November 2021 - RoboCup-worldwide

Call for Participation Humanoid Soccer Competition and the Humanoid Research Demonstration
by Jasper Güldenstein 11 Dec '21

11 Dec '21

* Call for Participation * RoboCup 2022 Humanoid Soccer Competition https://humanoid.robocup.org/ July 11 - 17, 2022, Bangkok, Thailand https://humanoid.robocup.org/hl-2022/ Important: This Call for Participation concerns the Humanoid Soccer Competition and the Humanoid Research Demonstration. A separate call may be published for the Humanoid Open Competition. =========================================================== The RoboCup Humanoid League invites teams to apply for participation at the RoboCup 2022 Humanoid Soccer Competition and the Humanoid Research Demonstration in Bangkok, Thailand. The Humanoid League will host competitions in the following categories: * Humanoid Soccer Competition * KidSize: 40 - 100cm robot height (FIFA size 1 ball) * AdultSize: 130 - 200cm robot height (FIFA size 5 ball) * Humanoid Research Demonstration In addition, we may organize a Humanoid Open Competition with a CfP following later this year. For more detailed class definitions and more information about the humanoid league, please refer to the humanoid league home page at https://humanoid.robocup.org/ and join the humanoid league mailing list at: https://lists.robocup.org/listinfo/robocup-humanoid Teams are also encouraged to form and apply as joint teams. Joint proposals will be judged on their combined merit. Teams must provide the following qualification material: 1) Humanoid Soccer Competition ======================================= You do not need to provide a full robot team to apply for competing in the Humanoid Soccer Competition. The qualifying round of Drop-In games will be played with only one robot per team. Teams that cannot provide a full team of robots (four robots in KidSize and two in AdultSize) will be grouped to form a playable team for the main tournament games. In case of a sufficient number of qualified teams, the sub-leagues (KidSize and/or AdultSize) will be divided into League A and League B. Teams are seeded into the leagues based on the results of an initial round of Drop-In games. Each application to the Humanoid Soccer Competition will be reviewed by two members of the Technical Committee and two others teams applying to the Humanoid Soccer Competition. The combined reviewing score will decide whether a team qualifies for participation. Reviewing other team's material is mandatory for teams that want to participate in the Humanoid Soccer Competition. Failing to provide an adequate review by the provided deadline will have consequences for the teams own qualification status. 1.1) Robot Video --------------------------------------- Teams need to provide a video of their robot demonstrating the robots' autonomous soccer playing skills. The recommended skills needed for qualification are: * localization of unknown ball position, * walking ability towards the ball, * robot positioning at the ball for kicking, * kicking the ball towards the goal, * ability of getting up autonomously from a fall (KidSize only) We encourage teams to include in the video more complex and intelligent behavior such as demonstrating localization, and robots playing in a game, recordings from actual soccer matches are admissible. If possible, please provide footage that demonstrates the robot behavior without wires attached. The qualification video must be supplied as a link via youtube. The maximum duration of the video must not exceed 5 minutes. The qualifying team is responsible to ensure that the video adheres to YouTube's TOS (especially in regards to music copyright) to prevent the video from being blocked for the reviewers. Teams that do not provide a qualification video or a viewable video will not be qualified! 1.2) Software Description --------------------------------------- During the registration process, a form will be provided to submit details about the algorithms used or anticipated to be used for the participation in the 2022 competition. Algorithms shall be described in such detail that they can be reproduced by other teams. If software from other teams or standard algorithms are used, references need to be included. If the algorithm has been adapted to be used in the competition, those deviations need to be described in appropriate details. The form will include questions in the following areas: * Walking * Vision * Localization * Team Communication * Behavior * Contributions to the RoboCup community, e.g. software releases, paper publications, provision of league infrastructure or data sets Responses to the questions are expected to reflect the current or anticipated status of the software during the RoboCup 2022 competition. If the software has not changed or no changes are anticipated to be made until the competition, teams may copy & paste a response from previously submitted material. 1.3) Extended Abstract --------------------------------------- A two-page extended abstract must be submitted. For teams which have previously participated in the Humanoid League, the extended abstract needs to: * include lessons learned from the participation in previous RoboCup competitions * highlight major problems that the team is trying to solve for the upcoming competition * outline the plans for the major changes that the teams anticipate to have implemented by the RoboCup 2022 competition * describe the implementation status of the changes planned by the time of submitting the application For teams which have never participated in the RoboCup Humanoid League, the Extended Abstract needs to pitch the scientific aspects of their humanoid robotic system and highlight their research interests. The Extended Abstract is limited to 2 pages maximum and must be submitted in PDF format. Extended Abstracts are designed to highlight the changes and scientific developments since the last RoboCup. Thus, we expect the usage of material from previous TDPs or Extended Abstracts to be minimal. If used, they need to be cited appropriately. Submissions of last year's Extended Abstract will be desk-rejected. The Extended Abstract must follow the LNCS format which can be downloaded from https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gu…. Teams that do to follow the LNCS formatting and style guidelines will not be qualified. No exceptions to this rule will be made. 1.4) Robot Specification --------------------------------------- Regardless of the kid or adult size competition, a one-page specification (PDF) must be provided for each different type of humanoid robot used by the team that includes the following: * Robot picture * Robot name * Height of the robot * Weight of the robot * Walking speed in cm/s * Number of degrees of freedom and type of motors on each kinematic chain of the robot * Type of sensors used (incl. type of camera(s) and specific manufacturer part number (e.g. “6-DoF IMU” is NOT an acceptable description)) * Computing unit(s) * Other specs 1.5) Rules --------------------------------------- This year’s rule discussion has not been completed yet. Therefore, no update has been made except for the change of the minimum size of Adult Size robots to 130cm. All other hardware specifications will stay the same for RoboCup 2022 such that teams already know if their robot qualifies. We will initiate the rule discussion with proposals from the discussion at RoboCup 2021 in the coming weeks. The current version of the rules may be found here: http://humanoid.robocup.org/wp-content/uploads/RCHL-2020-Rules-Dec23.pdf We expect the final version of the 2022 rules to be published in early spring 2022. 