IROS Topic Selection
Use this before writing. IROS is strongest for an integrated intelligent system — perception,
estimation, planning, learning, or control working together on a robot — validated under a real
embodiment constraint. The house question is not "is the idea novel?" but "does the system run, on
stated hardware, and is that demonstrably hard?"
Fit test
- Prefer IROS when the contribution is a working system for perception-action integration, autonomy,
navigation, manipulation, robot learning deployed on hardware, human-aware robotics, or fielded
systems — and the embodiment (sensors, compute, power, latency) shapes the design.
- Route to ICRA when the work is a fine automation/robotics contribution whose natural slot is the
spring cycle; IROS and ICRA overlap heavily, so timing and program fit often decide.
- Route to RSS when the contribution is a single, foundational, science-first claim that wants a
single-track audience and a rebuttal, rather than deployed-system breadth.
- Route to CoRL when the learning method is the contribution and robots are the testbed, more than
the system integration being the point.
- Route to RA-L / T-RO when the work wants journal review and revision, then optionally a conference
presentation via the transfer window.
- Route to HRI / RO-MAN for interaction studies with human-subjects methodology, and to CASE for
automation-science and factory-scale problems.
Fit signal table
| Signal in the project |
IROS reading |
| A system that runs on real hardware under a compute/power/latency budget |
Core fit — the house genre |
| Perception + planning + control integrated and evaluated end to end |
Core fit |
| A single foundational theorem or model, science-first, best with rebuttal |
Better served at RSS |
| A learning algorithm whose novelty carries the paper, robot as testbed |
Better served at CoRL |
| A polished demo with no trials, resets, or failure analysis |
Not yet IROS-shaped — build evidence |
| Journal-length exposition or need for revision cycles |
RA-L or T-RO, then transfer to present |
Vignette: where a legged-locomotion project goes
A project delivers a controller that keeps a quadruped upright on loose gravel, on the robot, with trial
counts and a failure taxonomy. IROS reading: strong fit — an integrated system meeting a terrain
constraint with embodied evidence. Strip the hardware and keep only a simulation policy-learning result,
and it drifts toward CoRL; distill it to one provable stability claim wanting single-track scrutiny, and
RSS becomes the better home; grow it into a journal-length treatment with revisions, and RA-L or T-RO
fits, after which the transfer window can still put it on an IROS stage.
Sharpening moves before committing
- Name the embodiment constraint the system respects — onboard compute, power budget, sensor noise,
contact uncertainty, or real-time latency. If nothing physical constrains the design, the IROS framing
is thin.
- Confirm the argument fits the body alone: IROS has no supplementary PDF, so a system that only
makes sense with an appendix is mis-sized.
- Verify you can produce embodied evidence — real trials, resets, failures, and a stated sim-to-real
gap — not just a curve or a single hero run.
- Robotics program emphasis drifts between cycles and cities; scan the current CFP topic list before
final routing.
