March 2023 - RoboCup-worldwide

[meetings][CFP] Second call for papers at the 26th RoboCup International Symposium
by Alessandra Rossi 31 Mar '23

31 Mar '23

Dear colleagues, *Apologies for any cross-posting* We are very pleased to invite you to the *26th RoboCup International * *Symposium* will be held on 10 July 2023, in conjunction with RoboCup 2023 (July 4 to 10, 2023) in Bordeaux, France. *Conference website* https://2023.robocup.org/en/symposium/ *Submission link* https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=rcsymposium2023 *Submission deadline* *April 16, 2023* Please find attached the full call for proposals and papers for *the International **Symposium 2023*. Kindest regards, Alessandra Rossi, Cédric Buche, Marco Simões, Ubbo Visser [image: image.png] The 26th RoboCup International Symposium will be held on *10 July 2023*, in conjunction with RoboCup 2023 (July 4 to 10, 2023) in Bordeaux, France. We are looking for submissions of papers reporting innovative and original research with relevance to areas of robotics and artificial intelligence. A full list of topics welcomed to this year's symposium can be found below. Within the described scope of topics, we also encourage submissions of high-quality overview articles, papers describing real-world research, and papers reporting theoretical results. Researchers are invited to submit their work independently of whether they participate in the RoboCup competitions or have a RoboCup team. The symposium is planned to be held in person in Bordeaux, France. However, a hybrid version will be evaluated in case circumstances should require it. In addition to the *regular track* with regular research papers, the *development track* encourages reports on innovative hardware developments, software frameworks, and open-source releases of software components. A review of papers describing these contributions will be based on technical aspects and benefits to the practice of communities specifically working in RoboCup. *Submission deadline:* April 16, 2023 List of Topics - Robot Hardware and Software - mobile robotics - humanoid robotics - sensors and actuators - embedded and mobile devices - robot construction and new materials - robot system integration - robot software architectures - robot programming environments and languages - real-time and concurrent programming - robot simulators - sim2real learning - Perception and Action - 3D perception - distributed sensor integration - sensor noise filtering - real-time image processing and pattern recognition - motion and sensor models - sensory-motor control - robot kinematics and dynamics - high-dimensional motion control - Robot Cognition and Learning - world modelling and knowledge representation - learning from demonstration and imitation - localisation, navigation, and mapping - planning and reasoning - decision making under uncertainty - neural systems and deep learning - complex motor skill acquisition - reinforcement learning and optimisation - motion and sensor model learning - Human-Robot Interaction - robot social intelligence - fluency of interaction - speech synthesis and natural language generation - natural language recognition - explainable robot behaviours - emotion recognition and reaction - understanding human intent and behaviour - safety, security and dependability - enabling humans to predict robot behaviour - Multi-Robot Systems - team coordination methods - communication protocols - learning and adaptive systems - teamwork and heterogeneous agents - dynamic resource allocation - adjustable autonomy - Education and Edutainment - robotics and artificial intelligence education - educational robotics - robot kits and programming tools - robotic entertainment - Applications and Benchmarking - search and rescue robots - robot surveillance service and social robots - robots at home, at work and in public spaces - robots in the real world - performance metrics - human-robot interaction Submission Guidelines All papers will be peer-reviewed and evaluated by members of the senior program committee. The proceedings of the RoboCup International Symposium will be published and archived within the Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence (LNCS/LNAI) series by Springer-Verlag after the conference. Papers should be formatted following the LNAI author guidelines ( *https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-guidelines* <https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gu…>) and must be electronically submitted through the EasyChair electronic submission system ( *https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=rcsymposium2023* <https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=rcsymposium2023>). Submissions are limited to 12 pages including references. Springer’s proceedings LaTeX templates are also available in Overleaf: *https://de.overleaf.com/latex/templates/springer-lecture-notes-in-computer-science/kzwwpvhwnvfj* <https://de.overleaf.com/latex/templates/springer-lecture-notes-in-computer-…> Invited Speakers - Laurence Devillers, Sorbonne University, France *(confirmed)* - Cynthia Breazeal, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA *(confirmed)* Committees Organizing committee - Cédric Buche, CNRS/ENIB, France - cedric.buche(a)enib.fr - Alessandra Rossi, University of Naples Federico II, Italy - a.rossi(a)herts.ac.uk - Marco Simões, Universidade do Estado da Bahia, Brazil - msimoes(a)uneb.br - Ubbo Visser, University of Miami, USA - visser(a)cs.miami.edu Venue The conference will be held in the Bordeaux Exhibition Center (Parc des Expositions de Bordeaux), Bordeaux, France. Contact Please feel free to ask for further information by emailing Alessandra Rossi - a.rossi(a)herts.ac.uk

