KUKA Innovation Award 2026

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To address the changes in the packaging industry, the KUKA Innovation Award 2026 was centered around the topic of “Circular Packaging.”

Update: The team from Abu Dhabi, which had qualified for the final of the KUKA Innovation Award 2026, is unfortunately unable to continue participating in the competition. Due to the current crisis in the Middle East, the team does not have access to the required robotic systems and is therefore unable to implement the planned application as intended. We deeply regret these circumstances and would like to expressly thank the team for their commitment.

Circular Packaging Challenge

In response to the challenges posed by climate change and environmental pollution, the new EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation took effect in 2025. The PPWR establishes the legal framework for packaging and its waste in the EU. This means significant changes for companies and their production processes. For this reason, we have launched the KUKA Innovation Award 2026 on the topic of “Circular Packaging.” The award primarily targets the life cycle of packaging in consumer goods from placing products into the packaging until retrieving the package in the recycling process.

We asked the participants to look into the future: Where and how can robots be used in packaging industries applications and contribute to optimal efficiency of robot applications? What role can AI play in the applications, tasks, sensors and vision systems?