Women in Robotics: Insights Into the First International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems in the Middle East [Women in Engineering]

The 2024 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS), held for the first time in the Middle East, featured two key events dedicated to Women in Engineering (WIE): the Empowering Diverse Voices in Robotics (EDVR) Forum and the 2024 IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) Women in Robotics Luncheon Panel. These events underscored the limited but growing number of women in robotics in the region <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref1" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[1]</xref>, <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref2" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[2]</xref>, prompting the development of a comprehensive survey to explore their experiences. This increased representation is particularly valuable given that diverse teams enhance collaboration, improve decision making, and foster greater creativity and performance <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref3" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[3]</xref>.