December 2023 - RoboCup-worldwide

[News] Robotics Developer Masterclass 2024-Batch 1
by Yuhong Lin 08 Apr '24

08 Apr '24

Dear all, Enrollment for the Robotics Developer Masterclass 2024-Batch 1 is currently available! This program offers comprehensive training in robot programming centered on ROS and development, equipping participants with the skills needed to prepare for employment at top robotics companies. *Registration link*: roboticsdeveloper.ai <https://www.theconstructsim.com/robotics-developer/?utm_source=robocup_worl…> *Early-Bird Registration Deadline*: December 31, 2023 Throughout this Masterclass, you’ll have the exclusive opportunity to work on innovative remote real robot labs, including: 1. *City World Lab*: Work with a real mobile robot, the TurtleBot3, to perform basic ROS tasks, gaining hands-on experience in basic robot programming. 2. *Warehouse Lab*: Apply your knowledge to create an entire pick-and-place task using real warehouse collaborative robots, including the RB1-Base and UR3e Arm. 3. *Cyber World Lab*: Engage in designing and developing navigation algorithms for a wheeled mobile robot, specifically the ROSbot XL. Explore the challenges and intricacies of robot navigation in different environments. 4. *Startbots Cafeteria Lab*: Showcase your skills in a real-world multi-robot scenario by designing and presenting a complete robotics project for the StarBots Cafeteria Lab. Develop robots that can prepare and deliver coffee to tables while maintaining battery levels and cleaning the space. The curriculum covers a wide range of essential topics and practical skills, empowering you to thrive in robotics development. Key areas covered in the program include: - *Collaborative software development with Git* - *C++ programming skills for robotics* - *ROS 1 and ROS 2 basics* - *Robot modeling with URDF – ROS2* - *Robot frame transformations with TF ROS2* - *Creating robot simulations with Gazebo (Ignition)* - *Advanced ROS2 concepts* - *Robot navigation with ROS2* - *Robot perception with ROS2* - *Object manipulation with ROS2* - *Building robot controllers with ROS2* - *Essential math for robotics* - *Mobile robot kinematics* - *Robot arm kinematics* - *Robot dynamics* - *Kalman filters* - *Path planning algorithms* - *Programming web interfaces for ROS2* - *Containerizing your software with Docker* - *Automating development tasks with Jenkins* - *Ensuring code integrity with continuous integration (CI)* - *Designing, developing, and presenting complete robotics projects from scratch* Upon successful completion of the Masterclass, you will be guaranteed an online or onsite internship placement with one of the world’s leading robotics companies. Our esteemed partners who have accepted our students for internships include: - Mujin Corp (Japan) - Robotnik (Spain) - PAL Robotics (Spain) - Eurecat (Centre Tecnològic de Catalunya-Spain) - Rover Robotics (US) - Stogl Robotics (Germany) - Karelics (Finland) - Neobotix (Germany) - Husarion (Poland) - Perpetuum Progress (Germany) - Robotise (Germany) - Robotec AI (Poland) - ICRA (Instituto Colombiano de Robótica Avanzada - Colombia) - Akara Robotics (Ireland) - Orbital Composites (US) - Knightscope (US) - A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research - Singapore) - Asimovo (Netherlands) - Anybotics (Switzerland) - Rigbetellabs (India) - PaceRobotics (India) To register and learn more about the program, please visit the following link: roboticsdeveloper.ai <https://www.theconstructsim.com/robotics-developer/?utm_source=robocup_worl…> If you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at info(a)theconstructsim.com. Best regards,

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[meetings] [news] Online Submission Open: 3rd Benchmark for Autonomous Robot Navigation (BARN) Challenge -- ICRA 2024 Competition
by Xuesu Xiao 22 Dec '23

