The International Federation of Robotics (IFR) has honoured 11 women it says is shaping the future of robotics, with the Women in Robotics 2026 awards.

The IFR says the awards increase awareness around the work being done by women in robotics and acknowledges the women involved.

It adds that global industrial robotics installations are predicted to surpass 700,000 units in 2028, an annual compound growth rate of 7%.

In such a fast-growth sector, the IFR says companies are staying competitive by actively setting up “strategies to benefit from female participation” as they recognise contribution from women in this field future-proofs the industry.

This year's IFR Women in Robotics awardees are (in alphabetical order):

• Younseal Eum – AeiROBOT, South Korea
• Stefania Ferrero – Comau, Italy
• Christina Jørgensen – Universal Robots, Denmark
• Allison Krumpe – HealthTech Partners Global, US
• Henrike Neulen – Intrinsic, Germany
• Asami Sasao – Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan
• Kristina Schunk – Schunk, Germany
• Mikell Taylor – General Motors, US
• Susanne Timsjö – ABB Robotics, Sweden
• Dana Whalls – Association for Advancing Automation (A3), US
• Prof. Rong Xiong – IPLUSMOBOT/ Zhejiang University, China

“Women are critical contributors in the fast-growing field of robotics,” says Dr Susanne Bieller, general secretary of the IFR.

“This is clearly illustrated by diverse teams developing unbiased AI technology and next-generation robotics systems. 

“These projects aim to open up new sectors for automation, not only in traditional manufacturing settings, but also in healthcare and elderly care, or in consumer markets.”

The Global Gender Gap Report 2025 by the World Economic Forum reveals that while women account for more than 40% of the global workforce, the rate of participation by women in manufacturing is less than 35%, not even ranking in the top 10.

This result corresponds with the fact that the share of women within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is below 30%.