ROBOTWORLD 2026: November 4–7 at KINTEX, With a Buyer’s Planning Checklist

1. ROBOTWORLD 2026 dates, hours and registration

The official English visitor guide lists the following arrangements:

• Dates: Wednesday, November 4, through Saturday, November 7, 2026.
• Venue: KINTEX Exhibition Center I, Halls 3–5, Goyang, South Korea.
• Opening hours: 10:00–17:00 on November 4–6 and 10:00–16:00 on November 7, Korea Standard Time.
• Advance registration: The published free preregistration deadline was October 24, 2026 and has passed. Check current onsite or invitation admission arrangements.
• Ordinary adult on-site admission: KRW 12,000. Visitors should check the official guide for other ticket categories and eligibility conditions.

2. What is confirmed for the 2026 exhibition

According to the official exhibition overview, the display categories include manufacturing robots, professional and personal service robots, logistics robots such as automated guided vehicles and autonomous mobile robots, robot parts, smart-manufacturing solutions, smart applications and software, and drones.

The official 2026 English brochure identifies the host as the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. The event website lists the Korea Association of AI Robot Industry, the Korea Institute for Robot Industry Advancement and the Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems as organizers.

Buyers should use the current exhibitor directory and contact their shortlisted companies to check the models, demonstrations and personnel available during their visit.

3. A long-running meeting point for the robotics industry

ROBOTWORLD marked its 20th anniversary in 2025. The official press archive’s report on that edition describes an industrial exhibition alongside the International Symposium on Robotics, bringing commercial displays and technical discussions into the same event program.

4. Prepare an application brief before comparing robot models

A robot specification becomes useful when it is connected to the task. Describe what must move, where it starts and ends, what happens around it and what output is required. If your team is still defining the project, state the unknowns and ask each supplier what it needs for an application assessment.

Ask the supplier to distinguish the robot itself from the complete application. Tooling, vision, fixtures, software, guarding and integration may be supplied by different parties. Record who would own the overall system proposal and which responsibilities remain with your team or another provider.

For a mobile robot, prepare a layout and describe the actual traffic and pickup/drop process. For a robot arm, include the workpiece and the sequence rather than only a payload figure. These are starting points for the supplier’s engineering assessment, not a substitute for that assessment.

Korea Ops Desk

Describe the work before selecting the robot

1. 01
   Task

   Object, load and process

2. 02
   Environment

   Layout, interfaces and operating conditions

3. 03
   System

   Robot plus tooling, sensing and integration

4. 04
   Outcome

   Required result and evidence to assess it

5. Record the full demonstration configuration

A fast demonstration can hide how much preparation makes it work. Record the model, end effector, sensors, fixtures, software and the object being handled. Ask which elements are standard, optional or supplied by an integration partner. Then note the differences between the demonstration and your intended application.

Keep observed behavior separate from a supplier’s projected performance for your application. If the exhibitor quotes a cycle time, ask what the sequence includes and which conditions apply. Do not convert a short show-floor clip into an assumed production rate for your factory.

Korea Ops Desk

Separate the demo from the proposed system

1. 01
   Observed

   What the booth system did

2. 02
   Configured

   Hardware, software and tooling used

3. 03
   Different

   Conditions in your application

4. 04
   Next evidence

   Assessment, documents or further demo

If a safety or conformity claim matters to your project, request the precise document and the equipment/system scope it covers. Keep that record for your technical review. A general promotional statement should not silently become an approval of the final installation.

6. Build a shortlist with an integration and support owner

For each candidate, identify who can deliver the complete agreed scope in the destination market. A component manufacturer, robot manufacturer and system integrator may all be valuable contacts, but their offers answer different buying questions. Label those roles so your team does not compare them as equivalent turnkey proposals.

Worked example: three contacts for one machine-tending project

A buyer meets a robot manufacturer, a gripper supplier and an integrator. The manufacturer can discuss the arm, the gripper supplier needs workpiece details, and the integrator needs the machine interface and layout. A useful report preserves these roles and routes the same application brief to the appropriate contacts. The buyer can then identify the party proposing the overall system rather than adding three unrelated catalogue prices.

1. Sort contacts by their role in the proposed application.
2. Send the current brief and the exact gaps identified at the booth.
3. Collect the relevant model documents and supplier assumptions.
4. Ask the proposed integration owner to mark the complete scope.
5. Choose the next technical assessment before treating prices as comparable.

Korea Ops Desk

Make the next supplier meeting more focused

1. 01
   Role

   What this company supplies

2. 02
   Scope

   What the proposal covers

3. 03
   Evidence

   What your team can review

4. 04
   Owner

   Who takes the application forward

KOD can visit selected ROBOTWORLD booths, gather the available documents and permitted photographs, and follow up with the named Korean contacts. A precise application brief lets that work support your engineers and purchasing team after the exhibition closes.

7. Plan around the application, not just the robot

KOD practical analysis: A useful robotics sourcing brief starts with the work that needs to be done. A factory considering machine loading, for example, needs to define the part, payload, reach, cycle-time target and existing equipment interface. A warehouse reviewing mobile robots needs to describe load dimensions, travel routes, floor conditions and interaction with people and other vehicles.

This makes booth discussions easier to compare. A robot arm, a gripper, a vision system and integration work may come from different businesses. Buyers should establish which elements each exhibitor supplies directly and which depend on a partner. Use demonstrations to identify promising options and discuss the requirements for your own facility.

For component sourcing, the equivalent questions concern the exact part number, interface, technical documentation and compatibility with the intended system. Use photographs, catalogs and technical documents to build a shortlist for follow-up discussions.

8. Buyer checklist for ROBOTWORLD booth meetings

• Define the task. Bring a short, non-confidential application brief with the workpiece or load, operating environment and required output. Ask what additional information is needed to assess feasibility.
• Separate standard features from options. Record the demonstrated model and configuration. Ask which tooling, sensors, software licenses and integration services are included in a proposed scope.
• Check deployment responsibility. Identify who would design, commission and support the installation in the destination market. Ask about documentation language, training, spare parts and remote support.
• Request evidence. Collect relevant specifications and available test or certification documents for subsequent review.
• Agree on follow-up. Record a named technical contact, the unanswered questions and the documents promised after the show. Confirm permission before taking detailed photographs or recording a demonstration.

When an exhibitor becomes a sourcing candidate, KOD’s Korean supplier verification service can help review business information, check contact details and clarify questions with the company.

9. Visitor registration notes

Arrange priority meetings with shortlisted exhibitors and confirm the language support you need before your visit.

Review the current registration and badge-scanning terms before attending, and confirm priority meetings directly with the exhibitors.

10. Official sources and visitor planning

• ROBOTWORLD exhibition overview and exhibit categories
• Official visitor guide: hours, admission and registration deadline
• Official 2026 English brochure
• Official English website and organizer information

Visit the Official Exhibition Website →