1.6) Registration --------------------------------------- The following information is required for registration: * Team name * URL of the team's home page * Name of team leader or team contact person * E-mail address of team leader or contact person * Postal address of the team, team leader or contact person * Competition category: Humanoid Soccer Competition KidSize or AdultSize Please note that teams applying for participation in several categories must submit individual application material for each class, and pay the appropriate registration fee for each category. At least one team member must register on each team. Furthermore, teams in different categories must be able to compete, and guarantee to have members acting as referees available independently and at the same time. 1.7) Letter of Commitment --------------------------------------- Regardless of the specific competition, a one-page letter addressed to the RoboCup Humanoid League Technical Committee including the following: * a statement committing to participate in the RoboCup 2022 Humanoid League competition, * a statement committing to make a person with sufficient knowledge of the rules available as referee during the competition. The letter must be printed, hand signed by the team leader, digitally scanned and submitted either as a JPG, PNG or PDF file. If the letter does not contain a hand-written signature, it is not considered valid. The TC may include the fulfillment of the statement of commitment of participation as well as the performance of the team's referee in previous RoboCup competitions into consideration for qualification. 2. Humanoid Research Demonstration (HRD) ======================================= The RoboCup Humanoid League invites the research community to apply for showcasing the latest research and development results that are relevant for humanoid robots, during the virtual Humanoid League 2022. Researchers are invited to submit their demonstrations independently of whether they participate in the RoboCup competitions, symposium or have a RoboCup team. Contributions will be evaluated for scientific and technical excellence. 2.1. Topics of Interest --------------------------------------- We welcome demonstrations containing new ideas, concepts, practical studies, and experiment demonstrations relevant to the field of Humanoid Robotics. This year, the special theme of the Humanoid Research Demonstration is sim2real learning and we particularly invite teams to showcase their research in this area. Other topics of interest include, but are not limited to: * Components, joints and mechanics; * Soft robotics; * Anthropomorphic vs. non-anthropomorphic; * Walking, running, jumping and other humanoid locomotion; * Adaptability and scalability; * Sensors and perception; * Control and stability; * Dealing with falling; * Reflexes and learning; * Energy supply and efficiency; * Robot design and robotic kits; * Virtual robots and simulation; * Benchmarking; * Bipedal robots applied to real problems; * Education with and for humanoid robots. 2.2. Procedure --------------------------------------- The Humanoid Research Demonstration will take place in one or several sessions and participating teams are asked to show a demonstration of the system live in Bangkok or stream their demonstration from their lab during the session. As a back-up solution, each team needs to provide a video demonstration prior to the beginning of the tournament. If the demonstration is performed in Bangkok, the Humanoid League will provide a humanoid league soccer playing field for the demonstration. However, the members of the Technical Committee of the Humanoid League understand that for some demonstrations this setup may not be ideal and will try to accommodate all teams. If a team requires other arrangements for the demonstration, it must submit a request to the Technical Committee at least 3 months before the competition to allow sufficient time for alternative arrangements. 2.3. Application --------------------------------------- We invite teams to apply to participate in the Humanoid Research Demonstration by submitting the following material: 2.3.1. Demonstration Data * Demonstration title; * URL of the group’s home page; * Name of the contact person; * E-mail address of the contact person; * Postal address of the contact person. 2.3.2. Demonstration Video The first part of the material is a video of your robot or robotic part demonstrating its skills or a brief overview of the software demonstration if your demonstration does not involve a physical embodiment. The video must be supplied as a link to it via YouTube. The maximum duration of the video is 3 minutes. The proponent is responsible to ensure that the video adheres to YouTube’s TOS (especially in regards to music copyright) to prevent the video from being blocked for the reviewers. 2.3.3. Hardware Specification If the demonstration includes any type of hardware to be showcased, a one-page specification (PDF) for each different type of humanoid type robot/mechanism used that includes the following: * Robot/mechanism picture; * Robot/mechanism name; * Size of the humanoid type robot/mechanism; * Weight of the robot/mechanism; * Robots/mechanisms joint specification; * Type of sensors used (incl. type of camera(s)); * Computing unit(s); * Other specifications 2.3.4. Short paper A short paper describing the robot, robot part of software and its task and required environment, limited to four (4) pages including text, references, tables, and figures. The short paper must follow the LNCS format which can be downloaded fromhttp://www.springer.com/computer/lncs?SGWID=0-164-6-793341-0 <http://www.springer.com/computer/lncs?SGWID=0-164-6-793341-0>. Please pay special attention to the “Author guidelines” that you’ll be able to find there. 3) Plagiarism ======================================= Plagiarism, loosely the unattributed use of other peoples' words, code, and ideas is not tolerated in the RoboCup community. See the point “Publishing Ethics” at https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gu… for a more detailed description. The teams and team members that plagiarize other peoples' work, and present it as their own will be disqualified. For a first offense, the team and team members will be banned from RoboCup competition for two years (usually the current and next year). Harsher penalties will be applied to repeat offenders or extremely serious cases of plagiarism. A team may be disqualified at any time for plagiarism, even after the competition has started. RoboCup will not reimburse teams for any expenses related to their disqualification. 4) Online Submission ======================================= All qualification material must be submitted online at http://submission.robocuphumanoid.org/ 5) Important Dates ======================================= Humanoid Soccer Competition * Submission system open: November 29th, 2021 * Submission deadline: December 12th, 2021 * Team Review Period: December 13th - December 27th * Announcement of qualified teams: January 21st, 2022 Humanoid Research Demonstration * Submission system open: November 29th, 2021 * Submission deadline: February 14th, 2022 6) Publication ======================================= Please note that after the announcement of the qualified teams the qualified teams submitted material will be made publicly available on the Humanoid League website. Teams applying for participation, therefore, implicitly grant the right of publication of their qualification material to the Humanoid League. 7) Visa Process ======================================= If you are a citizen of a country that needs a Visa for traveling to Thailand, please start the VISA process as soon as you receive your notification of qualification. If you are not sure if you're eligible for a VISA-exempt, please consult the official website of the Thailand government for information. With best regards, Technical Committee of RoboCup Humanoid League 2021

