Autonomous conference lands in Detroit: Xponential 2026
NewsMay 11, 2026
XPONENTIAL 2026. The world’s largest global conference for robotics and autonomous systems, XPONENTIAL 2026 -- co-hosted by the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and Messe Düsseldorf North America (MDNA) -- is open in Detroit May 11-14, with the aim of convening industry, government, and end users as questions of safety, trust, regulation, and scale increasingly shape how and where autonomy is deployed.
AUVSI President and CEO Michael Robbins states: “The future of robotics and autonomous systems will be shaped by public trust, safety, and the ability to scale responsibly. XPONENTIAL 2026 brings the global autonomy ecosystem to Detroit at a pivotal moment. With its leadership in building, testing, and deploying complex systems at scale, Detroit is the ideal place for the industry to tackle adoption and integration challenges together.”
According to the show organizers, the show programming is focusing on how robotics and autonomous systems move from development to operational use. The conference features keynote sessions from senior government, industry, and defense leaders discussing the direction of the autonomy ecosystem, the tradeoffs shaping deployment, and the policy and operational decisions influencing adoption. More than 100 sessions across six core tracks -- which include policy and governance, technology, enterprise operations, workforce development, and autonomy in action -- intended to provide practical insight into how robotics and autonomous systems are being implemented across the mobility, defense, infrastructure, energy, and public-safety sectors.
The event also features a strengthened focus on defense due to the co-location of AUVSI Defense and the Michigan Defense Expo (MDEX), which brings uncrewed innovators together with more than 3,000 defense, government, and industry professionals and connects them directly with acquisition, manufacturing, and deployment priorities.
For more information visit https://xponential.org/.
