Call for Papers

The 31st International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics (AROB 31st 2026) and the 11th International Symposium on BioComplexity (ISBC 11th 2026), known as AROB-ISBC 2026, will be held from January 21-23, 2026, at B-Con PLAZA, Beppu, JAPAN.

This joint symposium invites researchers to present original research and discuss the development of new technologies concerning artificial life and robotics, based on computer simulations and hardware designs. It aims to explore how advancements in artificial life and robotics technologies, related to artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and computer science, are creating the basis for exciting new research and applications in various fields.

Topics of Interest

The symposium covers a wide range of topics, including but not limited to:

• Adaptation
• Agent-based modelling
• Artificial brain
• Artificial intelligence
• Artificial life
• Artificial living
• Artificial mind
• Bio-inspired robotics
• Bio-mimetics
• Bio-robot
• Biocomplexity
• Bioinformatics
• Biological evolution
• Biomedical database
• Biomedical imaging
• Brain science
• Chaos
• Cognitive science
• Complexity
• Control techniques
• Data mining
• Decentralized control
• Disease models and mechanisms
• Distributed system
• DNA computing
• Ethology
• Evolution of cooperation
• Evolutionary computations (Genetic algorithm)
• Gene expression and regulation
• Genome/Omics medicine
• Human genome information
• Human-machine interaction and collaboration
• Identification and Estimation
• In silico drug discovery
• Intelligent control
• Learning (Phenotypic plasticity)
• Machine Learning
• Manipulator
• Medical big data
• Medical informatics
• Mobile robots
• Model estimation
• Modular robotics
• Molecular biology
• Molecular evolution
• Molecular network
• Motion planning and navigation
• Multi-agent systems
• Multivariate statistics
• Nano-biology
• Nano-robot
• Neural networks
• Neurocomputing technologies and its application for hardware
• Parallel and distributed computing
• Phase polyphenism
• Quantum computing
• Quorum sensing
• Regenerative medicine
• Robot vision and image processing
• Robotic Mechanism
• Security
• Self-organization
• Sensor and multi-sensor data fusion
• Social insects
• Social physiology
• Sociometry
• Swarm intelligence
• Swarm robot
• Swarm robotics
• Tele-operation
• Walking robot

Submission Types

• General Sessions: Present original research.
• Organized Sessions (OS): Focused research topics; some will be open to general submissions.
• Journal Track: An option for papers accepted to the General Sessions, offering publication in the journal Artificial Life and Robotics.

Important Dates (General Sessions)

• Deadline for Abstract Submission for review: October 14, 2025 at 24:00 UTC
• Deadline for OS Proposal: October 7, 2025 at 24:00 UTC
• Notification of acceptance: October 30, 2025
• Deadline for Final Camera-Ready Papers: December 15, 2025 at 24:00 UTC
• Deadline for Early Registration: December 15, 2025 at 24:00 UTC
• Registration Deadline for Presenters: December 15, 2025 at 24:00 UTC

Submission Guidelines

General Submissions

• Submit an abstract for review by October 14, 2025.
• Organized Session proposals are due by October 7, 2025.

Journal Track Submission

• Full Paper Submission (Max. 12 pages): Deadline: August 31, 2025 at 24:00 UTC.
• Peer Review: All submissions will undergo a peer-review process.
• Notification of acceptance: November 29, 2025.
• Final Paper Submission Deadline: December 16, 2025 at 24:00 UTC.
• Templates: Authors can use the provided Word Template (.docx) or LaTeX Template (.zip).
• Participation Requirement: In-person participation and presentation at the symposium are required for accepted Journal Track papers.
• Journal Publication Fee Discount: Authors of accepted Journal Track papers will receive a discount on the journal publication fee equal to the Regular Early Registration Fee at AROB-ISBC 2026.

Publication

• Accepted papers will be published in the Proceedings of the AROB.
• Extended versions of selected papers will be published in the international journal: Artificial Life and Robotics, Springer Japan.

Organized Sessions (OS)

AROB-ISBC 2026 will feature Organized Sessions (OS) on focused research topics. Some of these sessions will be open to general submissions. The deadline for OS proposals is October 7, 2025.

Sponsors

• The Society of Instrument and Control Engineers
• The Robotics Society of Japan
• The Institute of Systems, Control and Information Engineers
• Japan Society for Simulation Technology
• The Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan
• IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Japan Chapter