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HRI 2022 Workshop: Longitudinal Social Impacts of HRI over Long-Term Deployments
by Joydeep Biswas 30 Nov '21

30 Nov '21

Longitudinal Social Impacts of HRI over Long-Term Deployments HRI 2022 Workshop March 7th, 2022 Virtual - 9:00 am - 7:00pm PST Workshop Objective This workshop seeks to grow the study of how real-world, deployed robot systems impact the people who interact with them and the social structure of the places that they inhabit. As the world sees robots begin to inhabit places designed for people - delivery robots on city streets, and robots with jobs in airports, shopping malls, and in the home - we expect the importance of understanding these impacts to grow. By bringing together researchers interested in longitudinal studies on real-world human-interactive long-term deployments, we hope to arrive at a clearer vision of how best to study these systems. Workshop Audience We invite technical and/or social science researchers whose work incorporates longitudinal studies, real-world deployments, long-term deployments, ethics and social impacts, and general human-robot interaction for a day of talks and discussions regarding objectives, metrics, hypotheses, and best practices. Workshop Details The event will contain multiple virtual sessions including invited talks, oral paper presentations, poster presentations, and panel discussions. After the day’s presentations, there will be hosted breakout discussions intended to aid in the formation of collaborations and the synthesis of ideas. In the evening there will be a virtual social event to form and deepen connections amongst this research community. Paper Topics Contributions are invited on all topics relevant to longitudinal social impacts of HRI over long-term deployments and topics that can help to inform this core idea, including (but not limited to): - Longitudinal studies of HRI over real-world large-scale deployments - Interdisciplinary approaches and long-term autonomy - Methodological and technical challenges for longitudinal studies - Social impacts of HRI over long-term deployments - Social effects such as safety, privacy, and inclusion - New opportunities for HRI and HR teaming - Demonstrations of long-term deployments - Hardware and devices for human-robot interaction - New sensors, biological signals for longitudinal HRI Social Science and Technical Review Tracks While the event itself will be single track, all submissions will select at least one review track for their paper: either social science or technical. A submission may select both tracks if it appropriately represents the work. These tracks are to ensure the relevance of reviews, and submissions which are a blend of each are welcome. Each corresponding author will be asked to briefly review up to two other submissions per submitted papers, and to select at least one review track for which they’d be comfortable reviewing. Author reviews will be coordinated by a workshop program committee, which will request additional reviews as needed and generally ensure the formation of a compelling workshop program. Submission types Submission types for this workshop include: - short work-in-progress and position papers (2-4 pages) - long-format integration and experimental papers (4-6 pages). All papers are to be considered for both oral presentations and posters, with final format to be indicated along with acceptance. Key Dates Early Submission Deadline January 17, 2022 Early Submission Notifications February 7, 2022 Late Submission Deadline February 14, 2022 Late Submission Notifications March 1, 2022 Workshop Website https://sites.google.com/view/lsi-hri/home Submission Site https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=lsihri22 Organizers Justin Hart - hart(a)cs.utexas.edu Elliot Hauser - eah13(a)utexas.edu Samuel Baker - sebaker(a)austin.utexas.edu Joydeep Biswas - joydeepb(a)cs.utexas.edu Junfeng Jiao - jjiao(a)austin.utexas.edu Luis Sentis - lsentis(a)utexas.edu

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[@Home2022] First Call for Participation (Deadline extended)
by Mauricio Matamoros 29 Nov '21

