Agenda
Keynotes, Panels, Pitches & Networking
- 08:00 - 08:30
- Foyer
Welcome Coffee & Check-in
Start the day with a networking coffee and check-in.
- 08:30 - 08:35
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
Speaker
Simon Enderli
Director, Bern Economic Development Agency
Welcome address #1
- 08:35 - 08:40
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
Speaker
Devendra Jain
Initiatives Lead, Frontier Technologies for Operations, World Economic Forum (WEF)
Welcome address #2
- 08:40 - 08:50
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
Speaker
Dr. Dominic Gorecky
Chair IHF, Head of Swiss Smart Factory and President of Swiss Cobotics Competence Center
Dr. Hakan Girgin
Co-Chair IHF, Innovation Director, Swiss Cobotics Competence Center
Dr. Anca Rusu
Co-Chair IHF, Executive Director, Swiss Robotics Association (SRA)
Opening Remarks
- 08:50 - 09:20
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
- #Keynote #Industry
Speaker
Dr. Moritz Bächer
Lab Director, Disney Research Imagineering, Zürich
Opening Keynote #1
"Learning to Perform: Bringing Disney’s Robotic Characters to Life with Deep Reinforcement Learning"
- 09:20 - 09:40
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
- #Keynote #Industry
Speaker
Ryan Finnigan
Senior Vice President, Humanoid
Opening Keynote #2
"Pioneering Humanoid Robotics"
- 09:40 - 09:50
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
- #Keynote
Speaker
Lukas M. Ziegler
Venture Partner at First Momentum Ventures; Lecturer, Business School, Warsaw University of Technology; Robotics & AI Consultant / Evangelist
Setting-the-Stage
"Humanoids at the Crossroads: Breakthrough or Breakdown?"
Lukas M. Ziegler sets the stage with a global status quo of humanoid robotics, highlighting the latest technological, commercial, and ecosystem developments from around the world. The session frames where humanoids stand today and why the next few years will be decisive for the field.
- 09:50 - 10:20
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
- #Panel Session
Moderator
Lukas M. Ziegler
Venture Partner at First Momentum Ventures; Lecturer, Business School, Warsaw University of Technology; Robotics & AI Consultant / Evangelist
Participants
Ryan Finnigan
Senior Vice President, Humanoid
Krzysztof Walas
Co-founder & CTO, Lute
Fabien Mugnier
Senior Robotics Leader, ex-1X, ex-Dyson, ex-Softbank Robotics
Simon Fischinger
CEO, Synapticon
Panel Session #1
“From Crossroads to Action: Turning Humanoid Potential into Impact”
Building on the opening perspective, this panel explores what must happen next to unlock the real potential of humanoid robots. Industry leaders discuss key enablers, from technology and business models to deployment and partnerships, needed to move from promise to real-world impact.
- 10:20 - 10:50
- Foyer & Auditorium
Coffee Break & Live Demos
- 10:50 - 11:20
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
- #Keynote #Academic
Speaker
Prof. Dr. Tamim Asfour
Spokesperson, Robotics Institute Germany (RIG), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Institute for Anthropomatics and Robotics (IAR), High Performance Humanoid Technologies (H2T)
Academic Keynote #1
"The Era of Humanoid Robotics: Where Physical AI Meets Real-World Impact"
The era of humanoid robots has arrived, with systems demonstrating remarkable locomotion and whole-body control capabilities. Yet significant challenges remain before humanoids can fulfill their promise as general-purpose systems – from versatile manipulation capabilities, safe and trustworthy behavior to integrated cognitive architectures that enable continual learning from real-world interactions, prediction of action consequences and acting ethically to perform complex tasks – the foundations of truly capable Physical AI systems.
The convergence of progress in AI and robotics positions humanoid robotics at a pivotal moment for transformative impact. This talk explores fundamental challenges through examples from our ARMAR humanoid robots and presents progress toward 24/7 humanoid robots that bridge research innovation and practical deployment to address critical societal needs. I will outline a path for humanoid robotics over the next two decades, from current capabilities to future possibilities.
