Robots on the Factory Floor - Highway Session
16/12/2026
What can robots really do on a factory floor where products vary, layouts shift and people share the aisles?
FAIR, VAIA and Volvo Car Gent bring together researchers from Flemish universities and research centers with industry experts for an afternoon on robotics and Physical AI in industrial and service environments. Participants will discover where robots and autonomous systems stand today, how new technologies such as Vision Language Action models are reshaping the field, and which challenges still stand in the way of broad adoption. Join us at Volvo Car Group in Ghent for a clear and realistic view of what robotics can bring to your organization, and what it takes to get there.
Program
13:00
Welcome & registration
13:30
Opening words
Sabine Demey (Flanders AI Research Program), Femke De Backere (VAIA - Flanders AI Academy) & Volvo Car Gent
14:00
How much variety can a robot handle? A practical map for the factory floor
Francis wyffels (UGent)
14:30
No Cages, No Compromise: Bringing Mobile Robots and Humanoids Safely into Existing Workplaces
Bram Vanderborght & Yuri Durodie (VUB)
15:15
Teaching robots by example
Sam Dehaeck (Flanders Make)
15:45
Flexible Robots for a Factory That Keeps Changing
Pieter Simoens (UGent)
16:15
From Perception to Physical AI: Bringing Intelligent Robots to the Factory Floor
Nick Kuijpers (Volvo Car Gent)
16:45
Q&A
17:15