29 Nov '21

Online version: https://athome.robocup.org/2022-cfp1-all/ ========================================================================= *First Call for Participation* RoboCup@Home 2022 (DSPL · OPL · SSPL) Summer 2022 (Bangkok, Thailand) https://athome.robocup.org/ https://github.com/RoboCupAtHome/RuleBook RoboCup is an international scientific initiative with the goal to advance the state of the art of intelligent robots through competitions (RoboCup@Home, RoboCup Soccer, RoboCup Rescue, RoboCup@Work and RoboCup Junior). The RoboCup@Home league aims to develop service and assistive robot technology with high relevance for future personal domestic applications. It is the largest international annual competition for autonomous service robots and is part of the RoboCup initiative. A set of benchmark tests is used to evaluate the robots’ abilities and performance in a realistic home environment setting. Focus lies on the following domains but is not limited to: Human-Robot-Interaction and Cooperation, Navigation and Mapping in dynamic environments, Computer Vision and Object Recognition under natural light conditions, Object Manipulation, Adaptive Behaviors, Behavior Integration, Ambient Intelligence, Standardization and System Integration. This page describes the preregistration and qualification procedure for RoboCup@Home 2022. Important dates: Oct. 31, 2021 Publication of the Call for Participation *Dec. 12, 2021* *EXTENDED Deadline for submission of qualification material.* *(Team Description Paper, Team Video, Team Website).* Jan. 10, 2022 Qualification announcement Jan. 30, 2022 Deadline for Participation Confirmation The qualification procedure consists of the following steps: Step 1) Qualification Material Submission (mandatory) The team ***MUST*** send an email to the Organizing Committee (oc[at] robocupathome.org) to participate in the qualification process for the RoboCup@Home 2022 event. Please fill in the following information: Team Name: League: [ DSPL | OPL | SSPL ] Country: Affiliation: Team Leader Name: Contact information (E-mail): Rank in local tournaments: Link to a team video: Link to a team web site devoted to their efforts: Team Description Paper (TDP) attached to the email based on the official template. The e-mail subject should be: [@Home2022-Qualification] (YourTeamName) Considerations: - Only one platform can be specified per team. - Only one team leader can be specified per team. - Only one team video url can be specified per team. - Only one contact email can be specified per team. - All the publications and software to be evaluated for qualification ***MUST*** be in the team’s website. - The email must be encoded in UTF-8 using only the ISO-8859-1 character set. ***** Deadline EXTENDED: Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021 23:59 GMT ****** Step 2) Participation confirmation (mandatory) All qualified teams ***MUST*** send an email to the Organizing Committee (oc[at]robocupathome.org) to confirm (or cancel) their participation in the RoboCup@Home 2022 event. Confirming attendance implies that the team has sufficient resources to register, and commits to attend to the event. To confirm participation, please fill in the following information: Team Name: League: [ DSPL | OPL | SSPL ] Country: Hereby [Team Name] of [Country] [confirms | forfeits] participation in the the RoboCup@Home [League]. The e-mail subject should be: [@Home2022-Confirmation] (YourTeamName) *Remark: *Qualified teams who miss the participation confirmation will be disqualified automatically and the participation slots freed for the Second Call for Participation. ***** Deadline: Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022 23:59 GMT ****** Step 3) Robot Acquisition (Standard Platform Leagues): Qualified Teams must contact the supplier as soon as the Qualification Notification arrives to start the acquisition procedure. Teams selected to receive Standard-Platform robots have to make an agreement with the supplier in compliance with the supplier’s instructions. The suppliers are not allowed to sell, export, lease and/or ship their products to natural or legal persons and to entities and countries which are subject to international sanctions or prohibitions. Since Selection Committee cannot answer this issue, please ask the supplier directly. *Remark:* Failing to acquire a Standard-Platform will void the qualification of the SSPL/DSPL. It won’t not possible for SSPL/DSPL to change to OPL. Instructions for the Qualification Material Instructions for the Team Video: In order to proof a running hardware, each team has to provide a qualification video. As a minimum requirement for qualification, the video must show the robot(s) successfully solving a task involving the integration of at least 5 different abilities, such as: environmental reasoning, high-level task planning, human-robot interaction, localization, manipulation, object recognition, people recognition, etc. *Remarks:* - The shown task execution must look continuous, smooth, and robust. - When speeding-up video, the speed factor must be indicated. - The language spoken and shown in the video must be English. When using any other languages, translations must be included. - We strongly suggest upload videos to Youtube. - Videos sent will