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[meetings] Call for Speakers - The 6th ROS Developers Day (ROSDevDay2023)
by Yuhong Lin 31 Mar '23

31 Mar '23

Call for Speakers - The 6th ROS Developers Day (ROSDevDay2023) Hi Roboticists, if you know something interesting about ROS and WOULD LIKE TO TEACH IT to the community, present your knowledge at ROS Developers Day (ROSDevDay) <https://www.theconstructsim.com/ros-developers-day-2023/?utm_source=robocup…> ! ------------------------------ <https://discourse.ros.org/t/call-for-speakers-ros-developers-day-2023/30516…>New this year: Speakers will be paid 300€ + 5% commission on rosject sales! We value the work of every ROS developer and want to reward developers for their work. To that end, each speaker at ROSDevDay2023 will receive 300€, plus 5% of their rosject’s total revenue from sales on TheConstruct <https://app.theconstructsim.com/Rosjects>‘s online learning platform. *Your rosject will permanently appear on The Construct for €39, the speaker will receive 5% of the total revenue from the rosject as a permanent revenue stream. ------------------------------ How to prepare & submit your proposal? Check out the instructions here: https://www.theconstructsim.com/ros-developers-day-2023-call-for-speakers/ <https://www.theconstructsim.com/ros-developers-day-2023-call-for-speakers/?…> <https://discourse.ros.org/t/call-for-speakers-ros-developers-day-2023/30516…>Presentation Requirements: - ROS-related topics are eligible, including ROS 1 & 2 and ROS basic, intermediate and advanced levels. - You can apply as long as the subject matter is interesting for the ROS community. - The presentation must be around a project that all the attendants can execute within a rosject <https://discourse.ros.org/t/call-for-speakers-ros-developers-day-2023/30516…>[image: :white_check_mark:] Examples of successful projects: - A practical demonstration of Nav2 new features: Practical Demonstration of New User-Requested Nav2 Features | Steve Macenski | ROSDevDay 2021 - YouTube <https://youtu.be/BmyCi2lcdJY> - Multi-floor navigation: Multi-Floor Navigation with ROS Navigation Stack | Ammaar Solkar | ROSDevDay 2021 - YouTube <https://youtu.be/6lJurC3Tl-M> - Simulating and testing underwater robots: Simulating and Testing Underwater Robots in Gazebo - ROS2 | Arjo Chakravarty | ROSDevDay 2022 - YouTube <https://youtu.be/JMevncnfM0Y> - Building a planning scene for pick&place: Build a MoveIt's Planning Scene for a Pick & Place Application | María Beneyto | ROSDevDay 2022 - YouTube 1 <https://youtu.be/NgIsFPVfVNY> - Unix domain socket communication with ROS: #ROSDevCon19: Unix Domain Socket communication in ROS by TOMOYA FUJITA - YouTube 1 <https://youtu.be/VVaRyAyC4ck> <https://discourse.ros.org/t/call-for-speakers-ros-developers-day-2023/30516…>[image: :x:] Examples that do not apply: - Something that can only be applied to an actual device and cannot be demostrated during the rosject - Something that it is at so low a level that attendees barely understand because they cannot relate the relation between that and robots - Something that cannot be executed inside a rosject <https://discourse.ros.org/t/call-for-speakers-ros-developers-day-2023/30516…>REMEMBER: This conference is not about showing your latest results (you can if you want). Instead, it is about showing and sharing interesting subjects with ROS to the audience so they can practice, learn and apply it to their projects. <https://discourse.ros.org/t/call-for-speakers-ros-developers-day-2023/30516…> Deadlines - Proposal submission deadline: May 5, 2023 - Evaluation period: May 5 – May 15, 2023 - Rosject preparation period: May 15 – June 15, 2023 - Final rosject submission: June 15, 2023 – <https://discourse.ros.org/t/call-for-speakers-ros-developers-day-2023/30516…> For any questions please contact us at info(a)rosdevday.com.

