On 6 and 7 October 2026, the IIC 2026 at the EY headquarters at Stuttgart Airport. Two days packed with keynote speeches, live demos, exclusive excursions and high-calibre networking on the topics of humanoid robotics, digital twins and AI-supported production planning. Any production manager, head of operations or decision-maker in the industry who wants to know where manufacturing is heading should keep an eye on this event.
Register by 31 July 26 to take advantage of the discounted early bird rate and become part of the community.
Three key reasons why you should register now:
- Humanoid robots are no longer a thing of the future. Boston Dynamics is showcasing current use cases, and companies such as NVIDIA and Wandelbots are demonstrating how Physical AI is already being used in production environments today.
- A practical approach is key. IIC 2026 focuses on live demonstrations, factory tours and interactive workshops rather than purely lecture-based formats.
- The Early Bird ticket is only valid until 31 July 2026. If you book now, you’ll save 100 euros compared to the standard price.
The Digital Factory is on the cusp of its next stage of evolution
Manufacturing companies in Germany are under considerable pressure: a shortage of skilled workers, rising energy costs, increasing demands for efficiency and compliance, and relentless global competition. At the same time, technologies are emerging that have the potential to fundamentally transform manufacturing: humanoid robots are taking over manual tasks, digital twins enable the virtual planning of entire plants, and artificial intelligence optimises workflows in real time.
The question is no longer ‘if’, but ‘how’ and ‘when’ manufacturing companies will integrate these technologies into their processes. This is precisely where the IIC 2026 comes in.
IIC 2026 brings together experts and decision-makers to provide a clear understanding of the latest developments in the industry.
What to expect at the IIC 2026
The conference programme is designed to run over two intensive days and is clearly aimed at decision-makers and thought leaders from industry, research and education:
Day 1, 6 October 2026:
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Keynote on the Industrial Metaverse and AI Cloud with Björn Weidenmüller (T-Systems), NVIDIA and Katharina Jessa (Wandelbots)
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Keynote presentation on circular economy approaches in e-axle manufacturing with Dr Martin Enders (Schaeffler) and Dr Miriam Schleipen (EKS)
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Pitch session with domeba, EDAG, EY, MTM, SuitX by Ottobock and SyncTwin
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Industry Use Cases from EKS and IMK
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Field trip to the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen
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Social dinner at the Platzhirsch brewery restaurant, Böblingen
Day 2, 7 October 2026:
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Presentation by Kevin Maximilian Kron (Boston Dynamics) on humanoid robotics and current industry use cases
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Panel discussion on „Humanoid Robotics and AI“ with representatives from EY, IMK, EKS and MotionMiners
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Release workshop on the RF::Suite and ema Software Suite, featuring new AI features
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Campus tour of the Festo Experience Centre or lab tour at the EY European Industrials AI Innovation Hub
Discover how humanoid robots and AI-powered production planning can unlock new potential and boost your productivity.
„Discover how humanoid robots and AI-powered work planning can boost your efficiency."
The EY European Industrials AI Innovation Hub: a unique experience
A key element of the IIC 2026 is the EY European Industrials AI Innovation Hub „SKYLOOP“ right at the venue. Across 200 square metres, featuring over 20 immersive demos and 140 use cases, visitors can try out technologies such as the Industrial Metaverse and Physical AI for themselves. In the integrated Ideas Arena, concrete prototypes are being developed in collaboration with partners such as Microsoft and NVIDIA.
This isn’t a show floor where you simply sit back and watch presentations. It’s a learning environment where you can experience first-hand what these technologies can achieve in your production environment. For decision-makers who need to make well-informed investment decisions, this is precisely what offers crucial added value.
Exclusive excursions and renowned exhibitors
IIC 2026 offers two exclusive experiences that go beyond the traditional conference format:
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Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen Plant (6 October): Experience the collaboration between humans and robots in modern vehicle production.
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Festo Experience Centre, Esslingen (7 October): Expand your knowledge of pneumatic and electrical automation solutions through practical applications.
Among the headline speakers at IIC 2026 are Kevin Kron from Boston Dynamics, Katharina Jessa from Wandelbots, Dr Martin Enders from Schaeffler and Björn Weidenmüller from T-Systems. These names represent solid, hands-on experience from companies that are actively shaping the global market for industrial AI and robotics. Exhibitors such as Siemens, Ottobock and other market leaders will also provide exclusive insights into the latest developments.