22 Dec '23

Submission Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfZLMVluXE-HWnV9lNP00LuBi3e9HFOeLi… Competition Website: https://cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/Research/BARN_Challenge/BARN_Challenge24.html Participation Instructions: https://github.com/Daffan/nav-competition-icra2022 Lessons Learned from The BARN Challenge 2023: https://cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/papers/barn23_report.pdf Lessons Learned from The BARN Challenge 2022: https://cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/papers/barn22_report.pdf Dear roboticists, are you interested in agile robot navigation in highly constrained spaces with a lot of obstacles around, e.g., cluttered households or after-disaster scenarios? Do you think mobile robot navigation is mostly a solved problem? Are you looking for a hands-on project for your robotics class, but may not have (sufficient) robot platforms for your students? If your answer is yes to any of the above questions, we sincerely invite you to participate in our (3rd) ICRA 2024 BARN Challenge (https://cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/Research/BARN_Challenge/BARN_Challenge24.html)! The BARN Challenge aims at evaluating state-of-the-art autonomous navigation systems to move robots through highly constrained environments in a safe and efficient manner. The task is to navigate a standardized Clearpath Jackal robot from a predefined start to a goal location as quickly as possible without any collision. The challenge will take place both in the simulated BARN dataset and in physical obstacle courses at ICRA2024. 1. The competition task is designing ground navigation systems to navigate through all 300 BARN environments (https://cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/Research/BARN/BARN.html) and physical obstacle courses constructed at ICRA2024 as fast as possible without collision. 2. The 300 BARN environments can be the training set for learning-based methods, or to design classical approaches in. During the simulation competition, we will generate another 50 unseen environments unavailable to the participants before the competition. 3. We will standardize a Jackal robot in the Gazebo simulation, including a Hokuyo 2D LiDAR, motor controller of 2m/s max speed, etc. 4. Participants can use any approaches to tackle the navigation problem, such as using classical sampling-based or optimization-based planners, end-to-end learning, or hybrid approaches. We will provide baselines for reference. 5. A standardized scoring system is provided on the website. 6. We will invite the top teams in simulation to compete in the real world. The team who achieves the fastest collision-free navigation in the physical obstacle courses wins. If you are interested in participating, please submit your navigation system at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfZLMVluXE-HWnV9lNP00LuBi3e9HFOeLi… Co-Organizers: Xuesu Xiao (George Mason University) Zifan Xu (UT Austin) Garrett Warnell (US Army Research Lab / UT Austin) Peter Stone (UT Austin / Sony AI) Sponsor: Clearpath Robotics, https://clearpathrobotics.com/ Thanks Xuesu ----------------------- Xuesu Xiao, Ph.D. -- Assistant Professor Department of Computer Science George Mason University xiao(a)gmu.edu https://cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/

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RoboCup 2024 Small Size League Call for Participation
by Carla Cosenza 21 Dec '23

21 Dec '23

Hello! The Small Size League committee is glad to invite you to participate in the RoboCup 2024! Below you can find important information about the competition and qualification. Location and dates RoboCup Eindhoven 2024 Small Size League July 17-21, 2024 https://2024.robocup.org/ About RoboCup RoboCup is an international scientific initiative with the goal to advance the state of the art of intelligent robots. When established in 1997, the original mission was to field a team of robots capable of winning against the human soccer World Cup champions by 2050. About the Small Size League The RoboCup Small Size League is a part of the RoboCup Research Federation focused on multi-agent coordination and control. Teams currently compete in 11 vs. 11 soccer matches (6 vs. 6 in Div. B). The robots must fit within an 18 cm diameter circle and must be no higher than 15 cm. The robots play soccer with an orange golf ball on a green carpeted field that is about 12 m long by 9 m wide. About the qualification To qualify for the competition, each team must submit a Team Description Paper and a video by February 13, 2024. More information on the qualification requirements and processes are located on the website. Please direct all inquiries to the Small Size League Organizing Committee: rc-ssl-oc(a)lists.robocup.org Thank you! Carla Cosenza RoboCup Small Size League | Organizing Committee

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Postdoc Position in RL/imitation learning for robot navigation in simulated environments (University of Edinburgh, UK)
by Stefano V. Albrecht 21 Dec '23