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National Robotics Festival - Portugal
by Patricia Vergara 29 Mar '23

29 Mar '23

Hello good morning: We are almost ready for the 23rd edition of the National Robotics Festival - Portugal - FNR’2023 event. We are pleased to address this invitation to invite you to participate in the 2023 Portuguese Robotics Open (FNR'2023) which is promoted by the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar (IPT) and the Portuguese Robotics Society (SPR) and which will take place at the Municipal Pavilion of Tomar, from April 28 to 30, 2023. Categories: Major: DRAGSTAR FREEBOTS MANIPULADORES ROBÓTICOS ROBOT@FACTORY LITE ROBOT@FACTORY 4.0 CONDUÇÃO AUTÓNOMA LIGA DE SIMULAÇÃO 3D @HOME Junior: RCJ RESCUE SIMULATION ROBOT@FACTORY LITE FIRST CHALLENGER FREEBOTS JÚNIOR ONSTAGE BUSCA E SALVAMENTO – LINHA BUSCA E SALVAMENTO – LABIRINTO ROBOCUP SOCCER (MSL) The registration form is now available on the event's website! If you register before April 2nd, in addition to guaranteeing your spot, you are entitled to a discount on your team's registration. Click the button below for more details and access to our website! https://www.festivalnacionalrobotica.pt/2023/ If you have any questions, you can contact the organization through the official email: info(a)festivalnacionalrobotica.pt We look forward to your participation and present our best regards, The Organizing Committee -- Patrícia Vergara

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[news] Announcing MuSoHu: Multi-Modal Social Human Navigation Dataset
by Xuesu Xiao 28 Mar '23

28 Mar '23

Dear Roboticists, we are pleased to announce the publication of the Multi-Modal Social Human Navigation Dataset (MuSoHu), which contains ~50 km, 10 hours, 150 trials, 7 humans of data in the wild and allows future robots to learn socially compliant navigation from humans, natural-born experts at such a task! Website: https://cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/Research/MuSoHu/ Paper: https://cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/papers/musohu.pdf Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgsKAy_yR7w Dataset: https://dataverse.orc.gmu.edu/dataset.xhtml?persistentId=doi:10.13021/orc20… 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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Call for Participation: RoboCup@Home Education Workshop & Challenge 2023
by Jeffrey Tan 22 Mar '23

22 Mar '23

Dear RoboCup Community, RoboCup@Home Education Challenge is an educational competition platform to cultivate beginner teams for RoboCup@Home challenges. The unique Workshop+Competition format effectively boosts novice participants for challenging service robot development and AI learning within an event time. This year, we are organizing the on-site event at the RoboCup 2023 Bordeaux in July 2023. The event comprises a series of robot building short courses for beginners via online classroom, hands-on workshop and face-to-face on-site competition in Bordeaux. The event details are as follows in the Call for Participation announcement. We are organizing a Kick-Off Webinar on 29/30 March 2023 to give an overview of the event. << Kick-Off Webinar 2023 >> Join either Session A or Session B = Session A = - 29 March 2023 (Wed) 14:00-15:30 (CET France/Italy) - 29 March 2023 (Wed) 21:00-22:30 (GMT+8 China/Malaysia) - 29 March 2023 (Wed) 09:00-10:30 (EDT New York) = Session B = - 30 March 2023 (Thu) 19:00-20:30 (CET France/Italy) - 30 March 2023 (Thu) 14:00-15:30 (EDT New York) - 30 March 2023 (Thu) 11:00-12:30 (PDT California) Join online: https://forms.office.com/r/r15VNvdkUQ ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** === Call for Participation: RoboCup@Home Education Workshop & Challenge 2023 === [ Venue ] RoboCup 2023 Bordeaux [ Date ] 4 – 10 July 2023 [ Web ] https://www.robocupathomeedu.org/challenges/robocup-2023-bordeaux << Supported by >> - RoboCup Federation - RoboCup 2023 LOC << Sponsors and Technical Partners >> - SoftBank Robotics - Jupiter Robot << Schedule and Rules >> - Kick-Off Webinar: 29 March 2023 - Fast Track Entry: 30 April 2023 (Last Submission) - Online Classroom: 1 April – 30 May 2023 (By Appointment) - Guided Track Entry: 31 May 2023 (Last Submission) - On-site Workshop & Challenge: 4 – 10 July 2023 (RoboCup) For the competition rules, please visit https://www.robocupathomeedu.org/rules << Categories >> Open Platform (OP) Custom Build Robots - Open category - Junior category (under 19) Standard Platform (SP) Pepper Robot - Open category - Junior category (under 19) << How to Participate >> Step 1 - Intend To Participate Step 1 - Kick-Off Webinar Step 2a - Fast Track Entry (without Online Classroom) Step 2b - Guided Track Entry (with Online Classroom) Step 3 - Workshop & Challenge For more details, please visit https://www.robocupathomeedu.org/challenges/robocup-2023-bordeaux You can contact us via oc(a)robocupathomeedu.org Best regards, RoboCup@Home Education Workshop & Challenge 2023 Organizing Committee

