Date: November 2–4, 2026
Location: Incheon, South Korea
Type: International Symposium (Field Robotics Conference)
Website: ieee-ras.org
What Is IEEE SSRR 2026?
IEEE SSRR 2026 — the International Symposium on Safety, Security, and Rescue Robotics — is a field robotics conference dedicated to the technologies that operate where humans cannot or should not go. Scheduled for November 2–4, 2026, in Incheon, South Korea, the symposium focuses on robotic systems designed for safety, security, and rescue applications, spanning aerial, ground, and marine platforms.
The event is organized under the auspices of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (IEEE RAS), the professional body behind many of the field’s leading technical conferences and publications. IEEE SSRR has established itself as a specialized venue where the research community gathers to present work on robots that must function reliably in hazardous, unstructured, and extreme environments — from disaster zones and industrial accidents to maritime and security operations.
What distinguishes IEEE SSRR 2026 from broader robotics conferences is its applied, mission-driven orientation. Rather than treating safety and rescue robotics as a niche application, the symposium places it at the center of the program, connecting advances in sensing, autonomy, and artificial intelligence directly to operational scenarios where failure carries real consequences. The inclusion of extreme-environment testing reflects the field’s growing emphasis on validating robots under realistic conditions rather than only in laboratory settings.
Why It Matters for AI Professionals
Safety, security, and rescue robotics is one of the most demanding proving grounds for AI. Perception systems must cope with smoke, dust, debris, and degraded sensor input. Autonomy stacks must make decisions under uncertainty and limited communication. Multi-robot teams — aerial, ground, and marine — must coordinate in environments that are dynamic and often hostile. For AI professionals working on perception, planning, reinforcement learning, sensor fusion, or edge inference, IEEE SSRR 2026 offers a concentrated view of problems where robustness is not optional.
Attendees gain access to research that translates directly into industrial and public-sector applications: disaster response, critical infrastructure inspection, search and rescue, maritime security, and hazardous-materials handling. The symposium’s focus on field deployment and extreme-environment testing makes it a useful venue for practitioners evaluating how AI methods perform outside controlled conditions, and for organizations seeking collaborators with demonstrated experience in high-stakes robotics.
What to Expect
IEEE SSRR 2026 is structured around the core technical domains of field robotics for hazardous environments. Based on the symposium’s scope, attendees can expect programming covering:
- Aerial robotics — unmanned aerial systems for search, surveillance, and inspection missions
- Ground robotics — tracked, wheeled, and legged platforms for disaster response and rough-terrain operation
- Marine robotics — surface and underwater systems for security, rescue, and environmental missions
- Sensors and perception — sensing modalities and AI-driven interpretation for degraded and extreme conditions
- AI and autonomy — machine learning, planning, and decision-making for safety-critical robotic systems
- Extreme-environment testing — evaluation methodologies and field trials that stress robots beyond the lab
Specific keynote speakers, paper tracks, and workshop schedules for IEEE SSRR 2026 are details to be announced. Prospective attendees should consult the official IEEE RAS website for the finalized program as the conference date approaches.
Who Should Attend
IEEE SSRR 2026 is aimed at a technically engaged audience. Robotics and AI researchers — including graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty — will find a focused venue for presenting and discussing safety, security, and rescue robotics work. Engineers and developers building autonomous systems, perception pipelines, or robotic platforms for field deployment will benefit from the symposium’s applied emphasis.
The event also suits professionals from sectors where hazardous-environment robotics is operationally relevant: emergency response organizations, defense and security agencies, infrastructure operators, and industrial inspection teams. Program managers and technical executives evaluating robotics and AI capabilities for high-risk environments can use the symposium to assess the state of the art and identify potential partners. Because the program spans aerial, ground, and marine domains, attendees from any of these areas will find relevant content.
How to Register
Registration for IEEE SSRR 2026 is handled through the official IEEE Robotics and Automation Society website. Visit https://www.ieee-ras.org for registration links, submission deadlines, and the latest conference updates. Pricing information, including any early-bird or IEEE member rates, is details to be announced — check the official site for current figures before planning your attendance.
