We are pleased to announce the Call for Submissions for the Queer in Robotics: Scientific Excellence Through Inclusive Robotics Research Workshop, which will be held at ICRA 2026 in conjunction with Community Building Day.

Queer in Robotics aims to create a safe and inclusive space for LGBTQIA+ researchers in robotics to present their work, build community, and connect with peers and mentors. We particularly welcome and uplift the voices of transgender, non-binary, and queer BIPOC researchers, whose perspectives are too often absent from mainstream robotics venues.

Find our program at: https://sites.google.com/view/community-building-day/programs/qir

IMPORTANT DATES

Submission deadline: May 22, 2026 (EOD)

Notification of acceptance:  Rolling

Camera-ready deadline: May 31, 2026 (EOD)

WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

The workshop brings together queer students, researchers, and practitioners working in robotics and related fields. We welcome all submissions about the intersection of robotics and queerness, as well as research in any area of robotics conducted by queer individuals.

SUBMISSIONS

We welcome submissions that explore any intersection of robotics and queerness, as well as research in any area of robotics conducted by queer individuals. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Robotics research conducted by LGBTQIA+ researchers

• Queer perspectives on robotics design, ethics, and deployment

• Human-robot interaction through a queer lens

• Reflections on queerness in academic and research culture

• Personal narratives and lived experiences at the intersection of queerness and robotics

Submissions will be evaluated on:

• Scientific or intellectual merit

• Alignment with the mission of Queer in Robotics — to promote and support queer research and researchers

SUBMISSION OPTIONS

We welcome submissions in a variety of formats, including research papers, extended abstracts, position papers, opinion pieces, surveys, and artistic expressions (art, poetry, or other creative work). Submissions should be made through our OpenReview portal.
The review process will be double-blind, and there is no strict page limit.

Link to Submit: https://openreview.net/group?id=IEEE.org/ICRA/2026/Workshop/QiR 

Event Summary

The Queer in Robotics event at ICRA Community Building Day aims to build an inclusive community for queer students, researchers, and practitioners. Queer in AI’s demographic survey reveals that most queer scientists in the robotics community do not feel completely welcome in conferences and their work environments, with the main reasons being a lack of queer community and role models. Organisations like Queer in AI and Queer in Robotics have worked towards creating inclusive and welcoming environments for queer researchers. Yet, the voices of marginalized queer communities—especially transgender, non-binary, and queer BIPOC folks—are often unheard in the broader research community. The purpose of this event is to create a safe and inclusive space for networking and socializing with LGBTQIA+ researchers in robotics. We aim to foster connections between queer researchers to facilitate the academic development of the queer research community. 

Date and Venue

ICRA Community Building Day 2026

Location: Vienna, Austria

Date: Thursday, June 4, 2026

Privacy Policy

We recognize that LGBTQ+ researchers in some countries and institutions are not protected by anti-discrimination laws. To support queer researchers from unprotected countries, we will follow the privacy guidelines that we have developed since the founding of Queer in AI to minimize the chances of adverse effects of participating in our workshop. All public-facing materials that will be published archival or non-archival online will collect explicit affirmative consent from the constituent members.