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[meetings] [news] Submission Deadline(s) Update: 2nd Benchmark for Autonomous Robot Navigation (BARN) Challenge -- ICRA 2023 Competition
by Xuesu Xiao 21 Mar '23

21 Mar '23

Based on multiple participants’ requests, we have updated The BARN Challenge 2023 submission deadline(s) to allow more time to make travel arrangement to London. April 20 2023: Soft Submission Deadline (to guarantee an invitation to the final physical competition given good navigation performance in simulation) May 1 2023: 1st Round Physical Competition Invitations (for participants to make travel plans) May 20 2023: Hard Submission Deadline (to participate in the simulation competition. However, final physical competition eligibility will depend on the available capacity and travel arrangement made beforehand) May 22 2023: 2nd Round Physical Competition Invitations All participants are encouraged to submit their current navigation system for evaluation as soon as possible and resubmit before the deadline(s) if needed. Submission Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYKxIZ2HYSDMLx3BxlYkxugmpy1OrrewY… Competition Website: https://cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/Research/BARN_Challenge/BARN_Challenge23.html Participation Instructions: https://github.com/Daffan/nav-competition-icra2022 Lessons Learned from The BARN Challenge 2022 Last Year: 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 (2nd) ICRA 2023 BARN Challenge (https://cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/Research/BARN_Challenge/BARN_Challenge23.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 ICRA2023. 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 ICRA2023 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/1FAIpQLScYKxIZ2HYSDMLx3BxlYkxugmpy1OrrewY… Co-Organizers: Xuesu Xiao (George Mason University / Everyday Robots) 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<mailto:xiao@gmu.edu> https://cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/

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Fall 2023 fully-funded Ph.D. positions in human-robot interaction (HRI) at the University of South Florida (USF), Tampa, FL, USA
by Zhao Han 21 Mar '23

21 Mar '23

(This posting is also available at https://zhaohanphd.com/phd-positions/.) Joining the University of South Florida<https://www.usf.edu/> (USF) in August, Dr. Zhao Han<https://zhaohanphd.com/> invites applications for up to two fully funded Ph.D. positions (Research Assistants) starting as early as Fall 2023 in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering Ph.D. program<https://www.usf.edu/engineering/cse/graduate/phd-program.aspx> (catalog<https://catalog.usf.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=18&poid=7770>) at USF in Tampa, Florida, USA. The deadline for Fall 2023 admission is April 15. Strong candidates are highly motivated, comfortable with programming, eager to learn, hard-working, and demonstrate an interest in the emerging and interdisciplinary field of human-robot interaction (HRI), including robot explanation/transparency, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR), collaborative mobile manipulation/robotics, robot platform and interaction design, AI, cognitive science/psychology, or an area related to Dr. Han’s expertise<https://zhaohanphd.com/expertise/>. Successful candidates will be mentored and trained as prolific and independent researchers, publishing at top-tier international conferences and journals. Dr. Han has a strong publication record<https://zhaohanphd.com/publications/> and extensive mentoring experience<https://zhaohanphd.com/cv/#mentoring> with an inclusive excellence and supportive approach. You will work on real robot platforms using popular robotics frameworks. Students from underrepresented and underserved groups that are traditionally disadvantaged are strongly encouraged to apply. This position includes tuition waivers and stipends. ________________________________ Dr. Zhao Han is an incoming Assistant Professor in the Computer Science and Engineering department at the University of South Florida, joining the faculty in August 2023. He is currently a Post-Doctoral Fellow at Colorado School of Mines. His research lies broadly in human-robot interaction (HRI), robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), and augmented reality (AR). He focuses on designing, developing, and evaluating novel robotic systems and interactions, for embodied robots to be more capable and understandable while interacting and collaborating with humans. He received the best long-paper award at INLG 2022 and the best late-breaking report third prize at HRI 2022. Previously, he had led teams to win multiple international and national robot competitions, including first place in the Panasonic Prototype 3D LiDAR Challenge and second place in the FetchIt Mobile Manipulation Challenge at ICRA 2019. In addition to research, he received a university-wide Mines Diversity, Inclusion, and Access (DI&A) Award in 2022. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from UMass Lowell, advised by AAAI Fellow Dr. Holly Yanco. He received his M.S. and B.S. degrees in Computer Science from the University of Manitoba in Canada. The University of South Florida (USF)<https://www.usf.edu/> is a high-impact global research university dedicated to student success and has an annual budget of 2.34 billion (2022-2023). Ranked top 100 in U.S. News & World Report’s national university rankings, no other public university in the US has risen faster than USF in the past decade. USF is classified among “R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity”, and according to the National Science Foundation, USF spent $568 million on research and development in 2019, ranking it 43rd in the US and 25th among public universities. Serving over 49,000 students, USF is designated as one of three Preeminent State Research Universities<https://admissions.usf.edu/blog/what-is-preeminence-and-why-it-matters-to-y…> by the Florida Board of Governors, receiving additional financial support from the state of Florida for student success and research. Learn more on USF’s about page<https://www.usf.edu/about-usf/index.aspx>. USF is located in the City of Tampa on the west coast of the Sunshine State of Florida. Full of opportunities and possibilities, the Tampa Bay area has around 3 million people and is one of the top places to live. Learn more about Florida Gulf Coast Living<https://www.usf.edu/admissions/freshmen/why-usf/our-campuses/gulf-coast-liv…> for why over 49,000 students have chosen USF as well as the US<https://www.visittheusa.com/destination/tampa-bay>, state<https://www.visitflorida.com/places-to-go/central-west/tampa/>, and local<https://www.visittampabay.com/> resources. ________________________________ A complete application package includes: * Unofficial Transcripts (including the grade sheet and diploma, if applicable) * If admitted, official transcripts and test scores will need to be submitted to Graduate Admissions but unofficial transcripts/scores can be used in reviewing the application. * PDF of GRE Scores * CV/Resume * Statement of Purpose * 3 Letters of Recommendation (Must be on official letterhead with recommender’s title and contact) * PDF of English Proficiency Scores, if applicable For consideration, please mention Dr. Zhao Han in your application materials and apply through the USF graduate student admission process<https://www.usf.edu/admissions/graduate/admission-information/>. The current admission cycle is Spring 2024. To be admitted to Fall 2023, you must also 1. Email your application package without the recommendation letters to zhaohan(a)mines.edu 2. Ask each of your three recommendation letter writers to email their letter to zhaohan(a)mines.edu By applying in the USF’s admissions portal, any other interested faculty member can also review your application. All applications and recommendation letters must be submitted to the USF admissions portal and emailed to Dr. Zhao Han by April 15. Applications will be considered starting immediately. International students should apply soon because visa applications require additional time. Once an admission offer is accepted, Research Assistantship offer decisions will be made once Dr. Zhao Han arrives at USF in August. --- Zhao Han, Ph.D.<https://zhaohanphd.com/> (he/him<https://pronouns.org/>) Post-Doctoral Fellow, Computer Science, Brown Hall, 280M Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401, USA zhaohanphd.com<https://zhaohanphd.com/> | @hanzhao<https://twitter.com/hanzhao> <https://twitter.com/hanzhao>