be uploaded/displayed in the league’s youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/channel/UChkdCpT0xrFMMt-_N8wSVew/playlists” <http://www.youtube.com/channel/UChkdCpT0xrFMMt-_N8wSVew/playlists> - *Standard Platforms Only:* Teams are allowed to use any robot in their Team Video. However, the use of the standard robot is advised. *HINT:* It is strongly advised to show your robot(s) smoothly and accurately solving any of the Stage II tests of the 2018, 2019, and 2020 rulebooks. *Copyright note:*When sending videos for qualification, teams implicitly grant permission to RoboCup @Home and the RoboCup Federation to copy, modify, distribute, upload, publish, and use the multimedia material to promote the event and the league at convenience. Instructions for the TDP The TDP is an 8-pages long scientific paper, detailing information on the technical and scientific approach of the team’s research, while including also the following: - TDP - Group’s research focus and interests. - Innovative technology and scientific contribution - Please specify when your research is being used by other teams or research groups - Please specify when you are using software from other teams - Brief, general description of the system when solving a [domestic] task (applicability in the real world) - The impact of your research must be clearly visible - Maximum length is *8 pages* (including figures and citations) - Annex - Photo(s) of the robot - Brief, compact list of the 3rd party robot’s software (e.g. include MoveIt/YOLO) - Brief, compact description of all external computing devices, if any - Brief, compact description of the robot’s hardware (OPL Only) - Please mark with an asterisk home-made software solutions - Annex should be appended after the References - There is no page limit for annex, but a maximum of one page is strongly encouraged - TDP length is *****8 pages + annex***** (any submissions over this length will be disqualified). - *DSPL and SSPL:* The robot depicted in the TDP or Team Video must be the league’s standard one. For the TDP, please use the Springer LNAI format <http://www.springer.com/computer/lncs?SGWID=0-164-6-793341-0> used in the RoboCup Symposium submissions and limit yourself to 8 pages without altering margins or spacing (including references but excluding the annex). You may download a template for the TDP from here <https://github.com/RoboCupAtHome/TDPTemplate>. *Remark: *The language for the TDP, its graphics, tables, images, and all additional content must be English. Content in other languages must be translated. *Copyright note:*All TDPs sent for qualification may be made publicly available in the RoboCup @Home Wiki for further reference. On submitting, teams implicitly grant permission to RoboCup @Home and the RoboCup Federation to copy, distribute, upload, publish, and use the manuscript to promote the event and the league at convenience. ***** Exceeding the number of pages will automatically void your application *****. Instructions for the Web site While the TDP goes into detail about the technical and scientific approach of the team’s research, the website should be designed for a broader audience, including: - Photos of the robot(s) - Videos of the robot(s) - Description of the approaches and information on scientific achievements - Relevant publications (last 5 years, preferably available to download) - Link to repositories with software for the community - Team members - Previous participation in RoboCup - Participation and rankings in local RoboCup tournaments *Remark: *No IP addresses will be accepted as website. *Remark: *Only documented active software repositories are considered as contributions to the league. It must be clear and straightforward to other teams how to use your software. Qualification and evaluation criteria: In this first Call for Participation, up to 8 teams per league can be assigned a participation slot. In order to qualify, a team must meet the minimum selection requirements approved by the Executive Committee. However, meeting the minimum requirements won’t automatically grant a participation slot. Only the top 8 teams meeting the selection criterion will qualify for participation. Rejections are strongly advised to improve their qualification materials and apply in the second CFP. Qualification materials will be judged by the following criteria: - Team description paper (clarity, scientific contributions, re-usability by the league, applicability in real world) - Performance in local tournaments and previous competitions. - Qualification Video (number of demonstrated abilities, integration, difficulty of the task, applicability in real world) - Website (multimedia, publications from last 5 years, downloadable content, open-source software and other contributions) - Relevant Scientific contribution/publications (downloadable papers and open-source software) - Novelty of approach (what you do is new for @Home) We encourage teams to produce self-explicative videos for a general audience where complex tasks are solved. For Team Description Papers focus on the scientific contribution and avoid brief descriptions of the overall system. With kind regards, and looking forward to see your team in Bangkok, The 2022 RoboCup@Home Organizing and Technical Committees

