Workshop proposal Robot Meets GNSS and Ranging has been submitted to IEEE ICRA2026.

Together with colleagues from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Prof. Li-Ta Hsu, Prof. Weisong Wen), Nanyang Technological University (Dr. Shenghai Yuan), DLR (Dr. Daniel Medina), Chiba Institute of Technology (Dr. Taro Suzuki), we are organizing a new workshop series, launching at IEEE ICRA 2026, titled “Robot Meets GNSS and Ranging.”

The motivation for this workshop stems from the growing research interest in applying ranging observations to robotic applications, such as transportation, agriculture, and construction, with the goal of enhancing robustness and reliability. Although ranging observations may not always represent the unique or optimal solution, they remain indispensable for achieving cost-effective and sustainable robotic autonomy in large-scale and long-term applications. Moreover, ranging observations hold strong potential as an efficient and flexible ‘data base’ for future research, serving as a foundation to validate approaches such as certifiable solvers, novel estimator designs (e.g., equivariant filters), and beyond.

Therefore, we believe that a new workshop series on this topic can effectively foster communication and collaboration across different research communities (e.g., IEEE RAS, IEEE ITSS, ION) and provide a valuable platform for both early-career and senior researchers to exchange innovative ideas. With this in mind, the workshop will not be limited to covering the basic concepts of ranging sensors, but will also go beyond to address advanced methods, integration strategies, and emerging challenges