[Daegu=Edaily Reporter Shin Yeong-bin ] “As discussions regarding the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Alliance and the transition to AI in manufacturing intensify, the importance of research in the fields of control and robotics is growing.”

Oh Jun-ho SamsungElectronics(005930), Head of the Future Robotics Promotion Team, emphasized the role of control and robotics research in the AI era during the opening ceremony of the “2026 41st International Conference on Control, Robotics, and Systems (ICROS 2026),” held at Daegu EXCO on the 1st. As this year’s president of the International Conference on Control, Robotics, and Systems, Oh is leading the event as conference chair.

In his opening remarks, Director Oh stated, “These days, AI is a topic of conversation everywhere you go,” adding, “Here in Korea, a major initiative called the AI Alliance is underway, led by the Ministry of Science and ICT, and interest in the Manufacturing AI Transformation (M.AX) initiative is also growing.”

He continued, “At this juncture, the role of the control and robotics academic community is more critical than ever.” This reflects the growing importance of foundational research in the fields of control, robotics, and systems as AI technology—following the proliferation of generative AI—expands beyond the digital realm into the physical world, encompassing manufacturing, robotics, autonomous driving, and physical AI.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Control and Robotics Evolving with AI.” Director Oh remarked, “The Society of Control, Robotics, and Systems represents robotics, control, systems, and, more recently, AI,” adding, “I hope this event will foster active academic exchange.”

He explained that the conference began in 1994 as the Korean Conference on Automatic Control and has since evolved into the leading academic conference in the fields of control, robotics, and systems. Director Oh remarked, “Seeing so many professors and students from universities actively engaged in research here, I can sense that the field’s base is expanding.”

Director Oh remarked, “Building on the tradition we’ve cultivated over the past 30 years, this conference will serve as a forum for the exchange of creative research presentations and discussions,” adding, “The active participation of our members will contribute to shaping new research trends in the fields of control and robotics.”

Meanwhile, ICROS 2026 is being held at EXCO in Daegu from today through the 4th. This year’s conference will cover major topics in the robotics field, including humanoids, physical AI, autonomous robots, disaster response robots, robot learning, and robotics foundation models.

On the first day, sessions were held on topics such as humanoid learning, the industrialization of physical AI, defense technology, and fire and disaster response robots, including a keynote speech by Hyun Dong-jin, former Executive Vice President of HyundaiMotor Company.