Focusing on the Frontiers of Extreme Manufacturing, Exploring the Future of Intelligent Robotics

From July 15 to 16, the 2026 International Conference on Extreme Manufacturing and Intelligent Robotics was held at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT). The conference was hosted by the Chinese Mechanical Engineering Society (CMES) and organized by HIT, the CMES Extreme Manufacturing Division, and the editorial office of SmartBot journal. Prof. WU Ligang, Assistant to the President of HIT and Director of the Office of Development Planning and Discipline Construction, attended the opening ceremony and delivered a speech. Under the theme Focusing on the Frontiers of Extreme Manufacturing, Exploring the Future of Intelligent Robotics, the conference brought together 19 academicians, experts, and leading scholars from China, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, and other countries and regions to deliver keynote and invited presentations. With over 150 participants representing multiple countries and regions, including Italy, Russia, Belarus, and Morocco, the conference served as an international platform for fostering academic exchange among early-career researchers worldwide.

Conference Scene

Prof. WU Ligang noted that extreme manufacturing and intelligent robotics are critical frontier technologies driving advances in fields such as high-end equipment, aerospace, and advanced materials. Leveraging its strengths in engineering and technological innovation, HIT has consistently deepened its research in robotics, intelligent manufacturing, high-end equipment, and artificial intelligence. He expressed the hope that the conference would pool the wisdom of global experts and scholars, intensify fundamental research and breakthroughs in key technologies, and promote deeper industry-academia-research integration and international collaboration, thereby contributing to technological innovation and sustainable industrial development.

WU Ligang Delivering a Speech

In the keynote session, three internationally renowned scholars delivered plenary lectures: Professor Kenneth T V Grattan, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK); Professor Yong-Young Noh, Member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea and Fellow of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology; and Professor Ching Yern Chee, Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. They were joined by distinguished professors and researchers from leading universities across Asia, North America, and Europe, who presented cutting-edge presentations.

Keynote Session

Professor PAN Yunlu, Associate Dean of the School of Mechatronics Engineering at HIT and Director of the SmartBot journal editorial office, provided an overview of the journal's recent development and future directions.

PAN Yunlu Introducing SmartBot Journal

The conference offered a high-level academic platform for experts and scholars in related fields. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on extreme manufacturing technologies, trends in intelligent robotics, and key scientific challenges, sharing the latest research outcomes and practical experiences. The event significantly broadened academic perspectives, fostered consensus on future directions, and effectively promoted cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional exchange and collaboration. It injected new momentum into the innovative development of extreme manufacturing and intelligent robotics, achieving productive scholarly outcomes.