Indus RAS Expo 2026 to open in Islamabad tomorrow

ISLAMABAD, Jul 21 (APP): The two-day Indus RAS (Robotics and Autonomous Systems) Expo 2026 will begin on Wednesday at the Pak-China Friendship Centre in Islamabad.

The National Technology Fund (Ignite), operating under the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT), will host the event from July 22 to 23.

The national technology event will bring together policymakers, defence organisations, industry leaders, researchers, academia, startups, investors, students and technology professionals to strengthen Pakistan’s robotics ecosystem and accelerate the adoption of autonomous technologies across strategic sectors.

The Indus RAS Expo 2026 is being organised in collaboration with the National Centre of Robotics and Automation (NCRA) and the NUST College of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (E&ME).

The event will be open to visitors on both days.

As robotics and autonomous systems continue to reshape economies worldwide, they are driving transformation across manufacturing, defence, agriculture, healthcare, logistics, transportation and public services.

The Indus RAS Expo 2026 aims to position Pakistan at the forefront of this technological shift by providing a collaborative platform where innovators, researchers and industry representatives can showcase indigenous solutions, exchange knowledge and forge partnerships to translate research into real-world applications.

The expo will feature innovations in defence robotics, drone technologies, industrial automation, maritime autonomous systems, agritech, Physical AI, human-machine collaboration, AI-powered decision support systems and emerging startup solutions.

Leading universities, research institutions, technology companies, startups and public-sector organisations will showcase locally developed products, advanced prototypes, applied research and live technology demonstrations, highlighting Pakistan’s growing capabilities in advanced engineering and intelligent systems.

Among the flagship attractions will be the RAS Innovation Challenge and the RoboWars Competition, where students, engineers and startups will present original robotics, drone and autonomous systems solutions before a panel of industry experts.

The event will also feature high-level plenary sessions and an Immersive Experience Dome, combining interactive storytelling with 360-degree digital experiences to inspire the next generation of innovators and demonstrate the transformative potential of emerging technologies.

Ignite Chief Executive Officer Muhammad Bilal Abbasi said, “At Ignite, we believe innovation flourishes when academia, industry and government work together with a shared purpose. Indus RAS Expo 2026 is designed to strengthen these connections, accelerate the commercialisation of indigenous technologies and provide innovators with a national platform to demonstrate solutions that can shape Pakistan’s technological future.”

As a flagship event under the broader Indus AI initiative launched in February 2026, the expo reflects Pakistan’s commitment to fostering innovation, strengthening academia-industry collaboration and accelerating the development of a world-class AI and robotics ecosystem.