The International Symposium on Experimental Robotics is a series of bi-annual symposia, which have been held successively in Montréal (1989, Canada), Toulouse (1991, France), Kyoto (1993, Japan), Stanford (1995, USA), Barcelona (1997, Spain), Sydney (1999, Australia), Honolulu (2000, USA), Sant’Angelo (2002, Italy), Singapore (2004), Rio de Janeiro (2006, Brazil), Athens (2008, Greece), New Delhi & Agra (2010, India), Québec City (2012, Canada), Marrakech/Essaouira (2014, Morocco), Tokyo (2016, Japan), Buenos Aires (2018, Argentina) and Malta (2020, Italy).
Sponsored by the International Foundation of Robotics Research, the goal of ISER symposia is to provide a forum for research in robotics that focuses on the novelty of theoretical contributions validated by experimental results. The meetings are conceived to bring together, in a small group setting, researchers from around the world who are at the forefront of experimental robotics research. This unique conference presents the latest advances across various fields of robotics, with ideas that are not only conceived conceptually but also explored experimentally. Each symposium has a three to four-day program with a single track for presentations. The number of papers presented is small in order to maximize discussions of the presented work and interactions among participants. Each ISER Symposium also features outreach activities to the young generations of scientists and engineers in the host region and local cultural activities to facilitate understanding and appreciation of the unique heritage of the host region.