Conference  /  March 23, 2026  -  March 27, 2026

European Robotics Forum – Workshop #19

WS#19 Beyond Compliance: Designing for Social Acceptance

Main questions to be answered

This should explain to an attendee why they should come to your workshop rather than the other ones on at the same time

  • Is your robot prepared to be accepted by society?
  • Are you sure your robot is compliant by design to every significant regulation?
  • Is your robot reliable, ethically adequate and safe in thereal and the cyber world?

WS Content

This workshop is designed to build a practical bridge between law and and engineering, helping participants understand how European AI regulation directly affects the design and development of robotic systems. Through short, focused talks, legal experts will explain how to identify when an AI system qualifies as high‐risk, why this classification is crucial under the EU AI Act, and how regulatory choices translate into concrete technical and design constraints.

A central theme of the workshop is compliance by design: regulation is presented not as an external burden, but as a strategic element to be embedded from the earliest stages of system development. Topics include European standardisation efforts for AI systems, legal limits on social robotics and potentially prohibited AI practices, cybersecurity risks and their management, and the legal challenges of technology transfer. The workshop will show how integrating legal requirements into system architecture can reduce uncertainty, prevent costly redesigns, and support trustworthy and market‐ready innovation. The final Q&A session encourages open dialogue with engineers, focusing on real‐world scenarios and practical questions.

Intended outcome

The overall aim is to demonstrate that regulatory compliance is not an afterthought, but a key component of acceptable, robust, reliable, and responsible AI and robotic systems

People actively involved (e.g. speakers, panelists, moderators)

Andrea Bertolini, Marta Mariolina Mollicone, Ludovica Sposini, Josè Saenz, Rocco Limongelli, Stefano Aterno, Luca Sambucci, AI4I representative (to be determine)