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Call for Participation RoboCup Humanoid League Virtual Season
by Jasper Güldenstein 25 Nov '21

25 Nov '21

* Call for Participation * RoboCup Humanoid League Virtual Season https://humanoid.robocup.org/hl-vs2022/ December 17th 2021 to April 30th, 2022 =========================================================== The RoboCup Humanoid League is inviting interested teams to apply for participation in the Humanoid League Virtual Season. The Humanoid League will host competitions in the following categories: * KidSize: 40 – 100cm robot height (FIFA size 1 ball) * AdultSize: 130 – 200cm robot height (FIFA size 5 ball) For more detailed class definitions and more information about the humanoid league, please refer to the humanoid league home page at https://humanoid.robocup.org/, specifically the robot specifications found at https://humanoid.robocup.org/hl-vs2022/ 1. Humanoid League Virtual Season ================================= A virtual soccer competition will be organized similar to RoboCup 2021 but distributed over several months with games every other week. Since the Virtual Humanoid Soccer Competition will be held entirely online, all teams registering for the competition will be admitted. The exact tournament format will be announced once the number of participating teams is known. Details on the setup and implementation will be published and continuously updated on the RoboCup Humanoid League website:https://humanoid.robocup.org/hl-vs2022/ 1.1. Simulator & Game Rules ---------------------------- As in RoboCup 2021, Webots with the Humanoid League simulation world, the automatic refereeing system, and the simulation interface will be used. We keep the specifications of the simulation interface and the server up to date on the this link: https://humanoid.robocup.org/hl-vs2022/ Currently, the automatic refereeing system and the simulation world are being worked on. Most significantly, domain randomization will be introduced. This includes reasonably uneven ground, randomized reset positions of the robots starting poses, and varying lighting conditions, backgrounds and ball textures. As with any major change during the competition, these will be announced and finalized 3 weeks before the next game. Bug Fixes are not subject to this deadline. Robot models must be submitted 2 weeks before the start of the competition to be verified. If you would like to update your robot model during the season it must be submitted by Monday 8am CET of the week the next game is scheduled. The rules of the virtual game will initially be the ones used for RoboCup 2021 but will be updated during the competition. The 3 week notice period also applies here to allow teams to adapt their software. 1.2. Competition Schedule ------------------------- Matches will be played approximately every other week (see preliminary schedule). Whether Saturday or Sunday will be the day of streaming will be determined by a vote of the participating teams during the sign-up process. Two workshops are planned (see dates below) with a focus on sim2real transfer. Further information on these will follow soon. Matchday 1: Dec 18th / 19th Matchday 2: Jan 8th / 9th Matchday 3: Jan 22nd / 23rd Workshop 1: Jan 28th/29th/30th Matchday 4: Feb 5th / 6th Matchday 5: Feb 19th / 20th Matchday 6: Mar 5th / 6th Matchday 7: Mar 19th / 20th Matchday 8: Apr 2nd / 3rd Workshop 2: Apr 8th/9th/10th Matchday 9: Apr 16th / 17th Matchday 10 Apr 30th/ May 1st Please note that the exact dates of the games are subject to change in case of significant bugs in the simulation or automatic refereeing software or an overlap with regional RoboCup tournaments. In these cases, the teams will be notified as early as possible about a shift in the game schedule. 1.3. Competition Setup ----------------------- The competition will be performed entirely in the cloud. Each team is guaranteed to play a minimum of 8 games. The exact tournament format will be announced once the number of participating teams in each size class has been determined. Details of the server specification are the same as in RoboCup 2021 and can be found here https://humanoid.robocup.org/hl-vs2022/ The deadline for teams uploading their software is Thursday, if Saturday is selected as matchday, and Friday if Sunday is selected. The simulation will then be run in the cloud and a video of the match streamed online on the match days. Access to log files will be provided to teams after the match has been streamed. Teams will be given possibilities to test the setup of the competition. Several test scenarios will be offered to teams in early December. These scenarios will be similar to the ones offered during the mock competition. Teams must pass the tests in the order presented if they have not already proven so during previous virtual competition that they pass these tests. *Robot model inspection*: A manual inspection is carried out by members of the TC, making sure that the model does not crash or significantly slows down the simulator. The TC also checks that the team.json is in the proper format and all fields are set. *Connection test*: We launch a simulator with one robot instance, and we start a game to verify whether Webots accepts the connection. *Walking test*: We launch a simulator with one robot instance, and we start a game with a cap of 5 minutes real time. We inspect the video for evidence of the robot being able to walk in the ready or play state. *Penalty shoot-out*: We launch a simulator and one robot instance with the teams being paired (if possible). Teams need to be able to move the ball to pass. *Short game*: We launch a simulator and 4 robot instances with the teams being paired (when it is possible). The game time is capped to 2.5 minutes per half time, RR style. Teams need to be able at least to touch the ball to pass. If custom test scenarios are required by teams to test specific components of the cloud infrastructure together with the team’s software, please let us know. 1.3. Registration ------------------ The registration process for the Humanoid League Virtual Season is done in two steps. First, you need to submit general data about your team via the submission system of the Humanoid League: http://submission.robocuphumanoid.com/. All teams that fulfill the formal requirements are automatically qualified to participate. The following data is required: * Team name * URL of the team’s home page * Name of team leader or team contact person * E-mail address of team leader or contact person * Postal address of the team, team leader or contact person * Competition category: Humanoid League Virtual Season Kid or Adult * Letter of Commitment Please note that teams applying for participation in several classes must register individually for each class and pay the appropriate registration fee. The registration form must be filled out online at http://submission.robocuphumanoid.org/ <http://submission.robocuphumanoid.org/> In the second step, the teams must pay a fee of $340 for the entire tournament season (including a minimum of 8 games plus tests). Payment needs to be made to the Federation via Wire Transfer or PayPal. Detailed instructions are sent to teams after registration. Please note that teams need to cover the respective transfer and conversion fees that apply for your country when transferring money to the US. For PayPal, US-based teams need to pay 2% of processing fees (around 7 USD), for international teams a 4% processing fee applies (around 14 USD). The fees for wire transfer depend on the country and specific bank. 1.4. Submission of Robot Model File ------------------------------------ Robot models used in the competition must comply with the specifications published here: https://humanoid.robocup.org/hl-vs2022/ They must be submitted by December 1st, 2021. Teams are highly encouraged to make their robot model available to the research community with an open-source license. This is, however, not a requirement for participation. In order for the Technical Committee to ensure the robot models comply with the laws of the game, the full robot file needs to be made available to the Technical Committee during the qualification process. 1.5. Registration Fee --------------------------- Each team must pay a registration fee of $340. This fee will only be used to cover the costs to run the simulations of the games and tests in the cloud. All work (e.g. automatic referee development or organisation) is done by volunteers. The amount is calculated by using the experience from RoboCup 2021 and projecting it to the number of games we plan. Any extra funds will be used for future Humanoid League Virtual Seasons as a buffer. 2. Submission System ===================== The submission system will be opened Monday November 15th and all application material must be submitted online at http://submission.robocuphumanoid.com/. 3. Deadlines ============= Registration system open: November 16th, 2021 Deadline for submission: November 26th, 2021 Deadline for payment of registration fee: December 10th, 2021 Submission of robot model file: December 1st, 2021 With best regards, Technical Committee of RoboCup Humanoid League 2021

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Save the Date: ISAIM-2022
by Diochnos, Dimitrios 23 Nov '21