21 Dec '23

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Position “Reinforcement learning and imitation learning for robot navigation in simulated environments” About the position We are seeking a motivated candidate to fill a postdoctoral research fellow position in “Reinforcement learning and imitation learning for robot navigation in simulated environments”. This position will be hosted and located in the Autonomous Agents Research Group (https://agents.inf.ed.ac.uk) in the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. The researcher will be supervised jointly by Prof. Stefano V. Albrecht (University of Edinburgh) and Prof. Concetto Spampinato (University of Catania). What will you be doing Contribute to the project through research activities, including: • Conduct a comprehensive literature review to understand the current state-of-the-art in reinforcement learning, imitation learning, and robot navigation. • Develop novel reinforcement learning and imitation learning algorithms tailored to the specific challenges of robot navigation in our simulated environment MIDGARD (https://midgardsim.org/). • Design, together with engineers, more realistic and diverse simulated environments that capture the complexities of real-world scenarios in MIDGARD. • Develop evaluation metrics and protocols to assess the performance of reinforcement learning and imitation learning algorithms in these environments. • Define and validate methods for sim-to-real challenges that may arise in the transition from simulation to physical robots. This activity will be carried out jointly with robotics researchers. Candidate requirements PhD in AI, machine learning, computer science, or related area. Excellent publication track record in leading conferences for AI/ML/robotics research. Background and expertise in one or more of the following areas: • RL and imitation learning algorithms • Knowledge of robotic systems and challenges in navigation • Solid foundation in machine and deep learning concepts and techniques • Proficient in Python and Pytorch algorithm development Employment package 12 months initially, with option to extend to 36 months subject to performance review. Standard salary for research postdoc in Italy (1.500 Euros/month). Accommodation costs (i.e. rent) are additionally covered. Paid trips to conferences to present work. Desktop/laptop computer. How to apply Interested candidates are encouraged to contact the PeRCeiVe Lab research admin at alessia.spitaleri(a)unict.it<mailto:alessia.spitaleri@unict.it> for further details on how to apply and support with the application process. For questions about the position and research, please contact Prof. Stefano Albrecht (s.albrecht(a)ed.ac.uk<mailto:s.albrecht@ed.ac.uk>) and Prof. Concetto Spampinato (concetto.spampinato(a)unict.it<mailto:concetto.spampinato@unict.it>). Applications close: December 27th 2023 at noon (Italian time) -- Dr. Stefano V. Albrecht Associate Professor, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Head of Autonomous Agents Research Group (https://agents.inf.ed.ac.uk) Royal Society Industry Fellow, Five AI/Bosch (www.five.ai<http://www.five.ai>) Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellow, Dematic/KION (www.dematic.com<http://www.dematic.com>) The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336. Is e buidheann carthannais a th’ ann an Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann, clàraichte an Alba, àireamh clàraidh SC005336.

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Call for Participation RoboCup 2024 Humanoid Soccer Competition - Eindhoven, July 2024
by Reinaldo A. C. Bianchi 20 Dec '23

20 Dec '23

* Call for Participation * RoboCup 2024 Humanoid Soccer Competition https://humanoid.robocup.org/ July 17 - 21, 2024, Eindhoven, the Netherlands =========================================================== The RoboCup Humanoid League invites teams to apply for participation at the RoboCup 2024 Humanoid Soccer Competition in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The Humanoid League will host competitions in the following categories: * KidSize: 40 - 100cm robot height (FIFA size 1 ball) * AdultSize: 100 - 200cm robot height (FIFA size 5 ball) For more detailed class definitions, please refer to the humanoid league home page at https://humanoid.robocup.org/. Teams 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. Teams are also encouraged to form and apply as joint teams. Joint proposals will be judged on their combined merit. 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. For the qualification process, teams must provide the following material: 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 regard 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! 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 2024 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 2024 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. 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 2024 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. 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) * Materials (e.g. Torso aluminum, legs and arms CFRP) * Electronics (e.g. CM730 for communicating with servos) * Battery (e.g. 3S1P 2200mAh LiPo) * Open Source link if applicable * Other specs 5) Letter of Commitment --------------------------------------- A one-page letter addressed to the RoboCup Humanoid League Technical Committee including the following: * a statement committing to participate in the RoboCup 2024 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. Each application to the Humanoid Soccer Competition will be reviewed by two members of the Technical Committee and two other 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 team’s own qualification status. 6) Rules --------------------------------------- The current version of the rules may be found here at the Humanoid League website: https://humanoid.robocup.org/materials/rules/. We expect the final version of the 2024 rules to be published in early spring 2024. 7) 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. 8) 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 another 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. 9) Online Submission --------------------------------------- All qualification material must be submitted online at https://submission.robocuphumanoid.com 10) Important Dates --------------------------------------- Humanoid Soccer Competition * Submission system open: November 27th, 2023 * Submission deadline: December 15th, 2023 * Team Review Period: December 15th - December 22nd 2023 * Announcement of qualified teams: January 19th, 2024 11) 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. 12) Visa Process --------------------------------------- If you are a citizen of a country that needs a Visa for traveling to the Netherlands, 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 Netherlands government for information, at https://www.government.nl/topics/holidays-and-travels/check-visa-netherlands. For 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 With best regards, Technical Committee of RoboCup Humanoid League 2023/2024 Esta mensagem, juntamente com qualquer outra informação anexada, é confidencial e protegida por lei. 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[news][meetings] Get ROS2 Industrial Ready Training 2024
by Yuhong Lin 18 Dec '23