- 11:20 - 12:30
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
- #Pitching Session
Moderator
Dr. Dominic Gorecky
Chair IHF, Head of Swiss Smart Factory and President of Swiss Cobotics Competence Center
Participants
Yuichiro Kawasumi
Chief Engineer, Kawada Robotics
Yossi Bar
CEO & Founder, LEM Surgical AG
Edwin Yap
Founder, Mr. Robot
Benjamin Regener
Principal & Founder, NuclearIQ Solutions LLC
Simon Fischinger
CEO, Synapticon
Shawn Cowdrey
Innovation Manager (Robotics & AI Engineering), Wandelbots
Dr. Baptiste Busch
CEO & Co-Founder, AICA
Dr. Dominik Boemer
Manager, Advanced Robotics, FEV Consulting
Yijing Wang
Lead of International Cooperation, Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (SAIRI)
Christian Haltiner
Managing Director, Dassault Systèmes Switzerland
Pitching Session #1
"Insights from Industrial and Academic Leaders - Part 1: Robotic Hardware & Software"
Join us for an engaging pitching session featuring up to 10 presentations, each lasting 5 minutes + 2 minutes Q&A, from leading figures in both industry and academia. This session will provide a unique opportunity to gain insights into the latest innovations, research breakthroughs, practical applications and critical reflections in the field of humanoid robotics.
- 12:30 - 13:30
- Foyer & Auditorium
Name
Designation
Name
Designation
Lunch Break & Live Demos
- 13:30 – 14:00
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
- #Keynote #Academia
Speaker
Prof. Dr. Yulia Sandamirskaya
Head of Research Center "Cognitive computing in Life Sciences", Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ICLS/ZHAW)
Academic Keynote #2
"Igniting a New Era: AI or Cognitive Systems for Humanoid Robots"
- 14:00 - 14:40
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
Moderator
Prof. Dr. David Romero
Full Professor, Tecnológico de Monterrey University & Scientific Vice-chairman, World Manufacturing Foundation
Participants
Prof. Dr. Sarah Dégallier Rochat
Professor & Head of Humane Digitale Transformation, Bern University of Applied Sciences
Katrin Yuan
CEO, Swiss Future Institute
Richard Bouveret
CEO & Chairman, Blue Solutions
Devendra Jain
Initiatives Lead, Frontier Technologies for Operations, World Economic Forum (WEF)
Panel Session #2
"Humans vs. Humanoids? Rethinking Industry, Work and Collaboration"
Humanoid robots are entering industrial workplaces, raising fundamental questions about the future of work. This panel explores how humanoids will reshape industry, human roles, and collaboration. Are they tools, teammates or competitors – and how can industry integrate them in a human-centric way?
- 14:40 – 15:00
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
- #Keynote #Industry
Speaker
Alexander Schwarz
Robotics Solution Architect, NVIDIA
Industrial Keynote #1
"Beyond Simulation: Building End-to-End Physical AI Systems for Robots"
- 15:00 - 15:30
- Foyer & Auditorium
Coffee Break & Live Demos
- 15:30 - 16:30
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
- Startup Pitch Arena
Moderators
Dr. Christian Hugo Hoffmann
Founder & Director, AI Startup Center, Technopark Zürich
Mario Fürst
Country Program Manager Siemens Xcelerator, Siemens
Participants
Marco Failla
CTO & Co-Founder, Wheemo.Tech
Barbara Horvath
CEO & Co-Founder, Inveel
Dr. Jorge Peña Queralta
CEO & Co-Founder, Binabik AI
Loïc Delineau
CEO & Co-Founder, coprod
Salman Faraji
CEO & Founder, Floating Robotics
Arijana Selimi
CEO, Roboswiss
Dr. Gennady Plyushchev
Founder, Skyentific
Karim Amor
Founder & CEO, Epineon
Startup Pitch Arena
"Breakthroughs & Bold Visions in Humanoid Robotics and Physical AI"
Step into a high-energy pitch arena where visionary startups and innovators compete for attention, traction, and future investment. Up to seven cutting-edge teams will pitch their solutions in 5-minute lightning rounds, followed by 2 minutes of rapid-fire Q&A from the audience.
