{"id":59670,"date":"2026-02-10T15:47:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T14:47:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/?p=59670"},"modified":"2026-04-14T13:38:50","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T12:38:50","slug":"circular-robotics-designing-sustainable-autonomy-for-a-finite-world-icra-2026-workshop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/events-en\/circular-robotics-designing-sustainable-autonomy-for-a-finite-world-icra-2026-workshop\/","title":{"rendered":"Circular Robotics: Designing Sustainable Autonomy for a Finite World (ICRA 2026 Workshop)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-start=\"5423\" data-end=\"5730\">Robotics is rapidly advancing and becoming a cornerstone of modern societies\u2014yet its <strong data-start=\"5508\" data-end=\"5535\">environmental footprint<\/strong> and <strong data-start=\"5540\" data-end=\"5564\">societal integration<\/strong> are still underexplored. This workshop brings robotics and sustainability together and asks: <strong data-start=\"5658\" data-end=\"5730\">What kinds of robots are we producing\u2014and how are we producing them?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5732\" data-end=\"5901\"><strong data-start=\"5732\" data-end=\"5753\">Circular Robotics<\/strong> applies circular economy thinking, lifecycle approaches, and sustainable design principles to help robotics evolve <strong data-start=\"5869\" data-end=\"5900\">within planetary boundaries<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"5908\" data-end=\"5927\">Key information<\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"5929\" data-end=\"6271\">\n<li><strong data-start=\"6081\" data-end=\"6090\">Date &amp; Time:<\/strong> \u00a0<em data-start=\"1046\" data-end=\"1073\">1. Juni 2026 &#8211; <strong>14:00-17:30 CET<\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5929\" data-end=\"5995\">\n<p data-start=\"5931\" data-end=\"5995\"><strong data-start=\"5931\" data-end=\"5942\">Format:<\/strong> Half-day workshop<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5929\" data-end=\"5995\">\n<p data-start=\"5931\" data-end=\"5995\"><strong data-start=\"5998\" data-end=\"6013\">Conference:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/2026.ieee-icra.org\/\">ICRA 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"5929\" data-end=\"5995\">\n<p data-start=\"5931\" data-end=\"5995\"><strong data-start=\"6028\" data-end=\"6048\">Location &amp; room:<\/strong> VIECON \/ Messe Wien, Messeplatz 1,\u00a01020 Vienna<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"6278\" data-end=\"6300\">About the workshop<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"6302\" data-end=\"6630\">Robotics often supports sustainability elsewhere (e.g., renewable energy, recycling, precision agriculture). However, the <strong data-start=\"6424\" data-end=\"6461\">sustainability of robotics itself<\/strong>\u2014from material extraction and supply chains to manufacturing, operation, and end-of-life\u2014still lacks established frameworks and visibility in mainstream robotics venues.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"6632\" data-end=\"6861\">This workshop connects robotics researchers with environmental and social scientists, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to explore <strong data-start=\"6769\" data-end=\"6796\">circularity in robotics<\/strong> as a practical pathway toward accountable and measurable impact.<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"6868\" data-end=\"6898\">Topics &amp; guiding questions<\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"6900\" data-end=\"7376\">\n<li data-start=\"6900\" data-end=\"6984\">\n<p data-start=\"6902\" data-end=\"6984\"><strong data-start=\"6902\" data-end=\"6933\">Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA)<\/strong> and environmental accounting for robotic systems<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"6985\" data-end=\"7077\">\n<p data-start=\"6987\" data-end=\"7077\"><strong data-start=\"6987\" data-end=\"7018\">Circular economy