"Women in Robotics 2026"
IFR presents Award Winners
To give women in the robotics industry more visibility and recognition, the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) has honored eleven women in 2026 who are shaping the future of robotics.
The number of industrial robots installed worldwide will exceed 700,000 units per year in 2028 - this corresponds to an average annual growth rate of around 7% (CAGR, 2025 - 2028). In order to strengthen their own competitiveness, companies are implementing targeted strategies for recruiting women. Practical examples from America, Asia and Europe show how female expertise contributes to the development of new robot systems.
"In the fast-growing field of robotics, the contributions of women play a crucial role," says Dr. Susanne Bieller, Secretary General of the International Federation of Robotics. "The importance of mixed teams in the development of next-generation robotic systems and unbiased AI technology illustrates this. Such projects aim to open up new fields of application for automation beyond traditional manufacturing environments, such as healthcare and elderly care or for private customers."
As the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025 shows, more and more women are entering the labor market worldwide: 40% of the global workforce are women. However, this proportion varies greatly by sector: while the proportion of women in the service professions and in education and care is more than 50%, the manufacturing industry is not even among the top ten sectors with a proportion of women of less than 35%. This result is consistent with the fact that the proportion of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is less than 30%.
The involvement of women in the development of robotics will be crucial for the future viability of the industry, as demonstrated by the success stories of the eleven "Women in Robotics 2026" who, according to the IFR, will shape the future of robotics in 2026.
This year's prizewinners are (in alphabetical order):
Younseal Eum - AeiROBOT, South Korea
Stefania Ferrero - Comau, Italy
Christina Jørgensen - Universal Robots, Denmark
Allison Krumpe - HealthTech Partners Global, USA
Henrike Neulen - Intrinsic, Germany
Asami Sasao - Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Japan
Kristina Schunk - Schunk, Germany
Mikell Taylor - General Motors, USA
Susanne Timsjö - ABB Robotics, Sweden
Dana Whalls - Association for Advancing Automation (A3), USA
Prof. Rong Xiong - IPLUSMOBOT/ Zhejiang University, China
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