This session shines a spotlight on emerging startups, disruptive technologies and bold ideas shaping the next era of humanoid robotics and physical AI. Whether you’re scouting innovation, looking for collaboration opportunities or aiming to understand where the market is heading, this is your chance to experience the forefront of robotics entrepreneurship.
Special highlight: Selected teams will have the opportunity to pitch directly in front of attending venture capitalists and corporate innovation leaders, opening doors for potential partnerships, pilots, and investment discussions.
- 16:30 – 16:50
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
- #Keynote #Industry
Speaker
Prof. Dr. Jianwei Zhang
Founding Director, Institute of Technical Aspects of Multimodal Systems, University of Hamburg
Academic Keynote #3
"Multimodal Embodied AI for Autonomous Factories"
- 16:50 - 17:00
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
Speakers
Dr. Dominic Gorecky
Chair IHF, Head of Swiss Smart Factory and President of Swiss Cobotics Competence Center
Dr. Hakan Girgin
Co-Chair IHF, Innovation Director at Swiss Cobotics Competence Center
Dr. Anca Rusu
Co-Chair IHF, Executive Director, Swiss Robotics Association (SRA)
Closing Remarks Day 1 & Outlook Day 2
Recap of the day’s discussions and a preview of the next day’s program.
- 17:00- 18:00
- Swiss Smart Factory (SSF), Swiss Cobotics Competence Center (S3C), Auditorium
Live Demonstrations & Networking
Showcasing cutting-edge robotic technologies and their applications in the exhibition area.
- 18:00 - 21:00
- Foyer & Swiss Smart Factory Hall
Evening Reception & Humanoid Innovation Award
Join us for a delightful dinner reception, offering a perfect opportunity for informal networking over drinks and a meal.
Keynotes, Pitches, Panels, Workshops & Networking
Participants of Day 2 will be issued a certificate.
- 08:30 - 09:00
- Foyer
Welcome Coffee & Check-in
Start the day with a networking coffee and check-in.
- 09:00 - 09:10
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
Speakers
Dr. Hakan Girgin
Co-Chair IHF, Innovation Director, Swiss Cobotics Competence Center
Dr. Anca Rusu
Co-Chair IHF, Executive Director, Swiss Robotics Association (SRA)
Dr. Sylvain Calinon
Senior Researcher at Idiap Research Institute
Opening Remarks – Day 2
- 09:10 – 09:30
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
- Industrial Keynote
Speaker
Dr. André Scholz
Lead "Autonomous Factory” at Digital Industries – Factory Automation, Siemens AG
Industrial Keynote #2
"Integrating Humanoids and Physical AI in Industrial Operations"
- 09:30 – 10:30
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
- Panel Session
Moderator
Dr. Milan Kumar
CIO, ZF Commercial Vehicles (CVS), TEDx Speaker, Global CIO & CDO Awards Winner, CIO Series Author, Forbes Tech Council
Participants
Dr. Lukasz Ostrowski
Development Manager at SAP Research & Innovation and Head of Embodied AI & Robotics
Dr. André Scholz
Lead “Autonomous Factory” at Digital Industries – Factory Automation, Siemens AG
Urs Gehrig
Partner and Head of Business Development, Lighthouse Consulting AS
Mwenda Munasha
Global Lead Smart Manufacturing Process & Innovation, Clarios
Carlos Bento
Manufacturing & Engineering Manager, Nestlé Nespresso SA
Panel Session #3
"Real-World Industrial Use-cases for Humanoids"
This panel explores real-world industrial use cases for humanoid robots and embodied AI across manufacturing and operations. Industry leaders from automation, consulting, AI, enterprise software and global manufacturing will share insights on where humanoids deliver value today, the technological and organizational challenges involved, and what it takes to scale from pilot projects to factory-floor deployment. The discussion will highlight practical lessons, future outlooks, and the role of humanoids in the evolution toward autonomous and intelligent factories.