practices:<\/strong> reuse, repair, refurbishment, remanufacturing, recycling<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"7078\" data-end=\"7155\">\n<p data-start=\"7080\" data-end=\"7155\"><strong data-start=\"7080\" data-end=\"7103\">Sustainable design:<\/strong> modularity, repairability, design-for-disassembly<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"7156\" data-end=\"7215\">\n<p data-start=\"7158\" data-end=\"7215\">Material flows, supply chains, and responsible sourcing<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"7216\" data-end=\"7291\">\n<p data-start=\"7218\" data-end=\"7291\">Standards, governance, and <strong data-start=\"7245\" data-end=\"7277\">environmental accountability<\/strong> in robotics<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"7292\" data-end=\"7376\">\n<p data-start=\"7294\" data-end=\"7376\">Aligning robotics innovation with <strong data-start=\"7328\" data-end=\"7376\">long-term societal and ecological priorities<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 data-start=\"7383\" data-end=\"7405\"><\/h3>\n<h3 data-start=\"7383\" data-end=\"7405\">Format &amp; structure<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"7407\" data-end=\"7446\"><strong data-start=\"7407\" data-end=\"7446\">Part 1 \u2013 Expert insights &amp; dialogue<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"7447\" data-end=\"7597\">\n<li data-start=\"7447\" data-end=\"7496\">\n<p data-start=\"7449\" data-end=\"7496\">Keynotes by internationally renowned speakers<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"7497\" data-end=\"7564\">\n<p data-start=\"7499\" data-end=\"7564\">Panel discussion across regions, disciplines, and career stages<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"7565\" data-end=\"7597\">\n<p data-start=\"7567\" data-end=\"7597\">Audience Q&amp;A<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"7599\" data-end=\"7632\"><strong data-start=\"7599\" data-end=\"7632\">Part 2 \u2013 Initiatives &amp; action<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"7633\" data-end=\"7826\">\n<li data-start=\"7633\" data-end=\"7708\">\n<p data-start=\"7635\" data-end=\"7708\"><strong data-start=\"7635\" data-end=\"7655\">5-minute pitches<\/strong> from selected sustainability initiatives worldwide<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"7709\" data-end=\"7826\">\n<p data-start=\"7711\" data-end=\"7826\">Interactive <strong data-start=\"7723\" data-end=\"7746\">roadmapping session<\/strong> to identify shared challenges, synergies, and next steps<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"7942\" data-end=\"7975\">Tentative schedule<\/h3>\n<p><strong>14:00 &#8211; 14:10<\/strong> Welcome, goals, and agenda<\/p>\n<p><strong>14:10 \u2013 14:30<\/strong> Keynote 1: <i>Building Sustainable Supply Chains in Robotics: Learning from the Electronics Sector<\/i> \u2014 a. Prof. Dr. Andr\u00e9 Martinuzzi (Vienna University of Economics and Business, AT)<\/p>\n<p><strong>14:30 &#8211; 15:00<\/strong> Keynote 2: <i>Robots as endangered species<\/i> \u2014 Prof. Jos\u00e9 Halloy (Universit\u00e9 Paris Cit\u00e9, FR)<\/p>\n<p><strong>15:00 &#8211; 15:30<\/strong> Panel discussion<\/p>\n<p><strong>15:30 &#8211; 16:00<\/strong> Coffee break &amp; networking<br \/>\n<strong>Poster Presentation<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><i>Smart Robots Unlocking Hard-to-Reach Materials<\/i><strong>, <\/strong>Dr Nabil Shaukat, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, United Kingdom<\/li>\n<li><i>Robotic disassembly of EOL products \/ Auomated EoL Triage<\/i><strong>, <\/strong>Yongjing Wang, University of Birmingham, UK<\/li>\n<li><i>Robotic cell for unscrewing<\/i><strong>, <\/strong>Pedro Dias, INESC TEC, Portugal<\/li>\n<li><i>Forrest: Bio-Inspired Design for Energy-Efficient, Long-Duration Humanoid Locomotion<\/i><strong>, <\/strong>Pilar Gil, RoboTUM, Germany<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>16:00 &#8211; 16:35<\/strong>\u00a0Short pitches (5 min each)<br \/>\n<strong>Pitch Presentation<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li><i>Towards Design-for-Robotics: Disassemblability-Driven Non-Destructive Disassembly of Home Appliances<\/i><strong>, <\/strong>Takuya Kiyokawa, The University of Osaka, Japan<\/li>\n<li><i>Circular Robotics through Design-for-Robotic-Disassembly and AI-Enhanced Perception, <\/i>Claudio Roberto Gaz, Kingston University London, United Kingdom<\/li>\n<li><i>PEPR O2R Material, Architecture and Embodied Intelligence, <\/i>Quentin Peyron, Inria\/Defrost, France<\/li>\n<li><i>LABUST initiatives in sustainability of robots and robots for sustainability, <\/i>Fausto Ferreira, University of Zagreb Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, Croatia<\/li>\n<li><i>SHEREC: Safe, Healthy and Environmental Ship Recycling, <\/i>Evren Samur, Bogazici University \/ HKTM, Turkiye<\/li>\n<li><i>Robotics eco label roboticsecolabel.com,<\/i> Vanderborght bral, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and imec, Belgium<\/li>\n<li><i>IEEE U-RAS course on Sustainability Robotics, <\/i>Barbara Mazzolai, Italian Institute of Technology, Italy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>16:35 &#8211; 17:30<\/strong> Collaborative roadmap: shared actions &amp; next steps<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"8553\" data-end=\"8587\">Confirmed speakers &amp; panelists<\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"8589\" data-end=\"8915\">\n<li data-start=\"8589\" data-end=\"8673\">\n<p data-start=\"8591\" data-end=\"8673\">a. Prof. Dr. Andr\u00e9 Martinuzzi \u2014 Institute for Managing Sustainability, WU Vienna<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"8674\" data-end=\"8719\">\n<p data-start=\"8676\" data-end=\"8719\">Prof. Jos\u00e9 Halloy \u2014 Universit\u00e9 Paris Cit\u00e9<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"8720\" data-end=\"8781\">\n<p data-start=\"8722\" data-end=\"8781\">Asst. Prof. Corina Barbalata \u2014 Louisiana State University<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"8782\" data-end=\"8861\">\n<p data-start=\"8784\" data-end=\"8861\">Asst. Prof. Malika Meghjani \u2014 Singapore University of Technology and Design<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"8862\" data-end=\"8915\">\n<p data-start=\"8864\" data-end=\"8915\">Assoc. Prof. Ludovic Righetti \u2014 New York University<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"8922\" data-end=\"8978\">Call for initiatives: Pitch your sustainability work<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"8980\" data-end=\"9221\">We welcome sustainability-focused initiatives, projects, and working groups worldwide to apply for a <strong data-start=\"9081\" data-end=\"9099\">5-minute pitch<\/strong> slot. Applications will be reviewed by the organizing committee to ensure a high-quality and diverse set of perspectives.<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"9223\" data-end=\"9285\">\n<li data-start=\"9223\" data-end=\"9285\">\n<p data-start=\"9225\" data-end=\"9285\"><strong data-start=\"9225\" data-end=\"9240\">Submissions (Important Dates)<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"9223\" data-end=\"9285\">\n<li data-start=\"9223\" data-end=\"9285\">\n<p data-start=\"9225\" data-end=\"9285\"><del>\u00a0Will be open on the <strong>16th of February 2026<\/strong><\/del><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"9223\" data-end=\"9285\">\n<p data-start=\"9225\" data-end=\"9285\"><del>Close on the <strong>16th of March 2026<\/strong><\/del><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"9223\" data-end=\"9285\">\n<p data-start=\"9225\" data-end=\"9285\"><del>Results will be announced on the <strong>23rd of March 2026<\/strong><\/del><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>Workshop is on the\u00a0 <strong>1st of June 2026 <em data-start=\"1046\" data-end=\"1073\">&#8211; 14:00-17:30 CET<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"9292\" data-end=\"9307\">Why attend?