Latinamerican Robotics Symposium and Competition 2026
The Latin American Robotics Symposium (LARS) and the Latin American Robotics Competition (LARC) constitute the flagship IEEE Robotics and Automation Society event in Latin America, bringing together researchers, students, industry professionals, educators, and technology leaders from across the region to foster collaboration and advance the state of the art in robotics and automation.
The conference serves as a premier forum for presenting original research, exchanging technical knowledge, and discussing emerging trends in robotics, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, computer vision, control systems, human-robot interaction, machine learning for robotics, robot perception, navigation, manipulation, multi-robot systems, and other related areas. Accepted papers are presented through technical sessions, promoting scientific discussion and collaboration among participants from academia, industry, and research institutions.
In addition to the scientific program, the event features keynote speeches delivered by internationally recognized experts, tutorials, workshops, panel discussions, and networking activities that encourage collaboration between universities, research centers, startups, and industrial partners. These activities provide attendees with opportunities to learn about cutting-edge technologies, establish new collaborations, and strengthen the robotics ecosystem throughout Latin America.
A distinctive component of the event is the Latin American Robotics Competition (LARC), which complements the symposium by providing students with hands-on experience through a series of robotics challenges that promote innovation, teamwork, engineering design, and practical problem-solving. The competition attracts undergraduate and graduate teams from multiple countries and serves as an important platform for talent development and knowledge exchange.
Date and Time
Location
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- Cra. 11 #101-80 Universidad Militar Nueva Granada
- Bogota, Distrito Capital de Bogota
- Colombia
- Click here for Map
Speakers
Nadia of University of Pennsylvania
The Dynamics of Fluid Physical Interaction: Towards Safe, Adaptive, and Compliant Robot Intelligence
Biography:
Nadia Figueroa is the Shalini and Rajeev Misra Presidential Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania, with appointments in Computer and Information Science and Electrical and Systems Engineering, and is a core faculty member of the GRASP Lab. She earned her PhD from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne and previously conducted research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, DLR, and NYU Abu Dhabi. Her research integrates control theory, machine learning, AI, perception, and biomechanics to advance safe and efficient human-robot collaboration. She is the recipient of several prestigious recognitions, including the 2025 NSF CAREER Award and multiple best paper awards in robotics.
Rafael of University of New Mexico
Collective Robotic Intelligence for On-Orbit Servicing, Cooperative Transport, and Shape-Morphing Flight
Biography:
Rafael Fierro is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of New Mexico since 2007. He received his MSc in Control Engineering from the University of Bradford and his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Arlington. His research focuses on cyber-physical systems, robotic networks, multi-agent coordination, UAVs, and collaborative robotic manipulation for on-orbit servicing. His work has been supported by organizations including the National Science Foundation, ARL, AFRL, DOE, Sandia National Laboratories, and the Breakthrough Foundation.
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