Participation Terms

Last updated: October 4, 2026

These Participation Terms apply to individuals who attend, participate in, present at, exhibit at, volunteer for, speak at, or otherwise take part in Robot Week NYC activities.

Participation in Robot Week NYC events is subject to these terms and to any additional acknowledgments, consents, or requirements presented through an event registration or participation form.

About Robot Week NYC

Robot Week NYC is an independently organized educational and community initiative focused on robots, human-robot interaction, robot literacy, technology, careers, design, and the relationship between robots and people.

Activities may include:

Panel discussions
Talks and presentations
Robot demonstrations
Hands-on activities
Workshops
Project showcases
Hackathons
Networking
Career discussions
Research and educational demonstrations

Robot Week NYC may include students, educators, researchers, technologists, companies, startups, robot manufacturers, independent creators, and other guests.

Adult Participation

Unless a specific event expressly states otherwise, Robot Week NYC activities are intended for adults age 18 and older.

Respectful Participation

Robot Week NYC is intended to provide a respectful, professional, educational, and welcoming environment.

Participants are expected to treat attendees, students, speakers, panelists, exhibitors, volunteers, organizers, venue staff, and other participants respectfully.

Harassment, intimidation, discriminatory conduct, threats, deliberate disruption, dangerous behavior, or conduct that materially interferes with an event may result in removal from the event.

Robot Week NYC organizers may restrict or terminate an individual's participation when reasonably necessary to protect participants, equipment, venues, or event operations.

Robot and Equipment Safety

Robot Week NYC events may include physical robots, robotic systems, prototypes, computers, sensors, motors, batteries, electronics, mechanical systems, and other equipment.

Robots may move unexpectedly.

Robotic systems may contain moving components, motors, joints, wheels, cameras, microphones, sensors, batteries, or other hardware. Robots and prototypes may also experience software errors, communication failures, mechanical failures, unexpected movement, loss of balance, sensor errors, or other behavior that differs from their intended operation.

Participants must follow all instructions provided by Robot Week NYC organizers, equipment operators, exhibitors, equipment owners, and venue staff.

Participants must not:

Touch or operate a robot unless specifically invited to do so
Enter a robot's operating area when instructed not to
Interfere with a robot while it is moving
Attempt to modify, repair, reprogram, move, or disconnect equipment without permission
Touch exposed electrical or mechanical components
Deliberately obstruct a robot's sensors, wheels, joints, cameras, or operating path
Place personal belongings, food, drinks, or other objects in designated robot operating areas

Organizers or equipment operators may pause, stop, reposition, disable, or remove a robot or demonstration at any time for safety or operational reasons.

Participation in hands-on activities is voluntary.

Assumption of Risk

Participants acknowledge that interacting with robots, prototypes, electronics, mechanical systems, and demonstration equipment involves ordinary and inherent risks.

These risks may include, among other things:

Unexpected robot movement
Contact with moving equipment
Equipment malfunction
Trips or falls
Damage to personal belongings
Electrical or mechanical failure
Software or sensor errors
Crowded event spaces
Participation in hands-on activities

Participants are responsible for exercising reasonable judgment, following instructions, and maintaining an appropriate distance from operating equipment when directed.

By voluntarily participating in an activity involving robotic or technical equipment, participants acknowledge and accept the ordinary risks associated with that activity.

Damage, Injury, and Limitation of Liability

Participants are responsible for their own personal property, including phones, laptops, bags, clothing, cameras, prototypes, robots, accessories, and other belongings.

Robot Week NYC does not guarantee that robots, prototypes, or demonstration equipment will operate without malfunction or unexpected behavior.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Robot Week NYC, The Robot Age, its organizers, volunteers, speakers, exhibitors, and event collaborators are not responsible for incidental or accidental loss or damage to personal property resulting from ordinary participation in a robot demonstration, hands-on activity, workshop, showcase, or other event activity.

Participants should keep valuable or fragile property away from robot operating areas.

Nothing in these Participation Terms is intended to exclude or limit liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited under applicable law.

Participants Bringing Robots or Equipment

Participants, exhibitors, speakers, companies, or organizations that bring robots, prototypes, or other equipment to Robot Week NYC are responsible for ensuring that their equipment can be demonstrated safely.

Equipment owners are responsible for:

Supervising their equipment
Operating it in a reasonable and safe manner
Providing appropriate operating instructions
Identifying any unusual hazards
Maintaining sufficient control over moving equipment
Complying with applicable venue requirements
Protecting participants from reasonably foreseeable hazards associated with their demonstration

Robot Week NYC organizers may require a demonstration to be modified, repositioned, restricted, stopped, or removed when reasonably necessary for safety, accessibility, available space, venue requirements, or event operations.

The owner or operator of externally supplied equipment remains responsible for that equipment and its operation.

Cameras, Microphones, Sensors, and Robot Data

Some robots used during Robot Week NYC may contain cameras, microphones, depth sensors, LiDAR, proximity sensors, or other sensing technology necessary for navigation, interaction, research, demonstration, or operation.

Robot Week NYC does not intentionally use its robots to conduct surveillance of participants.

Robots operated directly by Robot Week NYC are not configured for the purpose of creating persistent recordings of attendees or transmitting participant recordings to unrelated third parties for advertising, profiling, or marketing.