23 Nov '21

SAVE THE DATE Seventeenth International Symposium on ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE and MATHEMATICS ISAIM 2022 http://isaim2022.cs.ou.edu/ January 3-5, 2022 Online via Zoom (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) The International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics (ISAIM), is a biennial meeting that fosters interactions between mathematics, theoretical computer science, and artificial intelligence. This will be the seventeenth Symposium in the series, sponsored by Florida Atlantic University and the Annals of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence. Due to the pandemic the three-day Symposium will take place online. ISAIM-2022 will feature invited speakers and special topic sessions. Registration is free but you need to register in advance so that you can get the Zoom links in a timely manner. KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: o Noa Agmon (Bar-Ilan University) o Cynthia Dwork (Harvard University) o Jerome Lang (LAMSADE, CNRS, Universite Paris-Dauphine, PSL) o Arun Ross (Michigan State University) o Ohad Shamir (Weizmann Institute of Science) o Noam Slonim (IBM Research AI) o Noga Zaslavsky (MIT) SPECIAL TOPIC INVITED SESSIONS: o In Memory of Naftali Tishby -Organized by Martin Golumbic (University of Haifa) o Boolean and pseudo-Boolean Functions -Organized by Endre Boros (Rutgers University) and Yves Crama (University of Liege) o Coalition Formation Games -Organized by Judy Goldsmith (University of Kentucky) and Joerg Rothe (Heinrich-Heine-Universitat Dusseldorf) o Combinatorial and Geometric Problems in Imaging Sciences -Organized by Valentin Brimkov (Buffalo State College) o Formalization in Mathematics -Organized by Gonzalo A. Aranda-Corral (Universidad de Sevilla) and Francisco Jesus Martin Mateos (Universidad de Sevilla) o Sequencing, sequential decision making and scheduling -Organized by Lisa Hellerstein (New York University) and Thomas Lidbetter (Rutgers University) o Uncertain Reasoning -Organized by Alessandro Antonucci (Istituto Dalle Molle di Studi sull'Intelligenza Artificiale - IDSIA), Salem Benferhat (University of Artois), and Kamal Premaratne (University of Miami) ORGANIZERS: o General Chair: Martin Charles Golumbic, University of Haifa o Conference Chair: Frederick Hoffman, Florida Atlantic University o Publications & Publicity Chair: Dimitrios I. Diochnos, University of Oklahoma Send inquiries and requests to <isaim2022 at cs DOT ou DOT edu>. Visit http://isaim2022.cs.ou.edu/. Join isaim(a)googlegroups.com to receive announcements related to ISAIM.

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Readership Position available at the University of Hertfordshire:
by Daniel Polani 23 Nov '21

23 Nov '21

Dear RoboCuppers, please note a unique opportunity (late early or mid-career) at UH below to join our enthusiastic and quirky team. Of course I should mention our Humanoid RoboCup Lab and Robot House facilities. Please feel free to contact me for further information (or follow below link). Readership/Principal Lectureship in Robotics and Adaptive Systems School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK Closing: 6. December 2021 Applications are invited for a Reader/Principal Lectureship on emerging topics in Robotics/AI, including, but not limited to: - Robotics: embodied and/or cognitive robotics, soft robotics, adaptive or evolutionary robotic design, robot safety and ethics, sensorics and robotics, emotional/social robots, smart homes and sensors, sensor fusion, assistive robotics, human-robot interaction, agricultural robotics, humanoid robots - Machine learning: reinforcement learning, Deep Methods, statistical methods, large scale data modelling/intelligent processing and high-performance learning algorithms - Biological and biophysical computation paradigms, systems biology, neural computation - Complex Systems: collective intelligence, adaptive, autonomous and multi-agent/robot systems, collective and swarm intelligence, social and market modelling, adaptive, evolutionary and unconventional computation - Mathematical Modelling: statistical modelling, information-theoretic methods, compressive sensing, intelligent data visualization, multiscale models, optimization; causality - Emerging Topics in AI: computer algebra and AI, topological methods (e.g. persistent homology), algebraic and category-theoretical methods in AI; modern topics in games and AI; quantum algorithms for AI - AI and applications: financial modelling, AI and biology/physics/cognitive sciences - Foundations: fundamental questions of intelligence and computation, emergence of life/intelligence, Artificial Life Closing Date: 6. December 2021 To apply and for further information, please see: https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/CKJ638/reader-principal-lecturer-in-robotics-and…, Ref. No.: 032595 - Daniel Polani

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[jobs] Mulitple Openings at Magazino Germany
by Sebastian Eltester 18 Nov '21

18 Nov '21

Dear Robocup community, are you ready to help shape the future of robotics? Then become a Magazino<https://www.magazino.eu/company/?lang=en>!! 🤖 We have plenty of job opportunities open, whether it is a student position, a junior position or a senior position. If you are eager to join a highly divers team with backgrounds from all over the world then hit the apply button to join us! Take a closer look at our vacancies: * Robot Release QA Engineer (f/m/x)<https://www.magazino.eu/apply-now/robot-release-qa-engineer-f-m-x/?lang=en> * Robot Deployment Engineer (f/m/x), Region Munich<https://www.magazino.eu/apply-now/robot-deployment-engineer-f-m-x-region-mu…> * Robot Deployment Engineer (f/m/x), Region NRW/Lower Saxony<https://www.magazino.eu/apply-now/robot-deployment-engineer-f-m-x-region-nr…> * Working Student Remote Operator (f/m/x)<https://www.magazino.eu/apply-now/working-student-f-m-x-remote-operator-rob…> 🌈 We're open to all nationalities and all genders! 🌈 If you have questions, feel free to contact us any time! Cheers! Sebastian PS.: Who else is stoked for RCAP? Sebastian Eltester Operations Center Lead T +49-89-2155-2415-8 M +49-171-9718580 <mailto:waggershauser@magazino.eu>eltester(a)magazino.eu<mailto:eltester@magazino.eu> | [www.magazino.eu]www.magazino.eu [signature_775036230]<https://www.magazino.eu/> [signature_520303617] <https://www.facebook.com/Magazino-GmbH-737817356290011/> [signature_1689280880] <https://www.xing.com/xbp/pages/magazino-gmbh> [signature_607702122] <https://www.linkedin.com/company/magazino-gmbh/> [signature_1213976598] <https://www.instagram.com/magazino_loves_robots/> MAGAZINO GmbH | Landsberger Straße 234 80687 München | Deutschland Amtsgericht München HRB 209758 | USt-IdNr.: DE293308625 Geschäftsführer: Frederik Brantner, Lukas Zanger

