ICRA 2025 is set to shake up Atlanta in May 2025 — and not just with robot dogs doing backflips.

With thousands of researchers, engineers, and robot-obsessed humans flying in from around the world, this isn’t your average robotics convention — it’s the international conference that defines the year in automation.

From AI-powered exosuits to fully autonomous assembly lines, expect a full-spectrum deep dive into the robot conference that moves the needle. 

In this article, we’ll cover:

• What is ICRA 2025?
• ICRA 2025 agenda overview
• Keynote speakers and sessions
• What to expect at ICRA 2025 
• ICRA’s impact on the robotics industry
• Standard Bots’ outlook on ICRA 2025

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Overview of ICRA 2025

ICRA 2025 is a big, international conference — and it’s a big deal for robotics enthusiasts.

From May 19–23, the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta will host over 7,000 researchers, engineers, and automation-obsessed humans for five days of robots, AI, and academic flexing.

What makes it the robot conference to watch:

• The size is massive: 3,000+ paper submissions, 120+ exhibitors, and 60+ workshops.
  
• The mix is immaculate: Startups, research labs, Fortune 100s, and students all under one roof.
  
• The tech is bleeding-edge: Expect full-stack AI, collaborative robots, digital twins, and way too many demo arms.

Still catching up on why this all matters? Here’s a quick breakdown of what robotics actually is and why it’s exploding across every industry right now.

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What is ICRA 2025?

ICRA 2025 is the 42nd annual IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation — and it’s where robot research hits real-world momentum. 

A new city hosts every year, and it’s grown from a niche academic meetup into one of the most respected robotics conferences on the planet.

Why it matters for anyone who’s into robots: 

• It’s the gold standard: If you're presenting papers here, you're likely ahead of the curve.
  
• It’s insanely global: ICRA regularly hosts researchers from 50+ countries.
  
• It’s deeply interdisciplinary: AI, hardware, control theory, and some shockingly cool mechanical hacks.

And yes — you’ll see plenty of robotic arms doing acrobatics, picking up screws, and occasionally glitching out mid-demo. Check out our deep dive into how robotic arms actually work if you want to speak fluent servo.

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ICRA 2025 agenda overview

The official ICRA 2025 agenda isn’t live yet — but we know the drill. If you’ve been to an IEEE event before, you already know it’ll be five days of brain-melting research, AI-heavy paper tracks, and at least one robot that absolutely wasn’t supposed to catch on fire.

Here’s what’s (probably) on deck:

• Workshops and tutorials: Always stacked on day one and day five. Expect everything from ROS deep-dives to digital twin how-tos.
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• Technical sessions: AI, motion planning, manipulation, perception — all the usual suspects, plus whatever’s trending on ArXiv that month.
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• Poster madness: Grab a coffee and wander through 300 people pointing at PDFs while holding snacks.
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• Expo floor: Companies flexing everything from surgical bots to robot dogs with better stability than most interns.

Key dates so far:

Wondering how all this tech actually shows up in industry? Take a look at how industrial robots are being used right now — the real stuff, not just the theory dumps. 

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Spotlight on keynote speakers and sessions

ICRA doesn’t drop its full speaker list early — but if last year’s lineup is any clue, 2025 is gonna bring the heat. At ICRA 2024 in Yokohama, we got analyses on embodied AI, robot rehab, and what it takes to go from lab to large-scale production.

ICRA 2024 brought heavy-hitters like:

• Dr. Yoky Matsuoka: Ex-Google, ex-Apple, now founder of a health-tech startup. She broke down the move from academia to product like a boss.
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• Prof. Sami Haddadin: Talked about collective learning and AI for collaborative robots — and made it sound almost chill.
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• Prof. Sunil K. Agrawal: Showed how rehab robotics is pushing daily-use exosuits way closer to reality.

Speakers and sessions to expect at ICRA 2025:

• Academic titans and industry legends: Probably the usual mix of CMU, MIT, Stanford, plus some unexpected flexes from Toyota, Boston Dynamics, some Swedish universities, and a few German labs with scarily good robot hands.
  
  
• Real sessions, not sales pitches: If a company is speaking, it’s probably about an open-source library, not a product launch.
  