Sensor data may be processed temporarily by a robot or its connected computing system as necessary for functions such as:

Navigation
Obstacle detection
Voice interaction
Person detection
Gesture recognition
Demonstration features
Safety
Human-robot interaction

Unless specifically disclosed for a particular activity, Robot Week NYC does not intentionally retain identifiable audio, video, or sensor recordings of participants captured by its robots.

Robot Week NYC does not sell robot-generated participant data.

Robot Week NYC does not provide robot-generated participant data to third parties for their independent advertising or marketing purposes.

Some robotic systems may rely on manufacturer software, cloud services, APIs, or infrastructure to perform certain functions. Where a demonstration requires data to be processed by such a service, Robot Week NYC will make reasonable efforts to minimize the transmission of personally identifiable participant information.

Participants should understand that robots brought by outside exhibitors, researchers, companies, or other independent participants may operate under different technical systems and privacy practices.

External exhibitors are responsible for appropriately disclosing when their robot or demonstration intentionally records, stores, or transmits identifiable participant information.

Robot Week NYC may restrict demonstrations that use participant data in a manner inconsistent with the educational and community nature of the event.

Event Photography and Recording

The previous section applies specifically to sensing and data collected by robots and robotic systems.

Separately, Robot Week NYC events themselves may be photographed, filmed, streamed, or otherwise recorded by event organizers.

Photography and recording may be used to:

Document the event
Share event highlights
Report on Robot Week NYC activities
Promote future Robot Week NYC events
Communicate about The Robot Age and related educational initiatives

Participants who do not wish to be intentionally featured in close-up photography, interviews, testimonials, or similar content should inform an organizer when practical.

Separate permission may be requested for interviews, testimonials, featured profiles, or other content where an individual is a primary subject.

Outside Speakers, Panelists, Exhibitors, and Organizations

Robot Week NYC may include speakers, panelists, exhibitors, researchers, educators, companies, startups, students, creators, and other organizations that are independent from Robot Week NYC.

Participation by an individual or organization does not mean that Robot Week NYC endorses that participant's:

Views
Products
Services
Employer
Business practices
Research
Technology
Employment opportunities
Commercial activities

The views expressed by speakers, panelists, exhibitors, or participants are their own.

Participants should independently evaluate products, services, employment opportunities, research claims, business relationships, or other opportunities presented during an event.

Project Showcases and Hackathons

Participants may have opportunities to present projects, prototypes, research, software, code, designs, videos, demonstrations, concepts, or other work.

Participants are responsible for ensuring they have the right to display, use, or submit the materials they present.

Participants should not submit confidential, proprietary, restricted, copyrighted, or personally identifiable information unless they have the appropriate rights or permission to do so.

Unless a separate agreement expressly states otherwise, participants retain ownership of the intellectual property they create.

By voluntarily submitting a project or other work for a Robot Week NYC showcase, presentation, hackathon, demonstration, or similar activity, the participant gives Robot Week NYC permission to:

Display the work
Describe the work
Photograph or record the work
Identify the participant or team associated with the work
Share event-related images or descriptions of the work
Promote the project in connection with Robot Week NYC and related educational activities

This permission does not transfer ownership of the participant's intellectual property to Robot Week NYC.

Personal Property

Participants are responsible for their own personal property.

Robot Week NYC does not assume responsibility for lost, stolen, misplaced, or damaged personal property except where responsibility cannot legally be excluded.

Participants bringing valuable, fragile, or specialized equipment should maintain appropriate supervision over it.

Accessibility

Robot Week NYC aims to make its activities reasonably accessible.

Participants who require an accommodation are encouraged to contact the organizers in advance when possible so reasonable arrangements can be explored.

Schedule and Program Changes

Robot Week NYC schedules, speakers, demonstrations, activities, venues, exhibitors, and program details may change.

Robot Week NYC may modify, reschedule, relocate, cancel, substitute, or discontinue an event or activity when reasonably necessary.

Publication of a speaker, exhibitor, demonstration, or activity does not guarantee that the announced participant or activity will occur.

Venue Rules

Participants must comply with applicable safety, security, accessibility, conduct, and facility requirements of the venue hosting an event.

Venue staff may independently enforce their own policies.

Relationship With New York Institute of Technology

Robot Week NYC is independently organized and is not an official program of New York Institute of Technology ("NYIT") unless expressly stated otherwise.

The use of an NYIT facility or participation by NYIT students, faculty, employees, staff, or alumni does not by itself mean that NYIT sponsors, operates, administers, endorses, or assumes responsibility for Robot Week NYC.

Views expressed by Robot Week NYC organizers, speakers, panelists, exhibitors, participating organizations, or attendees should not be interpreted as statements or positions of NYIT.

Participants attending an activity at an NYIT facility must comply with applicable NYIT facility, security, safety, and conduct requirements.

Removal From an Event

Robot Week NYC organizers may remove or restrict the participation of an individual whose behavior is:

Unsafe
Disruptive
Abusive
Threatening
Discriminatory
Unlawful
Damaging to property
Interfering with equipment
Materially interfering with the participation of others

Removal from an event does not create an entitlement to reimbursement or other compensation unless expressly required by applicable law or another agreement.

Changes to These Terms

Robot Week NYC may update these Participation Terms as its programs, events, technology, or operating practices develop.

The current version will be posted on this page with the date of the most recent revision.

Contact

Questions regarding participation may be sent to:

Robot Week NYC
The Robot Age
mike@therobotage.com
robotweeknyc.org