Latinamerican Robotics Symposium and Competition 2026

Bogotá, D.C., Colombia

The IEEE Colombia Section and the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada are proud to host the 26th Latin American Robotics Competition (LARC) and the 23nd Latin American Robotics Symposium (LARS). Recognized as the most prestigious academic events in robotics and artificial intelligence in Latin America, LARS and LARC unite top-level competitions and scientific conferences that promote research and development in the field.

November 4-6, 2026
Universidad Militar Nueva Granada
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LARS LARC 2026
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Latinamerican Robotics Competition and Symposium 2026

The Latin American Robotics Symposium (LARS) and the Latin American Robotics Competition (LARC) are leading robotics events in the region, bringing together researchers, students, and industry professionals from across Latin America and the world. The 2026 edition will take place from November 4–6, continuing the tradition of promoting innovation, scientific exchange, and high-level robotics competitions.

LARS/LARC 2026 will be hosted by the Universidad Militar Nueva Granada in Bogotá, Colombia. Known for its growing leadership in engineering and robotics, the university provides an ideal setting for the event. Bogotá’s vibrant culture, modern infrastructure, and dynamic tech environment make it an exciting destination for participants from around the globe.

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LARS LARC 2026

Universidad Militar Nueva Granada

Speakers

Speaker Nadia Figueroa

Nadia Figueroa

Professor

University of Pennsylvania

Nadia Nadia Figueroa is the Shalini and Rajeev Misra Presidential Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics at the University of Pennsylvania, with secondary appointments in Computer and Information Science and Electrical and Systems Engineering. She is also a core faculty member of the GRASP Lab. Before joining Penn, she was a Postdoctoral Associate in the Interactive Robotics Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She earned her Ph.D. in Robotics, Control, and Intelligent Systems from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL) and previously conducted research at the Robotics and Mechatronics Institute of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and at NYU Abu Dhabi. She holds a B.Sc. in Mechatronics Engineering from Tecnológico de Monterrey and an M.Sc. in Automation and Robotics from TU Dortmund. Her research focuses on developing integrated learning, control, and estimation algorithms that enable fluid human-robot collaboration with formal guarantees of safety, efficiency, and robustness. Her work bridges control theory, machine learning, AI, perception, and biomechanics through the lens of physical human-robot interaction. She is a recipient of a 2025 NSF CAREER Award, a finalist for the 2020 Georges Giralt Ph.D. and 2017 KUKA Innovation Awards, and has received multiple best paper honors at leading robotics venues.

The Dynamics of Fluid Physical Interaction: Towards Safe, Adaptive, and Compliant Robot Intelligence
Speaker Rafael Fierro

Rafael Fierro

Professor

University of New Mexico

Rafael Fierro is a Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of New Mexico (UNM), a position he has held since 2007. He earned his MSc degree in Control Engineering from the University of Bradford, England, in 1990, and subsequently completed his PhD in Electrical Engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington in 1997. Prior to joining UNM, Dr. Fierro conducted postdoctoral research at the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing & Perception (GRASP) Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania and later held a faculty position in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Oklahoma State University. His current research interests include cyber-physical systems and robotic networks, coordination and planning in heterogeneous multi-agent systems, uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), and advanced collaborative robot manipulation for on-orbit servicing. Dr. Fierro’s research has received support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Department of Energy (DOE), Sandia National Laboratories, and the Breakthrough Foundation. He serves as the director of the AFRL-UNM Agile Manufacturing Center and the Multi-Agent, Robotics, and Heterogeneous Systems (MARHES) Laboratory. Dr. Fierro has received several honors, including a Fulbright Scholarship, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, and the 2008 International Society of Automation (ISA) Transactions Best Paper Award. Additionally, he has contributed to the academic community by serving as an associate editor for the Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems, IEEE Control Systems Magazine, IEEE Transactions on Control of Network Systems (T-CNS), and IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering (T-ASE). He is a Senior Member of the IEEE.

