Hi All!

We are delighted to announce our next Response Robotics Seasonal School and Workshop, to be held in March 2024! Please see below for the current Call for Participation and visit https://responserobotics.org for the latest updates.

Please do forward this on to any interested students and researchers and don't hesitate to contact us, either via the mailing list or Discord server on the website, or via email to i**o@responserobotics.org if you have any questions.

Cheers!

- Raymond Sheh

======== Initial Call for Participation ========

The 2024 IEEE-RAS Response Robotics Seasonal School and Workshop March 4-7, 2024 Reveille Proving Grounds, Burnet, TX, USA and Online Co-located with the 2024 Texas Public Safety Robotics Summit https://responserobotics.org | i**o@responserobotics.org

=== Introduction: ===

The 2024 IEEE-RAS Response Robotics Seasonal School and Workshop (RRSS+W) is a 4-day-long immersive academic research event for undergraduate and graduate research students, mentors of high school research robotics teams, and early career researchers, on the challenges and best-in-class solutions for applied response robotics. It is financially sponsored by the IEEE-RAS and student travel support scholarships are available for IEEE-RAS students.

It is co-located with the 2024 Texas Public Safety Robotics Summit (TXPS, https://www.txpsrobots.com/ ), a high profile industry event for responders, manufacturers, and government agencies. Attendees of the RRSS+W will have a unique opportunity to engage with and learn from the end users about how their technologies might be used, manufacturers on the challenges of transitioning technologies from the lab into the real world, and various regulatory bodies on the risk management and legal landscape within which these technologies must operate.

=== Format: ===

In-person and online participants in the RRSS+W will have the opportunity to participate in lectures and panel discussions on topics ranging from theoretical techniques to real world applications.

In addition, in-person participants will have the opportunity to participate in: - Hands-on practical sessions that give attendees an in-depth opportunity learn about a specific topic. - Demonstration and test sessions that allow attendees to deploy their own robots within the test methods and scenarios, and observe other robots being tested. - A workshop poster session that allows attendees to present their work to other attendees as well as the attendees of the TXPS, including those who may have an interest in adopting these technologies. - Social events that promote networking between RRSS+W attendees as well as the rest of the response robotics ecosystem.

=== Topics: ===

This year will highlight three topics that have been identified as being of particular up-and-coming interest in the response robotics space. We are particularly soliciting the involvement of students who are interested in these topics. - Novel communication technologies for challenging response environments. - Integration of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (aka UAS, RPAS, or aerial drones) into response robotics applications. - Cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Risk Management Challenges for the Response Robotics ecosystem.

We are also encouraging students who are interested in broader response robotics topics to attend, including, but not limited to: - 3D mapping and indoor/outdoor navigation in unstructured environments. - Mobility in challenging terrain and among 3D obstacles. - Dexterous manipulation and inspection. - Transition of technologies into real world unstructured environments. - Novel sensors for response robotics.

The RRSS+W will also host a roadmap discussion for the RoboCupRescue Robot League, with a focus on engaging with the end user community. We invite past, present, and prospective competitors to join us!

=== Venue: ===

The venue hosts both real world scenarios, complete with the uncertainty, weather, and communications challenges that it brings, as well as standard test methods that provide repeatable, reproducible, evaluations of robot capabilities that attendees can replicate in their own labs. Attendees will have a unique opportunity to observe robots of their interest performing in both the scenarios and the test methods, as well as bring their own robots to test and refine over the course of the event.

Please check the website and join the mailing list for updates regarding accommodation and transportation arrangements.

=== Registration and Timelines: ===

The registration fee for in-person attendance is $300 and includes registration for the broader TXPS. As space is limited, registration is capped and competitive, based on a 1 page cover letter describing their research and how they see their developments assisting responders. Registration will be decided on a rolling basis and closes February 1st, 2024, or when the event reaches capacity so we advise prospective attendees to register early.

IEEE-RAS students may use the same letter to apply for a limited number of competitive travel support scholarships that include the fee and a stipend. This is based on a sliding scale, with the goal of partially compensating for the higher travel cost incurred by students from more distant institutions. Travel support applications will be decided on a rolling basis and closes December 31st, 2023, or when all funds have been allocated.

Registration details are still being finalized. We encourage interested attendees to email i**o@responserobotics.org with their expression of interest and cover letter. We will follow up when the registration details are finalized.

Remote attendance of the lectures will be free of charge, dependent on connectivity. Join the mailing list or keep an eye on the website for details.

=== Contact: ===

See https://responserobotics.org for further details, and to join our mailing list and Discord server. Email i**o@responserobotics.org for any questions.

--

Dr. Raymond Sheh

Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Research Lead and Guest Researcher UAS Portfolio, Public Safety Communications Research Division Communications Technology Laboratory National Institute of Standards and Technology U.S. Department of Commerce 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8230, Gaithersburg MD 20899-8230, USA

Adjunct Associate Research Scientist Whiting School of Engineering Johns Hopkins University Columbia MD, USA

Trustee, RoboCup Federation