18 Dec '23

Call for Participation: Get ROS2 Industrial Ready: Hands-On Training (02/19-02/21, 2024) Dear Roboticists, The 'Get ROS2 Industrial Ready’ training in 2024 will take place from February 19th to 21st. It includes both theory and hands-on sessions covering: - ROS2 Basics - ROS2 Navigation Stack (Nav2) - ROS2 Industrial Manipulation (using MoveIt 2) This training is designed for: - ROS or ROS2 beginners - Engineers aiming to quickly master ROS2 for real robot applications - Team leads seeking software solutions to develop scalable robotics products more efficiently. *Training Details:* - *Dates*: February 19 - 21, 2024 - *Location*: Live Online Classes + Remote Real Robot Practice - *Time*: 9:00 – 18:00 Central European Time (CET) - *Limited Seats:* Only 15 participants - *Website*: https://www.theconstructsim.com/ros2-industrial-workshop/ <https://www.theconstructsim.com/ros2-industrial-workshop/?utm_source=robocu…> *What You Will Learn:* - How to use ROS2 in real robots - How to make robots navigate with ROS2 - How to make a robotic arm manipulate objects using ROS2 *Training Highlights:* - Expert instruction from industry professionals - Hands-on experience with real robots - Interactive exercises with simulated robots *Practical Sessions @ Warehouse Robot Lab* Remote hands-on practice throughout the training at the Warehouse Robot Lab with real industrial robots. Learn more at https://www.theconstructsim.com/ros2-industrial-workshop/ <https://www.theconstructsim.com/ros2-industrial-workshop/?utm_source=robocu…> . This training is organized by TheConstruct.ai <https://www.theconstructsim.coma/>. For any questions please email us at info(a)theconstructsim.com. Best regards, The Construct team

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RoboCup SPL Call for Applications for Participation 2024
by Stefan Seering 16 Dec '23