Collective Robotic Intelligence for On-Orbit Servicing, Cooperative Transport, and Shape-Morphing Flight
Speaker

Arturo Forner-Cordero

Professor

University of Sao Paulo

Arturo Forner-Cordero is an Associate Professor in the Mechatronics Department at the University of São Paulo, where he leads the Biomechatronics Lab. Since 2024, he has served as Director of the Center of Assistive Technologies for Activities of Daily Life (CTECVIDA), promoting collaborative research and development of assistive mobility technologies. His research focuses on the neural mechanisms of human movement, biomimetic robotics, exoskeletons, and the effects of sleep deprivation on motor control. He has authored more than 200 scientific and technological contributions, including journal articles, conference papers, books, patents, and measurement devices. He is IEEE EMBS distinguished lecturer and invited by EMBS Colombia Chapter.

Speaker

Steven LaValle

Professor

University of Oulu

Steven LaValle is a pioneer in robotics, virtual reality, and motion planning, currently serving as Professor at the University of Oulu. He is widely recognized for developing the Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) algorithm, one of the most influential motion-planning methods in robotics, and for his role as an early founder and chief scientist of Oculus VR, where he contributed to the development of the Oculus Rift VR headset. His research spans robotics, virtual and augmented reality, perception engineering, sensing, and control theory. He is also the author of the highly influential books Planning Algorithms and Virtual Reality, and currently leads research on the foundations of perception engineering supported by the European Research Council.

Speaker

Leonardo Bobadilla

Professor

Florida International University

Dr. Dr. Leonardo Bobadilla is currently an Associate Professor at the Knight Foundation School of Computing and Information Sciences (KFSCIS), College of Engineering and Computing at Florida International University (FIU). He received his Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2013. He is interested in understanding the information requirements for solving fundamental robotics tasks such as navigation, patrolling, tracking, and motion safety. He has deployed test beds that monitor and control many mobile units requiring minimal sensing, actuation, and computation. He has published over 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers in Robotics, Control, and Oceanic Engineering. His research articles have appeared in prestigious journals such as IEEE Transactions of Automation Science and Engineering, IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters, ACM Transactions on Sensor Networks, and Journal of Intelligent and Robotic Systems, and in top conferences such as ICRA (IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation), IROS(IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems), and RSS (The Robotics: Science and Systems). The ARL, ARPA-E, DoD, NSF, ONR, DHS, FDEP, and the Ware Foundation have sponsored his research.

Robotics in Adverse Conditions: Overcoming Sensing, Communication, and Uncertainty Challenges

Committees

LARS-LARC 2026 Chairs

General Chair LARS-LARC 2026: Robinson Jimenez - Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia

Program Chair LARS 2026: David Saldaña - Lehigh University, USA

Program Chair LARC 2026: Juan Calderon - Bethune-Cookman University, USA

Organization Committee

Local Program Chair LARS: Diana Ovalle - Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Colombia

Local Program Chair LARC: Alexandra Velasco - Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia

Financial Chair: Leidy Ferro - IEEE Colombia

Tutorial Chair: Marco Antonio Jinete - Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia

Sponsorship Chair: Leidy Ferro - IEEE Colombia

Registration Chair: Fabio Osorio - Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia

Editorial Committee Chair: Diego Salazar - Oakland University, USA

Publications Chairs: Diana Ovalle and Francisco Combita - Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Colombia

Oscar F. Avilés - Dean Faculty of Engineering - Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia

Darío Amaya - Director Mechatronics Engineering Program - Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia

Byron Pérez - Webmaster - Universidad Militar Nueva Granada, Colombia

IEEE Support and Sponsorship

IEEE Colombia Section: President Leidy Ferro

IEEE Robotic and Automation Society Chapter: President Miguel González

IEEE Control Systems Society Chapter: President Diana Ovalle

IEEE Student Branch Chapter Universidad Militar Nueva Granada: President Laura Penagos

