At Highlight Festival 2026 (11-14 February), Delft doesn’t just host art and technology, it becomes a living research lab. Alongside installations and performances, you are invited to both take part in real, ongoing research and get a rare glimpse into experiments normally confined to the labs of TU Delft.
Sidewalk Salsa
Ever tried to dodge someone and ended up awkwardly stepping the same way? That familiar moment is called the sidewalk salsa.
In Sidewalk Salsa at Vesteplein, researchers from TU Delft study how robots can move more naturally among people. During Highlight Festival, you’ll meet a mobile robot that “reads” your movements and responds to your presence.
Lunar Zebro
One of the standout research projects you’ll encounter is Lunar Zebro, a six-legged robot preparing for a real mission to the Moon.
You can meet Lunar Zebro up close in the ROBO-DEPOT, and on 13 & 14 February also in Delft Central Station Hall, where it gives a glimpse of what robotic exploration beyond Earth might look like.
Rober
You can also take part in live research with Rober, a hospitality robot seen in action at The Social Hub Delft.
Together with researchers Hannah Kleijne and Enne Lampe, you join guided walking experiments that explore how movement, awareness and interaction change when we share space with a robot.
ROBO-DEPOT
At the ROBO-DEPOT at The Social Hub, TU Delft opens the doors to research that’s still very much in development. Professors, students and engineers present experimental robo-projects.
At the Demo Stage of the ROBO-DEPOT, you’ll see live demonstrations, short talks and hands-on experiments.
At Highlight Festival 2026, research isn’t hidden behind lab walls. Come test, feel and experience how robotics is shaping our shared future!
