The 3rd International Conference on Electrical Technology and Automation Engineering (ETAE 2026) was successfully held in Shenzhen from March 20 to 22, 2026. Hosted by Southern University of Science and Technology and co-organized by the School of Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing, Southern University of Science and Technology and the AEIC Academic Exchange Information Center, with support from South China University of Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen, and Shenzhen University of Science and Technology, the conference centered on the theme of “Focusing on Cutting-Edge Electrical Automation Technologies to Promote Interdisciplinary Innovation and Collaboration.” It brought together leading experts, scholars, university faculty and students, and technical professionals from the electrical technology and automation engineering fields, providinga high-level platform for academic exchange, and jointly exploring the latest theoretical advances, technological innovations, and practical applications in the field.

At the opening ceremony of the conference, Professor Zhiyun Lin, IEEE Fellow and Dean of the School of Automation and Intelligent Manufacturing, Southern University of Science and Technology, delivered a speech. He extended a warm welcome to the distinguished experts and scholars who had traveled from afar, introduced the university and the school’s development in discipline building, research achievements, and talent cultivation in the field of electrical automation, and noted that this conference aimed to build an open and efficient platform for exchange, promote interdisciplinary and multidimensional technical communication and collaboration, and support innovative development in the field of electrical automation. The opening ceremony was hosted by Professor He Kong of Southern University of Science and Technology.

Professor Zhiyun Lin

Professor He Kong

In the plenary session, four nationally recognized high-level talents took the stage one after another to share their latest frontier research achievements. Researcher Guibin Bian from the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences delivered a presentation titled Smart Microsurgical Robots, in which he analyzed the technical challenges and development directions of this field and shared his team’s research progress in robot design, multimodal perception, and related areas. Professor Yan Peng from Shanghai University presented Marine Unmanned Systems and Equipment, discussing the applications and development pathways of air-sea cross-domain unmanned swarm systems in complex marine environments. Professor Yong Xu from Guangdong University of Technology gave a talk entitled Estimation Theory for Networked Systems and Its Applications in Unmanned Systems, introducing state estimation methods under network node constraints and their practical applications in amphibious unmanned aerial vehicles. Professor Aiguo Wu from Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen spoke on Multiple Fundamental Matrices and Their Applications in the Analysis and Design of Control Systems, proposing a new method based on multiple fundamental matrices that overcomes the limitations of the traditional single-fundamental-matrix approach. The plenary session was jointly chaired by Professor Zhiyun Lin of Southern University of Science and Technology and Professor Derong Liu of Anhui University. The experts’ presentations combined theoretical depth with practical value and sparked lively discussion among the audience.

Researcher Guibin Bian	Professor Yong Xu	Professor Aiguo Wu
Professor Yan Peng (Presented by team member Xiaoqiang Ren)	Professor Zhiyun Lin	Professor Derong Liu

Oral presentation session was equally engaging and featured a series of excellent reports. Chaired by Dr. Mingduo Lin of Southern University of Science and Technology, scholars delivered presentations in succession. Their research covered a wide range of frontier topics, including stability control of multi-converter power systems, fine-tuning and applications of large models in the power industry, energy storage-based frequency regulation strategies for new energy grids, guidance algorithms for glider aircraft, design of wheeled-legged hybrid robots, control of ship propulsion motors, arc discharge detection in power equipment, power load forecasting, dynamics identification of unmanned surface vehicles, laser communication systems for tower cranes, and offline reinforcement learning for robot manipulation.

Drawing on their own research practices, the presenters shared their technical innovations and practical application results. Their reports included both novel explorations in fundamental theory and in-depth analyses of engineering practice, providing rich reference cases for the industrial application of electrical automation technologies.

In addition, the organizing committee presented awards for Outstanding Papers, Outstanding Oral Presentations, and Outstanding Poster Presentations, in recognition of the participants’ innovative research and contributions to the field of electrical automation.

This conference not only provided an excellent platform for researchers in electrical technology and automation engineering at home and abroad to share their achievements and exchange ideas, but also promoted industry–university–research integration among universities, research institutes, and enterprises, laying a solid foundation for cross-regional and interdisciplinary collaboration. Many participants remarked that the conference exposed them to the latest research outcomes and technological trends in the field, broadened their academic horizons, and enabled them to connect with numerous peers and experts, thereby creating favorable conditions for future research cooperation and academic exchange.

Looking ahead, all parties will take this conference as an opportunity to further deepen academic communication and technical collaboration, promote innovation and practical application in electrical automation technologies, and contribute greater strength to the development of China’s high-tech industries and the construction of an innovation-driven nation.