- 10:30 - 11:00
- Foyer & Auditorium
Coffee Break & Live Demos
- 11:00 - 12:00 - Workshop A
- S3C
- #Technical Workshop
Instructor
Dr. Sylvain Calinon
Senior Researcher, Idiap Research Institute
Workshop A – Technical Workshop
"Programming Humanoid Robots - Hands-On Session"
This workshop aims to provide an overview of the most important principles needed to start programming humanoid robots. We will see how the G1 humanoid robot from Unitree can be used to reach for objects, how they can maintain balance, how they can react to external perturbations, etc. The session will take the form of an interactive live coding presentation, with a tutorial designed using Robotics Codes from Scratch (https://rcfs.ch/). The participants can follow the explanations and interactive exercises during the presentation, but they can also run and replicate the demonstrated codes from a web browser (for this option, the participants are encouraged to bring their own laptops).
- 11:00 - 12:00 - Workshop B
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall (A)
- #Ideation Workshop
Instructor
Dr. Anca Rusu
Co-Chair IHF, Executive Director, Swiss Robotics Association (SRA)
Dr. Reik Leiterer
Booster Manager, Innovation Booster Artificial Intelligence
Workshop B – Ideation Workshop
"Identifying Key Challenges in Humanoid Robotics"
In this interactive session, participants will collaboratively explore and define the main challenges facing humanoid robotics today. Through guided discussions and structured brainstorming, the workshop will surface real-world constraints, technological gaps, and application-specific needs, creating a shared understanding of the most pressing problems in the field.
- 11:00 - 12:00 - Workshop C
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall (B)
- #Exploratory Foresight Workshop
Instructor
Prof. Dr. Sarah Dégallier Rochat
Professor & Head of Humane Digitale Transformation, Bern University of Applied Sciences
Dr. Anna Antonakis
Senior Researcher, Institute of Design Research, Bern University of Applied Sciences
Johan Cuda
Scientific Collaborator, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Lecturer, University of Lausanne
Workshop C – Exploratory Foresight Workshop
“Future of (Human) Work”
Join us for a workshop exploring the role of humanoid robots in the Swiss workplace. By engaging in discussions on the socio-technical dimensions of robotics, this workshop aims to create a space for reflection on the future of work we want to create. Together, we will examine the respective roles of humans and technology in this future, as well as the opportunities, challenges, and responsibilities of researchers, industry, and society.
- 12:00 - 13:00
- Foyer & Auditorium
Lunch Break & Live Demos
- 13:00 - 14:00
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
- #Keynotes – Panel Discussion – Q&A
Moderator
Dr. Anca Rusu
Co-Chair IHF, Executive Director, Swiss Robotics Association (SRA)
Participants
Dr. Diego Paez-Granados
Head of SCAI Lab ETH Zürich & SPF |
Co-Founder Qolo
Dr. Andrea Schneider
Customer Insights Manager, SBB
Co-Owner and Project Manager, The Behavior Lab
Fabien Mugnier
Senior Robotics Leader, ex-1X, ex-Dyson, ex-Softbank Robotics
Jan Lässig
Specialist in Digital Art Mediation and Cultural Education, Aargauer Kunsthaus
Plenary Session (Inputs - Panel – Q&A)
"Challenges of Humanoid Robotics in Service Industry"
This session will explore the key challenges and opportunities of humanoid robots from an applied, use-case-driven perspective. Speakers will share insights on the use of humanoid technologies in real-world applications, as well as on other robotics technologies that may not yet be embodied in humanoids but could be integrated into future humanoid systems. Following short experts’ input (7 minutes each) and a moderated Q&A, the discussion will focus on concrete applications, deployment constraints, and real-world needs across various applications.
