IROS 2025 Industry Forum: Robotics and AI for Industry and Society

10:30 am - 6:00 pm, Oct. 23rd, 2025

Venue: 405A

Session 1 (Medical Robotics): 10:30 am – 11:50 am, Chair: Fanny Ficuciello & Samuel Au

Session 2 (Humanoid Robotics): 1:20 pm - 2:40 pm, Chair: Jianwei Zhang & Fanny Ficuciello

Session 3 (Field & Service Robotics): 3:00 pm - 4:20 pm, Chair: Samuel Au & Xiangyu Chu

Session 4 (Manufacturing Robotics): 4:40 pm - 6:00 pm, Chair: Jianwei Zhang & Hung Hon Cheng

Abstract

Robotics and AI are increasingly recognized as general-purpose technologies with far-reaching implications for both industry and society. From an economic perspective, they are engines of productivity and competitiveness; from a societal perspective, they are tools to enhance health, safety, and quality of life. International policy frameworks often highlight Robotics and AI as cornerstones of the digital transformation, linking them to innovation, sustainability, and future workforce development. At the same time, researchers describe them as embodiments of physical and cognitive intelligence, capable of bridging perception, reasoning, and action in the real world. These complementary perspectives underline the systemic importance of Robotics and AI: they are not confined to single applications, but rather define how future industries and communities will operate.

The Forum will first set the stage with insights from leading experts on the industrial and societal impact of Robotics and AI. It will then highlight four major application frontiers: Medical Robotics, Humanoid Robotics, Field & Service Robotics, and Manufacturing Robotics, each showcasing how Robotics and AI are transforming practices, capabilities, and markets. Participants will be actively engaged in discussions across these themes, with opportunities to exchange ideas, raise questions to experts, and explore future directions for Robotics and AI in industry and society.