FOSDEM 2026 Call for Participation

We’re excited to host the second Robotics and Simulation devroom at FOSDEM 2026 on Saturday, January 31. If you build, simulate, deploy, or hack on robots (or the tools that make all that possible), this is your stage.

The Robotics and Simulation devroom spotlights core libraries, frameworks, simulation tooling, and open-source robotic platforms. Selected talks will highlight foundational capabilities alongside emerging AI-driven approaches, celebrating practical advancements and lessons learned. Expect focused presentations, a lightning talk burst, and a demo session—each designed to share real work and spark collaboration.

Scope of Talks

Robotics is inherently interdisciplinary, so our scope is intentionally broad while respecting neighboring FOSDEM devrooms. To help you tune your proposal, here are key areas of interest:

Core robotics libraries and applications: mapping, planning, localization, perception, and control. Examples include Cartographer, OMPL, grid_map, Octomap, PCL, OpEn, OpenRMF.
Frameworks for building robotics applications: ROS, Dora-RS, OpenRR, YARP, Zenoh, Copper-rs, iceoryx.
Simulation software: dedicated tools like Gazebo, Coppelia, Isaac Sim, plus creative uses of general engines such as Bevy, Godot, MuJoCo.
DevOps and developer tooling specific to robotics: e.g. visualization, logging, data formats—webviz, MCAP.
Open-source-friendly hardware platforms: Arduino, Crazyflie, Turtlebot.
Robotic products and applied open-source stacks, including AI/LLM-driven methods for skill acquisition or control: dora-rs, ros2ai, robo-gym, LeRobot.

These examples are illustrative, not limiting. You can present improvements to any listed project, novel uses, emerging alternatives at any maturity level, or something entirely different. If in doubt—submit!

Key Dates

1st of December: Proposals submission deadline
15th December: Announcement of selected talks
31st January: Robotics and Simulation devroom at FOSDEM, you must be available onsite (in Brussels, Belgium) to present your talk.

Talk formats

Full length talk: 40 mins + 5 mins for Q&A
Mid length talk: 20mins + 5 mins for Q&A
Lightning talks: 10 mins OR 5 mins
Demos: TBD

Submission process

Please submit your proposals before the end of 2025-12-01.

If you already have an account from a previous year, you should reuse it so all recorded FOSDEM contributions are associated with your profile.

When submitting your proposal, select ‘Robotics and Simulation’ from the track drop-down menu and specify the length and format of the talk.

Requirements

The conference language is English. By participating in the event, you agree to the publication of your recordings, slides and other content provided under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license. By participating in FOSDEM, you are required to adhere to the FOSDEM Code of Conduct.

New to FOSDEM? Quick Primer

What: FOSDEM is a free (no registration fee) community-driven conference about Free and Open Source Software, held annually in Brussels.
Cost: Attendance is free; you cover your own travel, food, and accommodation. Hotels fill fast—book early.
Format: Parallel devrooms, main tracks, lightning talks, stands, and lots of hallway conversations.
Getting Around: Venue is walkable; expect busy corridors. Pack a reusable water bottle and label your laptop.

If this is your first FOSDEM talk, that’s fine—great ideas matter more than prior speaking experience!

Devroom Committee

Arnaud Taffanel (Bitcraze)
Fred Gurr (Eclipse Foundation)
Lucas Chiesa (Ekumen)
Kimberly McGuire (Robotics Freelancer)
Mat Sadowski (Weekly Robotics)