocation, safe execution, intuitive human–robot interaction, and dealing with uncertainty in perception and execution.

The workshop will bring together experiences and challenges from several application domains: manufacturing, construction and infrastructure, and agriculture.

PROFACTOR Contributes Expertise in Human–Robot Collaboration

As organiser and moderator, Sharath Chandra Akkaladevi will bring PROFACTOR’s expertise in human–robot collaboration, intuitive robot programming, activity recognition and human-centred robotics into the workshop.

Together with the participants, the workshop will address three overarching research questions:

1. How can high-level human task descriptions be translated into concrete and verifiable actions for people and multiple robots?
2. How can robotic systems interpret verbal, physical and contextual human guidance while remaining safe, adaptable and trustworthy?
3. Which benchmarks, digital twins, validation methods and deployment evidence are needed to move multi-robot systems reliably from laboratory demonstrations into real-world applications?

Perspectives from Manufacturing, Construction and Agriculture

Three short expert presentations will provide the basis for the subsequent discussion:

Leire Bastida, TECNALIA, will provide the manufacturing perspective. In her presentation, “The Robot’s Voice Isn’t Constant: Adaptive Multimodal Output in Shared Manufacturing Workspaces”, she will explore how human–robot interaction can adapt to different situations in shared industrial environments.

Micael Couceiro, Ingeniarius, will share experiences from robotics applications in construction and infrastructure in his talk “When Autonomy Is Not Enough – The FORTIS Construction Pilot”.

Gerardo Beruvides, Xymbot Digital Solutions, will present the agricultural perspective in “Farmer-in-the-Loop: Empowering Next-Generation Olive Tree Pruning with Augmented Reality Assistance”, addressing the interplay between augmented reality, human expertise and robotic assistance.

Alongside Sharath Chandra Akkaladevi, Wael Mohammed from Tampere University is contributing as co-organiser of the workshop.

Interactive World Café Instead of a Traditional Lecture Format

The 75-minute workshop is deliberately designed as an interactive session. Following the short impulse talks and audience polls, participants will take part in a 25-minute World Café discussion to jointly explore key technological and practical challenges.

The aim is not to present individual projects, but rather to identify common research questions, practical deployment barriers and validation needs across different sectors. Lessons learned from European research projects such as SOPRANO, FORTIS and AgRimate will provide background and inspiration for the discussion.

The workshop is expected to result in a concise joint roadmap summarising research questions, deployment barriers, benchmark requirements, validation methods and potential areas for collaboration related to trustworthy, human-centred multi-robot systems.

Workshop at a Glance

From Task Intentions to Reliable Multi-Robot Work in Human-Centred Environments
13 October 2026 | 15:15–16:30 Uhr
Alfândega do Porto Congress Centre | D. Maria room
Topic area: AI & Robotics

Further information about ADRF26 and registration is available at:
https://adrforum.eu/about-adrf26