16 Dec '23

Call for Applications for Participation RoboCup 2024 Standard Platform League spl.robocup.org <https://spl.robocup.org/> Monday 15th July through Monday 22th July 2024 Eindhoven, The Netherlands 2024.robocup.org <https://2024.robocup.org> RoboCup <https://www.robocup.org/> is an international initiative that fosters research and education in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence through a variety of competitions (RoboCupSoccer, RoboCupRescue, RoboCup@Home, RoboCupIndustrial, RoboCupJunior) involving mostly multi-robot systems. RoboCupSoccer currently includes a number of different robot soccer leagues that focus on different research challenges. *The Standard Platform League (SPL)* is characterized by all the teams using an identical robot platform. Participating researchers focus on algorithmic development for fully autonomous robots in the main competition and operation of robots with shared autonomy in technical challenges. The SPL robot soccer team competition games at RoboCup 2024 will be played between teams of fully autonomous NAO robots. Participating teams may use V6, V5 or older versions of the NAO humanoid robot manufactured by Aldebaran <https://www.aldebaran.com/en/nao>. Teams should be able to play on a randomly assigned field within one hour. The RoboCup 2024 SPL will host: * A soccer team competition as the main competition of the event. * A shared autonomy technical challenge. The soccer team competition will consist of a number of games that is similar to recent years for most teams. The draft rule book for 2024 will be released by 15th of December 2023 on the downloads page <https://spl.robocup.org/downloads/#2024>. The league operates two divisions: Champions Cup (CC) and Challenge Shield (CS). Teams in the Champions Cup division will compete in matches with up to 7 robots per team. Teams in the Challenge Shield division will compete in matches with up to 5 robots per team. The teams participating in the team competition should also compete in the additional technical challenge. The Technical challenge for 2024 is the shared autonomy challenge. This technical challenge requires participants to develop a mixed team that consists of one human-operated Nao robot and one fully autonomous Nao with the objective of exploring how humans and robots can cooperate in soccer. Teams are encouraged to improve their skills in these challenges so that aspects of these challenges can be included in the main competition in future years. More details regarding technical challenges will be given in the rule book <https://spl.robocup.org/downloads/#2024>. Joining the League The league is always ready to welcome new teams. If you are considering joining: the league has prepared information for you <https://spl.robocup.org/joining-robocup-spl/> to support you in your first steps. We encourage you to contact the organizing committees and other teams if you have questions. To assist in adoption of NAO V6 robots, source code examples and documentation regarding V6 robots were published on the SPL website <https://spl.robocup.org/v6-support/>. One can also find example code for V6 robots in the code released by participating teams. If you need access to the RoboCup NAOqi Image and the specific documentation, please write an email (mentioning your team affiliation and plans) to rc-spl-tc(a)lists.robocup.org. Qualification All interested teams that are not pre-qualified must apply by sending an email to the Technical Committee (see below). A valid application must contain: 1. *Team Description Paper:* See below. The TDP must be *attached as PDF file* to the email. 2. *Preference to compete in the Champions Cup or Challenge Shield:* State whether you prefer to compete in CC or CS. If you prefer to compete in CS, please state if you would accept an assignment to CC to balance the competition. 3. *Video presentation:* Include a link to a video (maximum 5 minutes long, uploaded on the team’s web site or on some video server) that demonstrates the status of the team. The organizing committees use the video to determine the readiness of the team to compete effectively, and hence should focus on the team’s ability to play soccer. Teams who did not participate in the team competition at RoboCup 2023 *must* include footage of at least one robot attempting to kick off and score (this footage must be captured as a single wide shot with no cuts). If robots from multiple teams are active in the footage (e.g., game footage), please include a textual overlay or additional document denoting which robots belong to the applying team for every scene. Videos of simulation contributions will also be accepted, but only when a real robot is unavailable. Preference will be given to teams that use real robots to show soccer skills in their video. 4. *Robot purchase plans:* State how many NAO robots your team plans to buy this year. Pre-Qualification Teams that reached the quarter-finals or finished in the top 5 of the technical challenges at RoboCup 2023 will be pre-qualified for RoboCup 2024, if they submit a valid application as detailed below. The following teams can make use of pre-qualification: * BadgerBots * Bembelbots * B-Human * Dutch Nao Team * HTWK Robots * HULKs * Nao Devils * NomadZ * RoboEireann * rUNSWift * R-ZWEI KICKERS * SPQR Team A valid application for pre-qualified teams must contain: 1. *Team Description Paper:* See below. The TDP must be *attached as PDF file* to the email. 2. *Preference to compete in the Champions Cup or Challenge Shield:* State whether you prefer to compete in CC or CS. If you prefer to compete in CS, please state if you would accept an assignment to CC to balance the competition. 