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**Keynote:** Cognitive Architectures for Robust and Reliable Robotics
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   *9:00 - 10:30* -- Esther Aguado

In this keynote, I will introduce the field of cognitive architectures: control frameworks that allow robots to reason, plan, and make decisions in intelligent and flexible ways.
I will begin by sharing my own journey into this area, then define what cognitive architectures are and explain why they are essential for achieving true autonomy in robots.

We will explore the key capabilities these systems must support, and examine how they are implemented in well-established cognitive architectures such as Soar, LIDA, and ACT-R.
I will also discuss current practical approaches to bridging high-level reasoning with low-level perception and action, through frameworks like CRAM/KnowRob and SkiROS.

To conclude, I will reflect on broader research challenges that continue to shape the field, including improving generalization across tasks and environments, enriching memory and understanding, and enhancing the integration of perception, control, and action.

This perspective aligns closely with the goals of the CoreSense project, which aims to design a robust and general-purpose cognitive architecture centered on perception, understanding, and awareness in autonomous robots.
The talk will highlight ongoing research efforts that support the vision of building autonomous systems that are resilient, transparent, and trustworthy.

Session materials:
 - :download:`Slides: Cognitive Architectures for Robust and Reliable Robotics <slides/Keynote_CognitiveArchitectures_EAguado.pdf>`

**Bio Esther Aguado** holds a PhD in Automation and Robotics from the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM, 2024). Her research focuses on techniques that provide guarantees on robot behavior through introspection and adaptation.

She graduated in Industrial Technology Engineering (UPM, 2017), with a specialization in
Electronics and Automation. He completed his training with a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering (UPM, 2019) and a Master's degree in Automation and Robotics (UPM, 2020). In 2019, he joined the Center for Automation and Robotics (CAR-CSIC) with a Collaboration Grant, participating in the development of sound localization systems for robots. During his PhD, he worked on the design of robust systems applied to underground mining, social robotics, and industrial robotics, with competitive predoctoral funding.

Her thesis, "SysSelf: Systems that know what they are doing," awarded Outstanding Cum Laude with International Mention, establishes a framework for autonomous systems to regulate their own control processes in real time. 

She has published in JCR journals, participated in national and international conferences, and is a co-inventor of a patent. She was a visiting researcher at TU Delft (Netherlands) in 2022 and 2024. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the Rey Juan Carlos University, where she teaches Telematics Engineering and Robotics, and continues her research work on intelligent systems with behavioral guarantees.