  
• Research that slaps: Expect papers on generative robotics, sim-to-real, bipedal control, AI-powered manipulation, and the occasional robot fish that’s doing too much.

Want to see how all this feeds into the bigger trend cycle? Take a look at where robotics is heading next — and how fast.

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What to expect at ICRA 2025

If you’re picturing a dry academic symposium, think again — ICRA runs more like a high-IQ comic-con for robotics nerds. You’ll leave with 1GB of PDFs, a bunch of wild ideas, and probably a photo of a robot dog doing something illegal.

Here’s what’s actually worth showing up for:

• Workshops with real signal: Hands-on training, real tooling demos, and sometimes even working robots you can break (accidentally).
  
  
• Posters + technical sessions: Wandering around while people passionately explain algorithms to strangers? It’s an experience.
  
  
• The ICRA Expo: Corporate booths with cobots, startups flexing weird prototypes, and at least one robot that hands you a sticker.
  
  
• Networking that isn’t awkward (mostly): From hallway chats to after-hours meetups, this robotics convention pulls people who actually build — not just people who tweet.

And, if this is your first robot conference? Pro tip: Register early, charge everything, and don’t wear dress shoes unless you enjoy suffering.

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Impact on the robotics industry

ICRA is where the next 12 months of robotics get sketched out. If you want to see what factories, warehouses, hospitals, and even space agencies will be using tomorrow, this is where those blueprints first hit the light.

What ICRA means for enthusiasts: 

1. Early access to the next wave of AI + robotics: From sim-to-real training loops to embodied foundation models, the research at ICRA builds into startups and product lines by next spring.
   
   
2. Collaborative robots are leveling up fast: ICRA 2023 and 2024 put serious weight behind cobots that adjust in real time and don’t need a full-on course to put into action. Expect even more in 2025.
   
   
3. Hard tech is scaling smarter: ICRA sessions increasingly cover how to make these systems affordable, safe, and factory-floor ready.
   
   
4. Every sector’s watching: Manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, medicine — all eyes are on what gets published, because what gets published here usually gets built soon after. 

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Standard Bots’ outlook on ICRA 2025

For Standard Bots, it’s not only about academic curiosity. It’s also about staying two steps ahead of every factory-floor challenge that AI and robotics can actually solve.

Why we’re watching this conference closely:

• ICRA sets the real roadmap: The most ambitious automation trends show up here first — before they hit product launches or VC decks.
  
  
• Everything points to smarter cobots: From collaborative intent modeling to adaptive safety protocols, this is the future RO1’s already training for.
  
  
• Sim, test, deploy — no fluff: We’re especially watching Newton-style physics, foundation models for physical systems, and new motion strategies to integrate into our dev cycle.

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FAQs

1. Who have been some of ICRA’s most popular speakers?

Past speakers include big names like Yoky Matsuoka, Sami Haddadin, and Sunil Agrawal, covering everything from embodied AI to wearable robotics. 

2. What topics are expected to be covered at ICRA 2025?

Based on prior years, topics will likely include AI in robotics, human–robot interaction, motion planning, control theory, digital twins, and collaborative systems. Plus a few sessions on robot dogs that go way too hard.

3. Is ICRA considered an international conference?

Yes — and not just in name. ICRA draws attendees, speakers, and research teams from over 50 countries every year. It’s where the global robotics community syncs up.

4. What are the registration fees for ICRA 2025?

Fees haven’t dropped yet, but previous years ranged from $350 to $900+, depending on student/pro/early bird status. Pro tip: Early bird saves you money and financial pain.

5. How does ICRA 2025 influence the robotics industry?

The tech shown off at ICRA sets the direction for startups, manufacturers, and research labs alike. What’s discussed in May often hits real-world deployments by Q4.

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Summing up 

ICRA 2025 is a launchpad for the next wave of robotics: From AI-powered cobots to motion models born in simulation, this robotics conference gives the world a preview of what’s about to hit production. 

ICRA is the playbook, and we’re super excited to learn about what’s ahead — or we would be, if we weren’t already knee-deep into creating the next generation of smart robots. 

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Next steps with Standard Bots

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• Safety-minded design: Machine vision and collision detection let RO1 work side by side with human operators.

Schedule your risk-free, 30-day onsite trial today and see how RO1 can bring AI-powered greatness to your shop floor.