3. *Robot purchase plans:* State how many NAO robots your team plans to buy this year. If a joint 2023 team splits, only one team can be pre-qualified for 2024 (please indicate which one). Team Description Paper Both regular and pre-qualified teams must submit a team description paper (TDP) attached as PDF file to their application email. For the TDP to be considered, it must: * be formatted according to the *Springer LNCS author guidelines <https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gu…>*. * be no longer than *8 pages* (including references). * be structured in the following *sections with the specified headings*: 1. *Team Information:* o team name (the one true spelling, considering capitalization, spaces, hyphens, etc.) o team leader(s) o team contact email address o team website URL (if available) o country of origin o university/company affiliation(s) of the team 2. *Code Usage:* Acknowledge the team’s use of any other team’s code (1) previously from 2019 to present and (2) anticipated at RoboCup 2024. If code is used from other teams, is this code integrated into a code base that is mainly designed by the applying team? If the applying team does not use any other team’s code, state so. For further details, please have a look into the rule book, section A.1 <https://spl.robocup.org/downloads/#2024>. 3. *Own Contribution:* Describe in detail the ‘research publishable’ significant advancements the applying team has made and is going to use at RoboCup 2024, in accordance with the rule book, section A.1 <https://spl.robocup.org/downloads/#2024>. 4. *Past History:* provide game results in RoboCup Open competitions as well as main RoboCup competitions from 2020 onward. Include opponents and game scores from each competition in a table. State if the team plans to participate in any RoboCup Open competitions or friendlies prior to RoboCup 2024. 5. *Impact:* What is the impact of the team’s participation and research in RoboCup on (1) the SPL, (2) the team’s university/community? 6. *Other:* Present any other information that you believe supports your application. Please note that the TDP is not a peer-reviewed publication and will not appear in any collection apart from the RoboCup TDP archive <https://tdp.robocup.org>. Qualification for Regional Opens Only Teams may also submit a short intent to participate in a regional open if they do not wish to participate in the 2024 RoboCup competition. Although teams may participate in regional opens without submitting this intent to participate, teams who submit an intent to participate and become qualified may be eligible for future special robot pricing. Special robot pricing for teams competing in RoboCup Events are still being discussed. Updates about special prices will be announced as soon as offers and conditions are finalized. Teams must submit the following information by 15th of February 2024: (1) The team name, leader(s), and the university/company affiliation(s) of the team and (2) a short statement describing the status/progress of the team. A link to a short video showing robot soccer behaviours and/or game play (using robots or in simulation) may be included if available. Submission and Evaluation All applications with the (pre-)qualification material must be submitted by *15th of February 2024*, by email to rc-spl-tc(a)lists.robocup.org. Please use a subject matching the pattern *RoboCup 2024 Application <team name>*. Applications must not be sent to personal SPL TC/OC email addresses and must not contain video attachments. By submitting your application, you grant the SPL committees the rights to publish the TDP and application video / code release link. Note that applying serves as a statement of commitment to participate in the RoboCup 2024 SPL. If you have doubts regarding the ability of your team to participate (due to funding, visas, etc.), please apply by the deadline but note this in your application email. Declining to participate in any competition after the official early registration period has opened may negatively affect future applications (the later you decline, the worse it will affect future applications). Teams are encouraged to consider joint participation. Joint proposals will be judged on combined merit. Applications will be evaluated by criteria which include: 1. Potential to play competitive games at RoboCup 2024 (demonstrated ability to play soccer, previous results, etc.) 2. Contributions (and potential contributions) to league (code releases/papers, active in organization, developing own code, etc.) 3. Diversity (region, team make-up, unique characteristics, etc.) Since 2023 the competition rules require all teams to release the source code for novel contributions. This ensures that all teams can learn from good solutions and all teams are driven to make improvements each year. More details regarding code releases will be given in the rule book <https://spl.robocup.org/downloads/#2024>. All teams can expect to be required to publish a contribution. The form will be similar to the releases required of pre-qualified teams as stated in the 2023 rulebook. As part of the application phase teams will be assigned into the CC and CS divisions. Assignments will be judged based on previous performance and application material. The organizing committees will do their best to honor teams' preferences. However, the necessity might arise to assign teams into divisions against their preference. All teams applying for CC are expected to be able to compete in CS. Teams will be notified during the application phase if they are assigned into a division against their preference Qualification decisions, including alternate lists, will be announced by 1st of March 2024. Robot Acquisition Teams who submit an intent to participate and become qualified will be eligible for potential future special robot pricing. Special robot pricing for team competing in RoboCup Events are still being discussed. Updates about special prices will be announced if offers and conditions are finalized. /RoboCup 2024 Standard Platform League Technical and Organizing Committees/

