IJCAI-ECAI August 15 & 16, 2026: Hands-On Cognitive Robotics Tutorial with AICOR VRB

Alongside the 35th IJCAI International Joint Conferences on Artificial Intelligence Organization, taking place in Bremen in August 2026, Michael Beetz, Michaela Kümpel, and Vanessa Hassouna are organizing a two-day tutorial on “Knowledge-Driven Action Execution using a Virtual Research Environment” on the basis of the AICOR Virtual Research Building (VRB). Next to the robotics labs of the AICOR Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IAI), you get the chance to learn the basics of programming the entire cognitive robotics workflow, enabling a robot to perform the task of “bringing the milk to the table”.

This two-day tutorial introduces knowledge-driven approaches to robot action representation, reasoning, and execution through a mix of theory and hands-on exercises. Participants explore key elements of cognitive robotics, including scene understanding, semantic reasoning, and action execution in simulation.
They will design a virtual robot environment, perceive objects, and use semantic knowledge to perform tasks like “getting the milk from the fridge.” Interactive Jupyter Notebooks in a Docker setup ensure accessibility, while physics-based simulation enables experimentation with robot behavior. The tutorial provides a scalable framework for teaching cognitive robotics and knowledge-based AI systems.

We are looking forward to welcoming you for two exciting days of learning, experimentation, and innovation in cognitive robotics!

📍 Bremen, Germany
📅 August 15-16, 2026
🔗 https://2026.ijcai.org/registration/