How will we live together with robots?
At the Highlight Symposium: Robotic Relations on Thursday 12 February 2026, you’ll explore this question alongside researchers, artists and makers. Hosted at Theater De Veste, this in-depth symposium focuses not on technology itself, but on our relationship with machines as they increasingly become part of our daily lives.
Researchers Prof. Maaike Bleeker, Dr. Serdar Așut, Prof. David Abbink, and Dr. M.C. Rozendaal are collaborating with Highlight Festival artists, creators, and the public to explore how robots can become an extension of human creativity, whether we can view robots as living beings and what happens when we encounter robots in physical space.
For a long time, we have seen technology primarily as an object: a tool designed for efficiency and control. But in the digital age, that image is rapidly changing. Technology moves, listens, learns and anticipates – in ways that feel increasingly personal. Consider social robots, AI assistants, care systems, or interactive artworks: they take up space, challenge us, and influence how we behave and interact with them and each other. In this symposium, we will focus not on the technology itself, but on our human relationship to these new forms of presence.
Programme – Thursday 12 February 2026
12:15–12:30 Doors open
12:30–17:00 Symposium
17:00–17:30 Drinks
17:30 Highlight Festival visit!
Tickets
Get your Robotics Relations tickets via the button below. Your symposium ticket includes a Day Ticket or Full Festival Ticket for Highlight Festival. After the symposium, you can head straight into the city of Delft to experience the latest installations at the intersection of art, science and technology.
