28th International Robot Olympiad 2026
– Vienna, Austria

Greetings,
This is the Secretariat of the International Robot Olympiad (IRO).
We are pleased to announce the 2026 Annual Schedule.
Detailed information and specific guidelines will be provided through separate announcements in due course.
Please note that the schedule below is subject to change depending on future discussions and circumstances.

Information on the August IRO

From 2026, the summer program will be held in the form of the “IRO Summer Workshop,” without separate event categories.

The summer season will move away from large-scale competition and will instead be composed of workshops and small-scale competitions.

IRO 2026 Annual Schedule

Summer

IRO Summer Workshop 2026

Name	IRO Summer Workshop 2026
Date	August 18(Tue) – August 21(Fri), 2026 (4 days)
Venue	Brno, Czech Republic
Host	International Robot Olympiad Committee (IROC)
Organizer	Korea Institute of Robot Olympiad Committee (K-IROC), Korea Robot Sports Association (KRSA)

Winter

2026/27, IRO Austria

Name	2026/27 IRO Austria
Date	January 2027 (5 days)
Venue	Vienna, Austria
Host	International Robot Olympiad Committee (IROC)
Organizer	Korea Institute of Robot Olympiad Committee (K-IROC), Korea Robot Sports Association (KRSA)

The Main Theme for the 2026 International Robot Olympiad

Theme

Cultural Heritage Service Robots

Robots that help people experience, understand, and protect cultural heritage.

Theme Concept

Cultural Heritage Service Robot refers to robots supporting human interaction, cultural understanding, and social responsibility.

This main theme has been established in consideration of the rich cultural heritage and historical background of Europe, including Austria. It has been planned to explore the roles that robotics and artificial intelligence technologies can play in enhancing human interaction, fostering cultural understanding, and contributing to the realization of social responsibility.

Through this theme, participating students are encouraged to develop their projects in the following directions:

Service robots that support the preservation, interpretation, and experience of cultural heritage
Robotic systems that interact with people and communicate cultural value
Robots and AI applications that reflect social responsibility, including public interest, accessibility, and inclusiveness
Other robots related to Cultural Heritage Service

The main theme aims to assess not only technical excellence but also the degree of understanding of and contribution to people, society, and culture.

IRO 2026 in Vienna, Austria