- 14:00 - 14:30
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
- #Pitching Session
Moderator
Anne Chevrier
President Think Act Manufacturing CCI France Suisse
Participants
Yanlin Wang
Sales Director Europe, Agibot
Vo Gia Loc
Founder and CEO, Apicoo Robotics
Adelya Fatykhova
Architect, SAP Research & Innovation
Global Architecture Lead for Embodied AI Agents
Prof. Dr. David Romero
Full Professor, Tecnológico de Monterrey University & Scientific Vice-chairman, World Manufacturing Foundation
Dr. Justinas Mišeikis
Robotics and AI Specialist, Humanoid Robotics World Championship
Pitching Session #2
"Insights from Industrial and Academic Leaders - Part 2:
Humanoid Initiatives & More"
Join us for an engaging pitching session featuring up to 5 presentations, each lasting 5 minutes + 2 minutes Q&A, from leading figures in both industry and academia. This session will provide a unique opportunity to gain insights into the latest innovations, research breakthroughs, practical applications and critical reflections in the field of humanoid robotics, as well as to provide an outlook at humanoid initaitives to take action yourself.
- 14:30 - 15:00
- Foyer & Auditorium
Coffee Break & Live Demos
- 15:00 - 16:00 - Workshop A
- S3C
- #Technical Workshop
Instructor
Daniel Schlecht
Software Engineer, Swiss Cobotics Competence Center
Workshop A – Technical Workshop
"Programming Collaborative and Humanoid Robots – from Simulation to Hardware"
This hands-on technical workshop builds directly on the concepts introduced in the first session of Workshop A – Technical Workshop and focuses on their practical application on real robotic systems. Participants will first work with the UR5 industrial robot cell to practice fundamental programming concepts, motion execution, and task-level control in a structured environment. The workshop then transitions to humanoid robotics, where participants will apply the same principles to programming the Unitree G1 humanoid robot. By the end of the workshop, participants will have gained practical experience in transferring programming concepts from industrial manipulators to humanoid robots, highlighting similarities, differences, and key challenges in humanoid robot control.
- 15:00 - 16:00 - Workshop B
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
- #Ideation Workshop
Instructor
Dr. Anca Rusu
Co-Chair IHF, Executive Director, Swiss Robotics Association (SRA)
Workshop B – Ideation Workshop
"Ideating Solutions for Humanoid Robotics"
Building on the challenges identified in the first workshop, participants will work together to generate and evaluate potential solutions. Using creative ideation techniques, the session will focus on actionable strategies, innovative approaches, and emerging technologies that could be applied to advance humanoid robotics in practical, real-world contexts.
- 15:00 - 16:00 - Workshop C
- Foyer
- #Exploratory Foresight Workshop
Instructor
Prof. Dr. Sarah Dégallier Rochat
Professor & Head of Humane Digitale Transformation, Bern University of Applied Sciences
Dr. Anna Antonakis
Senior Researcher, Institute of Design Research, Bern University of Applied Sciences
Johan Cuda
Scientific Collaborator, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Lecturer, University of Lausanne
Workshop C – Exploratory Foresight Workshop
“Future of (Human) Work”
Join us for a workshop exploring the role of humanoid robots in the Swiss workplace. By engaging in discussions on the socio-technical dimensions of robotics, this workshop aims to create a space for reflection on the future of work we want to create. Together, we will examine the respective roles of humans and technology in this future, as well as the opportunities, challenges, and responsibilities of researchers, industry, and society.
- 16:00 - 16:15
- Swiss Smart Factory Hall
Speaker
Dr. Dominic Gorecky
Chair IHF, Head of Swiss Smart Factory and President of Swiss Cobotics Competence Center
Dr. Hakan Girgin
Co-Chair IHF, Innovation Director at Swiss Cobotics Competence Center
Dr. Anca Rusu
Co-Chair IHF, Executive Director, Swiss Robotics Association (SRA)
Closing Remarks
Recap of the IHF and presentation of follow-up activities.
- 16:15 – 17:30
- Swiss Smart Factory (SSF), Swiss Cobotics Competence Center (S3C), Foyer, Auditorium
Networking and Farewell Reception
A closing session for participants to network, exchange ideas, and discuss potential collaborations, accompanied by refreshments.