From Reality to Simulation: Accelerating Factory & Work Planning with RIIICO and ema Work Designer
Gain insights into how factory and work planning can be accelerated by combining real data and virtual tools. Selected industrial use cases will show how automatically segmented laser scan data is used for layout planning and workplace design. RIIICO transforms raw point clouds into intelligent 3D landscapes by segmenting scanned environments into moving objects, enabling fast and flexible usability for planning tasks. The segmented data forms the basis for further layout and workplace optimisation with the EMA Work Designer.
Holistic Simulation of Digital Twins with real logic and behaviour
The presentation shows a holistic simulation of digital twins with realistic logic and behaviour in NVIDIA Omniverse. The integrated industrial metaverse tool chain enables AI training, collaboration and the use of open data standards. ISG-virtuos enables virtual commissioning, which is further enhanced by layout planning with ipolog and time and ergonomic process simulation with ema Work Designer. In this way, requirements relating to automation and the capability-orientated design of work processes can be taken into account in an integrated manner. Integration takes place via SyncTwin and IPI extensions, which clearly demonstrates the added value of consistent, integrated end-to-end simulation.
Experience how digital twins and the industrial metaverse are shaping the factory and work planning of tomorrow.
Application of the metaverse in industry: potential, practical examples and perspectives
The metaverse opens up new opportunities for industry in the areas of digitalization, collaboration, and efficiency improvement. This contribution introduces key concepts and technologies of the metaverse and illustrates how virtual spaces can enable sustainable changes in production processes, product development, and employee training.
Using several practice-oriented examples, application fields of Omniverse are demonstrated in the context of factory and work design. The focus lies on robot simulation and the interaction with ema in combination with services such as Isaac Sim and Composer for the design of human–robot work processes. Furthermore, it is shown how environments and the physically accurate behavior of sensors can be represented together with photorealistic image data within a metaverse environment, supporting the training of AI models for component recognition, position estimation, and layout generation.
Human-Centered Planning of Construction Processes with ema: Robotics, Simulation and Occupational Safety
This presentation takes place in tandem and highlights the use of the ema Software Suite in the construction industry with the help of practical and research-based use cases from OTH Regensburg and BG BAU. OTH Regensburg will present applications from the construction laboratory and the test hall for construction robotics. The focus will be on economically viable robotics solutions and selective automation in human-robot collaboration on construction sites and in prefabrication. The ema Work Designer is used to jointly model, simulate and evaluate human work processes and robotic systems in order to support data-driven planning and system development. BG BAU demonstrates how ema is used in operational practice to evaluate and visualise prevention measures in order to improve occupational safety and increase the acceptance of technical solutions in the construction industry.
Exchange ideas with experts and users from the industry and bring new perspectives to your company.
Summary
The ema Online Summit offers you a platform to exchange ideas, build valuable networks and discover how ema can support your use cases in industry, education and research. If you are interested in attending the ema Online Summit, you can register for free HERE.
FAQ
Here are five FAQ questions and answers about the ema Online Summit:
Who can take part in the ema Online Summit?
The ema Online Summit is aimed at companies, universities and research institutions interested in modern factory and work planning. Whether production managers, factory planners or researchers: Anyone who uses digital planning methods in their work or would like to familiarise themselves with them is very welcome.
What does participation cost?
Participation in the ema Online Summit is completely free of charge. A simple registration is all it takes to gain access to all presentations and interactive formats.
What topics are covered in the Summit?
The presentations cover a broad spectrum: from AI-supported factory planning and ergonomics simulation to the linking of real laser scan data with virtual planning tools, digital twins in NVIDIA Omniverse and applications in the field of human-robot collaboration and occupational safety in the construction industry.
What specific benefits do I get from the Summit as a company?
You will gain practical insights into proven use cases that are directly transferable to your planning projects. In addition to new impulses for the use of AI, simulation and immersive planning, you will benefit from direct dialogue with experts and other users from industry and science.
When and for how long does the ema Online Summit take place?
The ema Online Summit will take place on 17 April 2026 from 09:00 to 12:30. The compact format of three and a half hours enables efficient participation without spending a lot of time.