Registration

Author

Early bird registration

Before october 15

  • IEEE Member
    $290USD - $1'100.000COP
  • Non IEEE Member
    $340USD - $1'300.000COP

Regular registration

Until november 2

  • IEEE Member
    $350USD - $1'320.000COP
  • Non IEEE Member
    $410USD - $1'560.000COP
Register Now

Professional

Early bird registration

Before october 15

  • IEEE Member
    $160USD - $600.000COP
  • Non IEEE Member
    $240USD - $900.000COP

Regular registration

Until november 2

  • IEEE Member
    $190USD - $720.000COP
  • Non IEEE Member
    $2850USD - $1'080.000COP
Register Now

Student

Early bird registration

Before october 15

  • IEEE Member
    $52USD - $200.000COP
  • Non IEEE Member
    $92USD - $350.000COP

Regular registration

Until november 2

  • IEEE Member
    $64USD - $240.000COP
  • Non IEEE Member
    $110USD - $420.000COP
Register Now

Call for papers

Submit your work

LARS is a unique opportunity to present original research, student posters, and applied case studies in a collaborative, robotics-focused environment. Whether you're investigating autonomous systems, designing novel platforms, or exploring education through robotics, this is where your work finds its audience.

Accepted papers will be submitted to the LARS Proceedings in IEEE Xplore, while students can gain recognition and experience through poster presentations that elevate their academic path.

Topics

  1. Vision in robotics and automation
  2. Symbol mediated robot behavior control
  3. Sensory mediated robot behavior control
  4. Active sensory processing and control
  5. Industrial applications of autonomous systems
  6. Sensor modeling and data interpretation
  7. Robust techniques in AI and sensing
  8. Robot programming
  9. Multi-Robot and Multi-Agents, Cooperation and Collaboration
  10. CAD-based robotics
  11. Robot simulation and visualization tools
  12. Tele-operated and autonomous systems
  13. Micro electromechanical robots
  14. Robot modeling
  15. Robot control architectures
  16. Sensor-Motor control of Robots
  17. Robot planning, reasoning, communication, adaptation and learning
  18. Mechanical design
  19. Robotic Manipulators
  20. Robot soccer
  21. Evolutionary robotics
  22. Bio-Inspired robotics
  23. Robots for robotic surgery and rehabilitation
  24. Micro/nano robotics, new Devices and materials for robots
  25. Human Robot Interaction and Interfaces
  26. Education issues in Robotics
  27. Computing architectures
  28. Sensor Networks, architectures of embedded Hardware and software
  29. Self-Localization, Mapping and Navigation
  30. Multi-robot systems
  31. Aerial vehicles
  32. Autonomous vehicles
  33. Mobile robot platforms
  34. Service robots and entertainment robots
  35. Underwater robots
  36. Humanoids

Paper Submission Guidelines

The program committee invites interested authors to submit their works (4 to 6pages long) in English through https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=lars2026.

Regular papers

Submitted papers to LARS 2026 must be original, not previously published, oraccepted for publication elsewhere, and must not be submitted to any other event or publisher during the entire review process. IEEE policy regarding plagiarism andduplicate submission/publication will be strictly enforced.

Submited papers must follow the IEEE format for conference papers.

https://www.ieee.org/conferences/publishing/templates

Posters

The program committee invites interested students to submit their works for aposter presentation in English through a google form: https://forms.gle/Tjk7Lh6EEwJLB28n7 (not open yet).

The interested students should initially submit to LARS 2026 an abstract of their original works, not previously published, or accepted for publication elsewhere, and must not be submitted to any other event or publisher during the entire review process. Submited abstracts must be only one page in the IEEE format for conference papers.

Submited papers must follow the IEEE format for conference papers.

https://www.ieee.org/conferences/publishing/templates

Important dates

Regular papers - July 15th

Posters - July 15th

Tutorials - July 15th

Download the call for papers