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[jobs] Two tenured positions in Autonomous Systems at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences
by Alex Mitrevski 16 Nov '21

16 Nov '21

Dear roboticists, The Department of Computer Science at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (Sankt Augustin Campus), together with the Bonn-Aachen International Centre for Information Technology (b-it), has the following two permanent professorships (W2) for Computer Science, in particular in Autonomous Systems: 1. Mathematical foundations of autonomous systems 2. Industry-relevant and application-related aspects of autonomous systems. The two position are to be filled as soon as possible. We expect applicants for both positions to meet the following requirements: * the employment requirements of §36 HG NRW, in particular three years of professional experience outside of higher education institutions, * very good knowledge of English, as well as the ability and willingness to teach in English, * pedagogical and didactic skills in teaching complex learning content, * a willingness to participate in activities within the university, as well as national and international committees, * experience in the acquisition, establishment and implementation of internal and externally funded research and development projects, * active participation in the further development and expansion of the MAS program. In addition, the following criteria would be desirable: * teaching experience at universities or comparable institutions, * willingness to also teach undergraduate courses that correspond to the topics of the call for applications, * willingness for interdisciplinary cooperation with other institutions within and outside the university, * evidence of international collaborations and networking with the professional community, * willingness to conduct courses and examinations in German. More detailed information can be found at: 1. Mathematical foundations of autonomous systems: https://stellen.h-brs.de/jobposting/dcdfdd50800036e2492311716a44c03b81a1583… <https://stellen.h-brs.de/jobposting/dcdfdd50800036e2492311716a44c03b81a1583…> 2. Industry-relevant and application-related aspects of autonomous systems: https://stellen.h-brs.de/jobposting/0adf13b597c4a2f154f856c2fcaf65311ffeb2c… <https://stellen.h-brs.de/jobposting/0adf13b597c4a2f154f856c2fcaf65311ffeb2c…> We would like to see more female scientists at our university and are therefore particularly pleased to receive applications from women. We welcome applicants with children. H-BRS is a certified family-friendly university - and proud of it. People with severe disabilities are part of our university. We give them preference in the application process if their qualifications are equal. The position is suitable for part-time work. For information about the professorship to be filled, please contact the head of the appointment committee Prof. Dr. Nico Hochgeschwender (nico.hochgeschwender(a)h-brs.de <mailto:nico.hochgeschwender@h-brs.de>). In addition, the Equal Opportunity Officer of the H-BRS, Dr. Barbara Hillen, is also happy to assist you (www.h-brs.de/de/gi/barbara-hillen <https://www.h-brs.de/de/gi/barbara-hillen>). Regards, Nico Hochgeschwender **************************************************************************************** Prof. Dr. Nico Hochgeschwender Professor of Autonomous Systems B-IT Bonn-Aachen International Center of Information Technology Fon: +49-2241-865-9634 Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University oAS Fax: +49-2241-865-8293 Computer Science Department Net: nico.hochgeschwender(a)h-brs.de Grantham-Allee 20 53757 Sankt Augustin, Germany Web: http://www.h-brs.de/de/inf/nico-hochgeschwender Twitter: @nico_roboticist **************************************************************************************** International Master Program on Autonomous Systems https://www.h-brs.de/en/inf/autonomous-systems-msc ****************************************************************************************

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Postdoctoral Position at University of Glasgow
by Alessandro Vinciarelli 16 Nov '21

16 Nov '21

Dear all, we have a postdoctoral position (3 years) for the European Project SONICOM (http://www.sonicom.eu). The main goal of the successful candidate will be the development of methodologies capable to infer the personality traits of an individual (both self-assessed and attributed) from speech data rendered in VR and, possibly, from other nonverbal behavioural cues. The preferred candidates have an established track record in speech/signal processing and machine learning (in particular deep networks). Please apply by clicking on the following link: https://lnkd.in/dYVpY_KS The deadline is on November 25th at 23.45. Best, Alessandro

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Call for IEEE TNNLS Special Issue on "Stream Learning, " Submission Deadline: December 15, 2021
by Pub Conference 16 Nov '21

16 Nov '21

IEEE TNNLS Special Issue on "Stream Learning," Guest Editors: Jie Lu, University of Technology Sydney, Australia; Joao Gama, University of Porto, Portugal; Xin Yao, Southern University of Science and Technology, China; Leandro Minku, University of Birmingham, UK. Submission Deadline: December 15, 2021 [EXTENDED]. Website: https://cis.ieee.org/images/files/Publications/TNNLS/special-issues/One-Pag…

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