Keynote 1
Title:
Rethinking Robot Coordination When Communication Matters
Abstract:
Robot coordination is often studied as a motion-planning problem, a distributed decision problem, or a communication problem—depending on which research community is looking at it. Yet as robotic systems scale toward persistent fleets and networked autonomous infrastructures, these viewpoints can no longer remain separate. The ability of robots to move collectively is increasingly determined not only by geometry or optimization, but by how information is obtained, delayed, localized, and trusted across distributed agents.
This talk revisits robot coordination through several complementary traditions, including weak-information distributed mobile robot algorithms, swarm cooperation, scalable multi-robot path planning, and communication-centric robotic systems. Drawing on representative examples from formal analysis to experimental deployment, I will argue that these successful lines of research still lack explicit coordination models in which communication constraints are treated as first-class algorithmic primitives rather than invisible background assumptions.
I will discuss why making communication explicit changes not only performance, but also solvability, correctness, and scalability, and I will outline a forward-looking agenda at the intersection of networking, distributed algorithms, and multi-robot systems.
Speaker:
Prof. Xavier Défago,
Head of Dependable Distributed Systems Lab,
Department of Computer Science, School of Computing,
Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan.
Keynote 2
Title:
The Future of Robotics in the 6G Era
Abstract:
6G is envisioned as a transformative communication technology, delivering capabilities that far exceed those of 5G. These advanced features are critical for enabling seamless integration and intelligent coordination across different technical and business domains. For robotics, 6G’s potential impact is profound: it can support large‑scale swarm coordination, tele‑operation with near‑instant responsiveness, and seamless integration of robots into cyber‑physical ecosystems such as smart factories, healthcare, and autonomous mobility. Yet, key challenges remain, including ensuring deterministic communication in dynamic wireless environments, safeguarding security and privacy in distributed robotic networks, etc. Potential research directions include developing closed‑loop orchestration frameworks powered by Agentic AI for real‑time intent translation, designing resilient network slicing tailored to robotic workloads, exploring semantic communication for task‑oriented collaboration, and advancing cross‑layer optimization to balance performance with sustainability. Together, these efforts will be essential to fully realize the promise of 6G‑enabled robotics.
one6G Association is an international non‑profit organization that brings together telecom operators, vendors, research institutes, and universities to shape the future of 6G and ensure its alignment with societal and industrial needs. In the field of robotics, one6G has published dedicated white papers analysing how 6G capabilities can enable advanced robotic applications across different industry sectors. Their work highlights the importance of seamless integration between communication, sensing, and native AI, and positions 6G as a key enabler for autonomous robotic systems. By identifying requirements and promoting cross‑industry cooperation, one6G is laying the groundwork for standardization and ecosystem development that will allow robotics to thrive in the 6G era. This talk will introduce one6G’s vision for 6G‑enabled robotics.
Speaker:
Dr. Xueli An,
Head of 6G Network Architecture Research Group,
Huawei Technologies Düsseldorf GmbH,
Munich Research Center, Germany.