Quick router:
system on real hardware under a physical constraint? ---> IROS (or ICRA by season)
single foundational science claim, wants rebuttal? ----> RSS
the learning method is the contribution? -------------> CoRL
wants journal review + revisions? --------------------> RA-L / T-RO (then transfer to present)
Output format
[Fit] strong IROS / possible IROS / better elsewhere
[Best venue] IROS / ICRA / RSS / CoRL / RA-L / T-RO / HRI / CASE / other
[System sentence] <one sentence naming the integrated system>
[Embodiment constraint] <compute / power / latency / contact / sensing>
[Top rejection risk] <evidence / integration / novelty / scope>
[Next action] <build evidence, reframe, or switch venue>
Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills → IROS-Skills/skills/iros-topic-selection/SKILL.md
1---2name: iros-topic-selection3description: Use when deciding whether a project is a strong IROS fit, routing among ICRA, RSS, CoRL, RA-L, T-RO, HRI, and CASE from IROS's seat on the fall IEEE/RSJ calendar, identifying the integrated-system contribution and its embodiment constraint, and sharpening the intelligent-robots-and-systems framing before writing begins.4---567# IROS Topic Selection89Use this before writing. IROS is strongest for an **integrated intelligent system** — perception,10estimation, planning, learning, or control working together on a robot — validated under a real11embodiment constraint. The house question is not "is the idea novel?" but "does the system run, on12stated hardware, and is that demonstrably hard?"1314## Fit test1516- Prefer IROS when the contribution is a working system for perception-action integration, autonomy,17 navigation, manipulation, robot learning deployed on hardware, human-aware robotics, or fielded18 systems — and the embodiment (sensors, compute, power, latency) shapes the design.19- Route to **ICRA** when the work is a fine automation/robotics contribution whose natural slot is the20 spring cycle; IROS and ICRA overlap heavily, so timing and program fit often decide.21- Route to **RSS** when the contribution is a single, foundational, science-first claim that wants a22 single-track audience and a rebuttal, rather than deployed-system breadth.23- Route to **CoRL** when the learning method *is* the contribution and robots are the testbed, more than24 the system integration being the point.25- Route to **RA-L / T-RO** when the work wants journal review and revision, then optionally a conference26 presentation via the transfer window.27- Route to **HRI / RO-MAN** for interaction studies with human-subjects methodology, and to **CASE** for28 automation-science and factory-scale problems.2930## Fit signal table3132| Signal in the project | IROS reading |33|---|---|34| A system that runs on real hardware under a compute/power/latency budget | Core fit — the house genre |35| Perception + planning + control integrated and evaluated end to end | Core fit |36| A single foundational theorem or model, science-first, best with rebuttal | Better served at RSS |37| A learning algorithm whose novelty carries the paper, robot as testbed | Better served at CoRL |38| A polished demo with no trials, resets, or failure analysis | Not yet IROS-shaped — build evidence |39| Journal-length exposition or need for revision cycles | RA-L or T-RO, then transfer to present |4041## Vignette: where a legged-locomotion project goes4243A project delivers a controller that keeps a quadruped upright on loose gravel, on the robot, with trial44counts and a failure taxonomy. IROS reading: strong fit — an integrated system meeting a terrain45constraint with embodied evidence. Strip the hardware and keep only a simulation policy-learning result,46and it drifts toward CoRL; distill it to one provable stability claim wanting single-track scrutiny, and47RSS becomes the better home; grow it into a journal-length treatment with revisions, and RA-L or T-RO48fits, after which the transfer window can still put it on an IROS stage.4950## Sharpening moves before committing5152- Name the **embodiment constraint** the system respects — onboard compute, power budget, sensor noise,53 contact uncertainty, or real-time latency. If nothing physical constrains the design, the IROS framing54 is thin.55- Confirm the argument fits the **body alone**: IROS has no supplementary PDF, so a system that only56 makes sense with an appendix is mis-sized.57- Verify you can produce **embodied evidence** — real trials, resets, failures, and a stated sim-to-real58 gap — not just a curve or a single hero run.59- Robotics program emphasis drifts between cycles and cities; scan the current CFP topic list before60 final routing.6162```text63Quick router:64 system on real hardware under a physical constraint? ---> IROS (or ICRA by season)65 single foundational science claim, wants rebuttal? ----> RSS66 the learning method is the contribution? -------------> CoRL67 wants journal review + revisions? --------------------> RA-L / T-RO (then transfer to present)68```6970## Output format7172```text73[Fit] strong IROS / possible IROS / better elsewhere74[Best venue] IROS / ICRA / RSS / CoRL / RA-L / T-RO / HRI / CASE / other75[System sentence] <one sentence naming the integrated system>76[Embodiment constraint] <compute / power / latency / contact / sensing>77[Top rejection risk] <evidence / integration / novelty / scope>78[Next action] <build evidence, reframe, or switch venue>79```8081---8283**Source:** [`brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills`](https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) → `IROS-Skills/skills/iros-topic-selection/SKILL.md`
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