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Postdoc Position in RL/imitation learning for robot navigation in simulated environments (University of Edinburgh, UK)
by Stefano V. Albrecht 12 Dec '23

12 Dec '23

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Position “Reinforcement learning and imitation learning for robot navigation in simulated environments” About the position We are seeking a motivated candidate to fill a postdoctoral research fellow position in “Reinforcement learning and imitation learning for robot navigation in simulated environments”. This position will be hosted and located in the Autonomous Agents Research Group (https://agents.inf.ed.ac.uk) in the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. The researcher will be supervised jointly by Prof. Stefano V. Albrecht (University of Edinburgh) and Prof. Concetto Spampinato (University of Catania). What will you be doing Contribute to the project through research activities, including: • Conduct a comprehensive literature review to understand the current state-of-the-art in reinforcement learning, imitation learning, and robot navigation. • Develop novel reinforcement learning and imitation learning algorithms tailored to the specific challenges of robot navigation in our simulated environment MIDGARD (https://midgardsim.org/). • Design, together with engineers, more realistic and diverse simulated environments that capture the complexities of real-world scenarios in MIDGARD. • Develop evaluation metrics and protocols to assess the performance of reinforcement learning and imitation learning algorithms in these environments. • Define and validate methods for sim-to-real challenges that may arise in the transition from simulation to physical robots. This activity will be carried out jointly with robotics researchers. Candidate requirements PhD in AI, machine learning, computer science, or related area. Excellent publication track record in leading conferences for AI/ML/robotics research. Background and expertise in one or more of the following areas: • RL and imitation learning algorithms • Knowledge of robotic systems and challenges in navigation • Solid foundation in machine and deep learning concepts and techniques • Proficient in Python and Pytorch algorithm development Employment package 12 months initially, with option to extend to 36 months subject to performance review. Standard salary for research postdoc in Italy (1.500 Euros/month). Accommodation costs (i.e. rent) are additionally covered. Paid trips to conferences to present work. Desktop/laptop computer. How to apply Interested candidates are encouraged to contact the PeRCeiVe Lab research admin at alessia.spitaleri(a)unict.it<mailto:alessia.spitaleri@unict.it> for further details on how to apply and support with the application process. For questions about the position and research, please contact Prof. Stefano Albrecht (s.albrecht(a)ed.ac.uk<mailto:s.albrecht@ed.ac.uk>) and Prof. Concetto Spampinato (concetto.spampinato(a)unict.it<mailto:concetto.spampinato@unict.it>). Applications close: December 27th 2023 at noon (Italian time) -- Dr. Stefano V. Albrecht Associate Professor, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Head of Autonomous Agents Research Group (https://agents.inf.ed.ac.uk) Royal Society Industry Fellow, Five AI/Bosch (www.five.ai<http://www.five.ai>) Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellow, Dematic/KION (www.dematic.com<http://www.dematic.com>) The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336. Is e buidheann carthannais a th’ ann an Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann, clàraichte an Alba, àireamh clàraidh SC005336.

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Call for Posters: ISAIM 2024 Special Session on Deep Reinforcement Learning
by Diochnos, Dimitrios 10 Dec '23

