A3 Achievement Awards
Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Award
The World's Most Prestigious Robotics Honor
The World's Most Prestigious Robotics Honor
Named after Joseph F. Engelberger, known throughout the world as the founding force behind industrial robotics, the Engelberger Robotics Award is the world's most prestigious robotics honor. The awards began in 1977 and are presented to individuals for excellence in technology development, application, education, and leadership in the robotics industry. The Leadership Award is given each year, while the other categories are rotated by year.
The winners of the 2026 Joseph F. Engelberger Robotics Awards, widely regarded as the most prestigious accolades in the field of robotics, consist of two esteemed industry leaders.
Hiroshi Fujiwara, Executive Director of the Japan Robot Association (JARA), was selected as the 2026 Leadership winner for his decades of work advancing robotics, industrial policy and international collaboration.
Robert Little, co-founder of ATI Industrial Automation, was recognized as the 2026 Application winner for his role in expanding the practical use of robotics in manufacturing through end-effector technologies, force/torque sensing, and robotic tool changing.
2026 Award Winners
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2026 Leadership: Hiroshi Fujiwara,
Executive Director of the Japan Robot Association (JARA)
Hiroshi Fujiwara is Executive Director of the Japan Robot Association (JARA), where he has led strategic operations and policy advocacy for Japan’s robotics industry since 2009, helping strengthen collaboration among industry leaders, government agencies, and international partners to advance both industrial and service robotics innovation. Prior to JARA, he built a distinguished career in public service with Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), retiring in 2009 after nearly three decades in leadership roles spanning industrial policy, technology development, economic security, and small business innovation.
His experience also includes serving as Director General of Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO Vienna), leadership roles at National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and as a professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology, where he helped foster collaboration between industry, academia, and government. With deep expertise in robotics, international trade, strategic planning, and emerging technologies, Fujiwara has played a significant role in shaping Japan’s innovation ecosystem from a global perspective.
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2026 Application: Robert Little,
Co-founder of ATI Industrial Automation
Robert Little is a robotics industry leader with more than 40 years of experience in robotics, automation, and manufacturing. He co-founded ATI Industrial Automation in 1989 and helped lead the company from approximately $1 million to more than $100 million in revenue, establishing ATI as a global leader in robotic tool changers, force/torque sensing, and other end-effector technologies that expanded the practical use of robots in manufacturing.
Following Novanta’s acquisition of ATI in 2021, Little served as President of Novanta’s ATI business group and later as Chief of Robotics Strategy, helping guide and support ATI’s continued growth within Novanta’s robotics platform. He now supports the robotics industry through his advisory firm, Robert Little Robotics, where he advises companies on business strategy centered around robotics and automation markets. Little also serves on the A3 Robotics Technology Strategy Board.
Little earned his BSME from the University of Pittsburgh and his MSME from North Carolina State University. Before his engineering and robotics career, he proudly served as a paratrooper with the U.S. Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. His work focuses on advancing robot adoption, supporting manufacturing productivity, and helping companies understand the strategic impact of robotics and automation.
