5th Workshop on Future of Construction

June 1 - 5, 2026 Vienna, Austria

Overview

The $10 trillion global construction industry has traditionally been a labor-intensive industry, yet it stands to benefit from autonomous robots that promise to deliver construction work that is more accurate and efficient compared to manual or conventional methods. However, the integration of automation and robotic technology into the construction workplace is faced with significant barriers including high cost of entry, safety concerns, inadequate training and knowledge about robotics, and poor performance of robots in dynamic, cluttered and unpredictable environments such as construction sites.

To tackle these challenging issues, this workshop aims to facilitate discussion on technology that will enable advanced robotics for future construction workplaces with an emphasis on robust perception and navigation methods, learning-based task and motion planning, and safety-focused robot-worker interactions. In line with the ICRA's theme, this workshop will provide a venue for academics and industry practitioners to create a vision for robotics in construction work and ensure equitable participation in planning for the future of construction workplaces. The full-day workshop will feature presentations by distinguished speakers from both industry and academia as well as interactive activities in the form of a SLAM challenge, poster sessions, debate, and panel discussions

Workshop Papers

This workshop will solicit contributions in two tracks: (i) the Paper Track and (ii) the Poster-only Track.

Paper Track: This track consists of contributed papers that constitute novel, original research in construction robotics or closely related fields. Contributed papers cannot take the form of an existing paper that is published or under review. Contributed papers should be in the form of extended abstracts (about 3-4 pages in ICRA paper format, including references). Authors are encouraged to also submit an optional 2-3 minute video presentation of their paper if their work involves visualization, robot operation etc. The accepted contributed papers will be made publicly available on the workshop website. Authors of selected papers will be invited to extend their work into a journal paper for an upcoming Special Collection at the Journal for Computing in Civil Engineering.

Poster-only Track: This track consists of posters that can be either based on a prior publication or novel work. Authors with an original paper may submit it to both tracks (paper and poster). Accepted posters will be presented during the poster session on the day of the workshop in the hallway outside the conference room. Authors are expected to print out and bring their own posters to the workshop, though poster boards will be provided. Poster boards are 4'x 4'. There is no specific template for the posters. You should choose the format that best represents your research work.

Submissions can be made through this Google Form, where the paper or poster can be uploaded in PDF format. Deadlines given below are in Anywhere on Earth Time. Questions regarding the paper submission should be directed to chenjingdao@cse.msstate.edu.

Camera-ready paper submissions can be made through this Google Form.

Paper/Poster Submission Deadline: TBA

Paper/Poster Acceptance Notification: TBA

Camera Ready Paper/Poster Deadline: TBA


If you require an early decision notification due to having to apply for a visa, please contact chenjingdao@cse.msstate.edu


The topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Safe human-robot collaboration in construction tasks
  • Manipulation, path planning, navigation in dynamic and cluttered environments
  • Robust perception algorithms in cluttered and unstructured environments
  • Collaborative automation technology for heavy construction equipment
  • Automation in construction logistics
  • Wearable robotics / exoskeleton for construction workers
  • Drone technology for construction applications

Paper / Poster Awards

Submitted papers (Paper Track only) will be considered for the best research awards based on technical merit, originality, and potential impact on the field. In addition, submitted posters (Poster Track only) will be considered for Best Poster Awards, and in-person judging will take place on the day of the workshop.

Hilti Challenge

This workshop will involve a Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) competition organized by HILTI. The challenge website may be accessed here.

Speakers

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Program

09:00 AM

Workshop introduction and opening remarks

09:10 AM

Invited speaker

09:35 AM

Invited speaker

10:00 AM

Coffee break | Poster session #1

Localization and Mapping
Perception
Human Robot Interaction
10:20 AM

Poster session #1 + poster competition

10:40 AM

Invited speaker

11:05 AM

Industry lightning talks

12:00 PM

Industry panel

12:30 PM

Lunch break | Poster session #2

01:30 PM

Poster session #2 + poster competition

System
Planning, Control, and Navigation
01:50 PM

Hilti challenge results

02:05 PM

Hilti challenge winner award + presentations

02:35 PM

Invited speaker

03:00 PM

Coffee break

03:30 PM

Best research award and best poster awards announcement

03:45 PM

Spotlight paper presentations

04:15 PM

Breakout groups

05:15 PM

End of workshop

06:00 PM

Social event

Organizers

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Dr. Jingdao Chen

Mississippi State University

(Primary Contact Person) chenjingdao@cse.msstate.edu

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Dr. Yong K. Cho

Georgia Institute of Technology

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Dr. Inbae Jeong

North Dakota State University

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Dr. Chen Feng

New York University

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Dr. Liangjun Zhang

General Motors

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Dr. Maurice Fallon

University of Oxford

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Michael Helmberger

HILTI

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Kristian Morin

XYZ Reality

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Borja García de Soto

NYU Abu Dhabi

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Iro Armeni

Stanford University

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Xi Wang

Texas A&M University

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Ci-Jyun Liang

Stony Brook University

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Ethan Yifu Tao

University of Oxford

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Torben Graeber

Hilti

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Emilia Szymanska

Hilti

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Reza Akhavian

San Diego State University

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Francis Baek

Georgia Tech

Sponsors


This workshop is made possible thanks to the generous sponsorship of the following organizations: