====== AI-Based Robotics in the Cloud with the Virtual Research Building - Hands-on Workshop at GRC 2026 ======

We will be present at the **German Robotics Conference (GRC) 2026** in **Cologne** with a hands-on workshop titled **"AI-Based Robotics in the Cloud with the Virtual Research Building."**

In this tutorial, we introduce the **[[https://vrb.ease-crc.org/|Virtual Research Building (VRB)]]** as a cloud-based platform for AI-driven robotics research and experimentation. 

The workshop is explicitly **hands-on**: attendees are invited to bring their **own laptops** and actively try out the demonstrated concepts. We will cover:
  * The core concepts behind the **Virtual Research Building**
  * What **virtual labs** are and how they can be used to model, run, and analyze robotic experiments  
  * How to use and interact with existing virtual labs remotely 
  * How to edit existing labs or create new ones  
  * How to integrate your own lab setups and robot models into the lab  

The goal is to give participants a concrete, practical understanding of how cloud-based robotics experimentation can be set up, customized, and extended.

In addition to the hands-on tutorial, the session will include **two invited talks**:

  * **Prof. Michael Beetz (Uni Bremen)**:
      * Cloud-based digital twins for AI-driven robotics: Key advantages and potential applications

  * **Prof. Uwe Aßmann (TU Dresden)**:  
      * The Test Infrastructure of the Smart Mobility Lab of TU Dresden as Part of the RIG Virtual Research Building

These talks provide context and concrete examples of how cloud-based digital twins and large-scale test infrastructures are integrated into the VRB ecosystem.

**Technical requirements:**  
All interaction with the VRB takes place directly in the browser, so no special software installation is required. To obtain and manage the provided example material, having git installed is recommended. For more convenient local development, building, and testing of labs, docker and docker compose may additionally be useful.

**Important:**  
Participation in the workshop (WS6) requires **separate registration** and is **not included** in the regular GRC conference ticket. Registration details can be found here (reduced student fee available):  
https://robotics-institute-germany.de/grc-registration/

**Limited spots available. Early registration is recommended!**

**Workshop organizers:**  
Dr. Mareike Picklum, Malte Huerkamp, Luca Krohm, Dr. Benjamin Alt, Andre Meixner, Dr. Jonas Kiemel, Prof. Dr. Alexander König