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Call for Competitions and Challenges

We welcome proposals for both on-site competitions and online/low-cost challenges.

The IEEE RAS International Conference on Biomedical Robotics and Biomechatronics (BioRob 2026) invites proposals for Competitions and Challenges to be held in conjunction with the conference. Competitions and challenges are a key element of BioRob, engaging the research community in benchmarking, collaborative experimentation, and creative problem-solving across the domains of biomedical robotics, assistive devices, rehabilitation technologies, wearable systems, bio-inspired robotics, and AI for healthcare.

We welcome proposals for both on-site competitions (e.g., demonstrations, robotics challenges requiring specialized equipment, real-time tasks) and online or low-cost challenges (e.g., machine learning competitions on biomedical datasets, simulation-based benchmarks) aimed at broadening participation and impact. Online and simulation-based challenges may be conducted prior to the conference, with winners invited to present their results during the event.

Competitions and challenges at BioRob 2026 are expected to:

  • Provide a platform for researchers, students, and industry teams to test and compare approaches on well-defined problems.
  • Highlight emerging scientific and technical questions of importance to the BioRob community.
  • Foster reproducibility, benchmarking, and community-wide progress.
  • Engage the broader community in exciting, inclusive, and impactful activities.

Selected competitions will be formally featured in the BioRob 2026 program. Limited financial support may be available for competitions that require equipment, shipping, or other logistical support, subject to evaluation.

Proposal Guidelines

Proposals should be submitted in PDF format (max. 4 pages) and include the following information:

  1. Title and Theme
    • What is the title of the proposed competition or challenge?
    • Which robotics/biomedical theme(s) does it address?
  2. Motivation and Objectives
    • Why is this competition important for the BioRob community?
    • What scientific or technical advances will it promote?
  3. Target Participants
    • Who is expected to participate (students, postdocs, academic/industry teams)?
    • Are there eligibility or team-size requirements?
  4. Data, Tasks, and Resources
    • What datasets, hardware platforms, or tasks will be provided to participants?
    • Will participants need their own hardware/software?
  5. Evaluation Metrics
    • How will performance be assessed (e.g., accuracy, robustness, speed, energy efficiency, usability)?
  6. Rules and Requirements
    • What are the competition rules (submission format, permitted/prohibited tools, dataset restrictions)?
  7. Timeline
    • Key milestones (e.g., data release, submission deadlines, evaluation phases, winners’ announcement, final presentations at BioRob 2026).
  8. Format
    • Will the competition take place before the conference (dataset release, remote submissions), during BioRob (live demonstrations, on-site finals), or a hybrid format?
    • How will momentum be built leading up to the conference?
  9. Organizing Team
    • Names, affiliations, expertise, and contact details of the organizers.
    • Brief description of relevant experience with organizing competitions, challenges, or workshops.
  10. Budgetary Needs (if applicable)
    • Please indicate your financial plan.
    • Please indicate whether financial support is required. In that case, provide a short justification (e.g., shipping of robots, purchase of consumables, cloud computing costs).

Important Dates

  • Proposal Submission Deadline: January 22, 2026
  • Notification of Acceptance: March 30, 2026
  • BioRob 2026 Conference Dates: August 1-4, 2026

Submission Instructions

Proposals should be submitted via this link.

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