10 Dec '23

Call for Posters: International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics (ISAIM) 2024 Special Session on Deep Reinforcement Learning Submission: https://forms.gle/MJuSJHJpuJ3mFevf6 Workshop Theme: "Deep Reinforcement Learning: Bridging Theory and Practice" https://isaim-deeprl.github.io/2024/ Dates & Venue: January 8, 9, 2024, collocated with the International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics (ISAIM), Fort Lauderdale, FL. Overview: Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) stands at the forefront of AI research, shaping the future of diverse fields from robotics to finance. However, the journey from theoretical foundations to practical applications in DRL is laden with challenges. Our workshop, a special session of ISAIM 2024, aims to address these challenges by fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the latest advancements in DRL. We will discuss a variety of talks (including but not limited to) sample efficiency, exploration vs. exploitation, transfer learning, stability and convergence, and real-world application barriers. Invited Speakers: Benjamin Eysenbach (Princeton) Aviral Kumar (CMU / Google) Pulkit Agrawal (MIT) Chi Jin (Princeton) Sanjiban Choudhury (Cornell) Wen Sun (Cornell) Kaiqing Zhang (UMD) Max Simchowitz (MIT) Animesh Garg (Georgia Tech) Zhuoran Yang (Yale) Objective: Our goal is to illuminate the connection between the theoretical and practical aspects of DRL, addressing inherent challenges in the field. Participants will gain comprehensive knowledge, backed by expert-led discussions, talks and lively interaction. Target Audience: This workshop is ideal for researchers, AI practitioners, graduate students, and industry professionals keen on exploring the forefront of Deep Reinforcement Learning. Call for Posters: We invite submissions for poster presentations that align with the theme of the workshop. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase your research, share novel ideas, and interact with experts in the field. There will be a lot of engaging discussion and all relevant work is welcome! Submission Guidelines: Poster topics should be relevant to DRL and its challenges. But this is defined very broadly, please submit if you think at all relevant! Abstracts should be concise, clearly outlining objectives, methodology, and findings. Include author(s) name, affiliation, and contact information. Flexible on format, 4+ page papers accepted! Submission Deadline: Jan 5, 2024 Contact Information: zhaoranwang(a)gmail.com or abhgupta(a)cs.washington.edu Join us in exploring the intricate world of DRL and contribute to bridging the gap between theory and practice. We look forward to your insightful contributions and lively discussions! Organizers: Abhishek Gupta (UW), Zhaoran Wang (Northwestern), Aldo Pacchiano (Boston University / Broad Institute), Claudio Gentile (Google)

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Robot Fleet Management with Open-RMF Training 2024
by Yuhong Lin 05 Dec '23

05 Dec '23

Final Call for Early Bird: Mastering Robot Fleet Management with Open-RMF Training (01/22-01/24, 2024) Dear Roboticists, Don't miss out on the final chance to secure your spot at the upcoming 4th edition of "Mastering Robot Fleet Management with Open-RMF Training," scheduled to be held online from January 22 to 24, 2024. *Training Details:* - *Dates*: January 22 - 24, 2024 - *Location*: Live Online Classes + Remote Real Robot Practice - *Time*: 9:00 – 18:00 Central European Time (CET) - *Limited Seats:* Only 15 participants - *Website*: https://www.theconstructsim.com/robot-fleet-management-ros2-open-rmf-traini… <https://www.theconstructsim.com/robot-fleet-management-ros2-open-rmf-traini…> *About the Training:* Join industry mentors for a 3-Day Live Training: Gain practical skills in configuring, deploying, and managing robot fleets with open-source software (Open-RMF), while learning how to apply it to your real multi-robot scenarios. *What You Will Learn:* - RMF basic structure - How to create a compliant RMF simulation - How to set up Free Fleet for autonomous mobile robots - How to set up basic tasks like Deliver, Clean, Patrol, and Charge - How to create your own custom fleet adapter to integrate API and ROS2 systems of your robot into RMF. - How to dock in RMF - How to clean with RMF - How to create a GUI for humans to interact with RMF *Training Highlights:* - Expert instruction from industry professionals - Hands-on experience with real robots - Interactive exercises with simulated robots - Practical application in a real multi-robot environment – Starbots Coffee Lab *Practical Sessions @ Starbots Coffee Lab:* Throughout the training, you will have the opportunity to apply your newfound knowledge in real-world scenarios at the Starbots Coffee Lab, a multi-robot system application. Learn more at https://www.theconstructsim.com/robot-fleet-management-ros2-open-rmf-traini… <https://www.theconstructsim.com/robot-fleet-management-ros2-open-rmf-traini…> . For any inquiries regarding this training, please feel free to contact us at info(a)theconstructsim.com. Best regards, The Construct team

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