AI Native Futures
Unitree Robotics Australia Summit 2026 banner showing humanoid and quadruped robots and featured speakers
Upcoming event · 11–12 Nov 2026

Unitree Robotics Australia Summit 2026

Building Australia's Robotics Future

A two-day national conversation for educators, industry leaders, researchers and robotics specialists — presented by Unitree, C.R. Kennedy and AI Native Futures, with Xsens as Human Motion & Humanoid Learning Partner.

When
Wed 11 – Thu 12 November 2026
From 10:00 am
Where
C.R. Kennedy
300 Lorimer Street, Port Melbourne VIC
RSVP by
6 November 2026
Enquiries
Rita Arrigo
+61 488 486 633
Register on Eventbrite →Download full program (PDF)
About the summit

Technologies, skills, partnerships and practical pathways for robotics adoption in Australia.

The summit brings together leaders from education, industry, research and the robotics community to examine how Australia can build the capability, confidence and partnerships needed to adopt robotics and AI responsibly and at scale. Across two days of keynotes, live Unitree humanoid and quadruped demonstrations, technical sessions and facilitated discussion.

01

Future

What is changing in robotics and embodied AI — and what does it mean for Australia?

02

Use cases

Where can robotics create practical value across industry, research and education?

03

Adoption

How do we overcome cost, capability, trust and implementation barriers?

Experience Xsens live teleoperation and streaming with the Unitree G1 throughout both days.

Program

Two days of insight, demonstration and action

Day 1 — Wednesday 11 November

Future, industry and education

  1. 10:00 – 10:30
    Welcome and summit opening

    Jeff Bethell · C.R. Kennedy

  2. 10:30 – 11:00
    Keynote: The Human Story of a Robotics World

    What happens when AI gets a body?

    John McGiffin · Natural Velocity

  3. 11:00 – 11:30
    From Robotics Innovation to Real-World Deployment: Unitree's Global Perspective

    Felix Shang · Unitree

  4. 11:30 – 11:45
    Morning tea
  5. 11:45 – 12:30
    Featured talk: Beyond Mobility — Teaching Robots to Interact with the Real World

    Dr Tirthankar Bandyopadhyay · CSIRO

  6. 12:30 – 1:30
    Lunch and networking
  7. 1:30 – 2:15
    Keynote: The Robotics Needs of Australian Industry

    Rita Arrigo · AI Native Futures

  8. 2:15 – 3:00
    From Human Motion to Robot Intelligence: Training Humanoids to Move, Learn and Adapt

    Combined with a live Unitree demo.

    Joshua Joseph · Xsens

  9. 3:00 – 4:00
    Learning to Work Together: Humanoid Robots, Human Intelligence and the Future of Collaboration

    Prof Dana Kulić · Monash Robotics

  10. 4:00 – 4:15
    Afternoon tea
  11. 4:15 – 4:45
    Practical Security and Inspection Use Cases for Unitree Robotics in Real-World Environments

    Brenton Weigler & Adam Ross · C.R. Kennedy

  12. 4:45 – 5:30
    Panel: Building Australia's Physical AI Capability — From AI Models to Robots at Work

    Dr Johan Barthelemy (NVIDIA), Prof Dana Kulić (Monash Robotics), Dr Tirthankar Bandyopadhyay (CSIRO Data61).

    Moderator: Rita Arrigo · AI Native Futures

  13. 6:30 – 8:30
    Summit dinner, sponsored by Xsens

    Oakwood Premier Melbourne

Day 2 — Thursday 12 November

Technical capability and practical adoption

  1. 10:00 – 10:15
    Opening address

    Rita Arrigo · AI Native Futures

  2. 10:15 – 11:15
    The Robotics Revolution: Why Unitree Matters

    Features, functions, use cases and demos.

    Jeff Bethell · C.R. Kennedy

  3. 11:15 – 11:30
    Morning tea
  4. 11:30 – 12:30
    Social Robotics: Ethical & Cultural Considerations

    Dr Belinda Dunstan · UNSW Creative Robotics Lab

  5. 12:30 – 1:30
    Lunch and networking
  6. 1:30 – 2:00
    Keeping Robots Working: Service, Maintenance and the Infrastructure Behind Robotics at Scale

    Mark Thomas · CMG Smart Services

  7. 2:00 – 3:00
    Quadruped in the Paddock: What Agriculture Can Teach Us About Embodied AI

    Ian Sinclair · University of the Sunshine Coast

  8. 3:00 – 3:30
    Autonomous Solar Farm Inspections with the Unitree Go2

    Lukas Nielsen · UNSW

  9. 3:30 – 4:00
    Australia's Robotics Future: What We Heard, What We Need, What Happens Next

    Felix Shang & Jeff Bethell · Moderator: Rita Arrigo

Speakers

Featured speakers

  • John McGiffin
    CEO, Natural Velocity
  • Rita Arrigo
    AI Native Futures
  • Felix Shang
    Sales Director, Unitree Robotics
  • Jeff Bethell
    National Robotics Manager, C.R. Kennedy
  • Dr Tirthankar Bandyopadhyay
    CSIRO Data61
  • Prof Dana Kulić
    Director, Monash Robotics
  • Joshua Joseph
    Xsens
  • Dr Belinda Dunstan
    UNSW Creative Robotics Lab
  • Dr Johan Barthelemy
    NVIDIA AI Technology Center
  • Mark Thomas
    CMG Smart Services
  • Ian Sinclair
    University of the Sunshine Coast
  • Lukas Nielsen
    UNSW Mechatronics
  • Brenton Weigler
    C.R. Kennedy
  • Adam Ross
    C.R. Kennedy

Join the national conversation on robotics.

RSVP by 6 November 2026. Seats are limited.

Register on Eventbrite →Explore embodied AI