XPONENTIAL 2026 Day Two Delivers Packed Crowds, Major Policy Conversations, and High-Energy Industry Momentum
May 13, 2026
Day two of XPONENTIAL 2026 kept Detroit buzzing as thousands of attendees filled Huntington Place for packed keynote sessions, nonstop show floor activity, major policy discussions, and the official opening of the sold-out XPO Hall.
Michael Robbins opened the day with the AUVSI Community Address, emphasizing that autonomy has moved beyond experimentation and is now central to defense, manufacturing, logistics, infrastructure, and national competitiveness. The keynote momentum continued with Michael Cadenazzi, Assistant Secretary for Industrial Base Policy at the Office of the Secretary of Defense, discussing industrial readiness and supply chain resilience, while Franklin McIntosh, Chief Operating Officer of the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization, and Jessica Jones, Executive Director of the FAA Office of Advanced Aviation Technologies, shared perspectives on the future of scalable autonomous operations and advanced air mobility. Bobby Healy, Founder of Manna Air Delivery, and Jennifer Hankins, Managing Director of Tulsa Innovation Labs, later explored how regional ecosystems and infrastructure investment are accelerating deployment.
Following the morning keynotes, attendees flooded into the sold-out XPO Hall for live demos, product launches, networking, media activity, and nonstop engagement across air, ground, and maritime autonomy. Day two also marked the launch of Michigan Defense Expo (MDEX) programming on the AUVSI Defense Theater stage in Hall D, expanding conversations around defense innovation, advanced manufacturing, and operational autonomy.
Cross-domain discussions remained a major focus throughout the day. A packed FAA roundtable drew strong participation from operators, manufacturers, regulators, and technology leaders focused on the future of scalable autonomous operations, BVLOS integration, and the evolving regulatory environment shaping the industry. The Robotics Policy in the 21st Century: Towards a National Strategy panel brought together industry and government experts to examine robotics policy, AI integration, supply chains, workforce transformation, and national competitiveness. Maritime autonomy also drew major attention during the USV Operational Outcomes panel featuring leaders from the U.S. Navy, Japanese Maritime Self Defense Forces, Hudson Institute, and defense acquisition organizations discussing the expanding role of unmanned surface vessels across distributed maritime operations and Indo-Pacific deterrence.
With strong registration numbers, packed sessions, and nonstop energy across the show floor, XPONENTIAL 2026 continues to reinforce why autonomy is now one of the defining industrial and strategic technologies of this decade. And with two full days still ahead, the momentum is only building.
Two More Days of XPONENTIAL 2026 Ahead
As day two concluded, the momentum across XPONENTIAL 2026 showed no signs of slowing down.
With two full days still ahead, attendees can expect even more keynote conversations, live demonstrations, networking opportunities, policy discussions, defense programming, and hands-on access to the technologies shaping the future of autonomy.
For those not yet onsite, there is still time to experience the world’s largest event for uncrewed systems, robotics, and autonomous technology — and to be part of the conversations defining where the industry goes next.
