Automate 2026 drew more than 50,000 registrants and 1,230 exhibitors to McCormick Place in Chicago, marking the highest attendance reported for the robotics and automation event. The four-day event, hosted by the Association for Advancing Automation, ran from June 22 to 25 and covered 425,000 square feet of exhibition space.
The event featured technologies in robotics, artificial intelligence, machine vision, motion control and industrial automation. A3 said the program reflected demand from companies seeking to improve productivity, address workforce challenges, strengthen supply chains and support competitiveness through automation.
The 2026 edition was the 10th Automate event. Major areas of focus included humanoid robots, industrial AI, autonomous mobile robots, machine vision, motion control and workforce development. The conference program attracted more than 1,600 registrants and included more than 140 sessions addressing robotics adoption, workforce transformation, U.S. competitiveness, supply chain resilience and the use of automation beyond traditional manufacturing.
Humanoid robotics was a major feature of the event. A new Humanoid Robot Pavilion, sponsored by NVIDIA, presented humanoid robots and related enabling technologies. A3 also held its Humanoid Robot Forum during Automate for the first time. The forum ran from June 23 to 24 and drew more than 1,100 registrants.
The event also included the Automate Startup Challenge, where early-stage robotics and automation companies competed for a $10,000 prize. Mbodi was named the 2026 winner for its platform that enables users to teach industrial robots new tasks using natural language and demonstrations.
The Automate Innovation Awards recognized products and technologies introduced to the market in 2025. CeiliX InfinityCrane and SkyRunner were named winners in the Automation Systems category. Standard Bots’ Flux AI won in the Vision, AI and Software category, while Synapticon ACTILINK-JD featuring POSITRON Safety AI won in the Components, Hardware and Enabling Technologies category.
The Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards were presented to Hiroshi Fujiwara, executive director of the Japan Robot Association, and Robert Little, co-founder of ATI Industrial Automation. The event also included programming for students, educators and emerging professionals through the Education Pavilion, A3 NextGen Theater, Student Challenge, A3 NextGen Student Tours and sessions focused on curriculum, career pathways, hiring and workforce development.
A3 said Automate Rewind, a digital library containing recordings of keynote sessions, theater talks, Automate LIVE interviews and exhibitor spotlights, is available for people who did not attend the event.
Automate 2027 is scheduled to take place May 10 to 13, 2027, at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Registration for the next event is open.