<\/h3>\n<ul data-start=\"9309\" data-end=\"9568\">\n<li data-start=\"9309\" data-end=\"9374\">\n<p data-start=\"9311\" data-end=\"9374\">Learn from cross-disciplinary keynotes and panel perspectives<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"9375\" data-end=\"9442\">\n<p data-start=\"9377\" data-end=\"9442\">Connect with global sustainability-focused robotics initiatives<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"9443\" data-end=\"9519\">\n<p data-start=\"9445\" data-end=\"9519\">Contribute to a <strong data-start=\"9461\" data-end=\"9479\">shared roadmap<\/strong> for circular and responsible robotics<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"9520\" data-end=\"9568\">\n<p data-start=\"9522\" data-end=\"9568\">Build collaborations that continue beyond ICRA<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"9575\" data-end=\"9589\">Organizers<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"9591\" data-end=\"9996\">Dr. Patrick Courtney (King\u2019s College London) \u00b7 Asst. Prof. Fausto Ferreira (University of Zagreb \/ MARBLE) \u00b7 <strong data-start=\"9700\" data-end=\"9759\">Sharath Chandra Akkaladevi (PROFACTOR, Primary Contact)<\/strong> \u00b7 Franziska Kirstein (Three Robotics) \u00b7 Dr. Adrien Escande (Inria) \u00b7 Assoc. Prof. Ludovic Righetti (NYU) \u00b7 Dr. Carl Maria M\u00f6rch (FARI\/ULB) \u00b7 Prof. Luisa Damiano (IULM) \u00b7 Dr. Shirley A. Elprama (imec-SMIT\/VUB) \u00b7 Dr. Ilaria Alfieri (IULM)<\/p>\n<h3 data-start=\"10003\" data-end=\"10014\">Contact<\/h3>\n<p data-start=\"10016\" data-end=\"10248\"><strong data-start=\"10016\" data-end=\"10036\">Primary contact:<\/strong> Sharath Chandra Akkaladevi \u2014 <a class=\"decorated-link cursor-pointer\" rel=\"noopener\" data-start=\"10066\" data-end=\"10097\">&#x73;&#x68;&#x61;&#x72;&#x61;&#x74;&#x68;&#x2e;&#x61;&#x6b;&#x6b;&#x61;&#x6c;&#x61;&#x64;&#x65;&#x76;&#x69;&#x40;<span class=\"oe_displaynone\">null<\/span>&#x70;&#x72;&#x6f;&#x66;&#x61;&#x63;&#x74;&#x6f;&#x72;&#x2e;&#x61;&#x74;<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"shariff shariff-align-flex-start shariff-widget-align-flex-start\"><ul class=\"shariff-buttons theme-round orientation-horizontal buttonsize-medium\"><li class=\"shariff-button linkedin shariff-nocustomcolor\" style=\"background-color:#1488bf\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.profactor.at%2Fen%2Fevents-en%2Fcircular-robotics-designing-sustainable-autonomy-for-a-finite-world-icra-2026-workshop%2F\" title=\"Bei LinkedIn teilen\" aria-label=\"Bei LinkedIn teilen\" role=\"button\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" class=\"shariff-link\" style=\"; background-color:#0077b5; color:#fff\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"shariff-icon\" style=\"\"><svg width=\"32px\" height=\"20px\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 27 32\"><path fill=\"#0077b5\" d=\"M6.2 11.2v17.7h-5.9v-17.7h5.9zM6.6 5.7q0 1.3-0.9 2.2t-2.4 0.9h0q-1.5 0-2.4-0.9t-0.9-2.2 0.9-2.2 2.4-0.9 2.4 0.9 0.9 2.2zM27.4 18.7v10.1h-5.9v-9.5q0-1.9-0.7-2.9t-2.3-1.1q-1.1 0-1.9 0.6t-1.2 1.5q-0.2 0.5-0.2 1.4v9.9h-5.9q0-7.1 0-11.6t0-5.3l0-0.9h5.9v2.6h0q0.4-0.6 0.7-1t1-0.9 1.6-0.8 2-0.3q3 0 4.9 2t1.9 6z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Robotics is rapidly advancing and becoming a cornerstone of modern societies\u2014yet its environmental footprint and societal integration are still underexplored. This workshop brings robotics and sustainability together and asks: What kinds of robots are we producing\u2014and how are we producing them? Circular Robotics applies circular economy thinking, lifecycle approaches, and sustainable design principles to help &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":59722,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-59670","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-events-en","category-news-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=59670"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":73657,"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/59670\/revisions\/73657"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=59670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=59670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.profactor.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=59670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}