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Last call: AI100 Essay Contest - due March 31st
by Peter Stone 21 Mar '23

21 Mar '23

AI100 Prize: Early Career Essay Competition The One Hundred Year Study on Artificial Intelligence (AI100) is a longitudinal study of progress in AI and its impacts on society. A key feature of the 2021 AI100 report was its commentary on what had changed since the first report published in 2016. As a way of laying the groundwork for the next report, planned for 2026, the AI100 Standing Committee invites original essay submissions that react directly to one or both of the AI100 reports. Essay application is now open and will close on March 31, 2023. Apply here: https://ai100.stanford.edu/prize-competition ___ Professor Peter Stone Truchard Foundation Chair in Computer Science University Distinguished Teaching Professor Director, Texas Robotics Associate Chair, Department of Computer Science office: 512-471-9796 The University of Texas at Austin mobile: 512-810-3373 2317 Speedway, Stop D9500 pstone(a)cs.utexas.edu Austin, Texas 78712-1757 USA http://www.cs.utexas.edu/~pstone

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ERRATUM: RoboCup Newsletter
by Ornella-Roxane Owoundi Bilounga 20 Mar '23

20 Mar '23

dear robocuper, After receiving the first edition of the newsletter it was revealed that there was an error in the registration and set up dates of the junior teams, I would like to apologize for this error which has been corrected in this new version. Indeed for the juniors the information is as follows: [Junior Registration Schedule] Registration March 24 - June 6 Late registration June 7 - June 30 [Junior League Schedule] Setup: July 05 (Wed.), 2023 Competition: July 06 (Thu.) -July 09 (Sun.), 2023 Symposium: July 10 (Mon.), 2023 We remain at your disposal for any further information. Best regards, the organizing committee [ https://www.u-bordeaux.fr/ ] Ornella OWOUNDI Cheffe de projet RoboCup 2023 RoboCup 2023 project manager Direction de la planification stratégique (DiPSi) Pôle Pilotage et aide à la stratégie (PAS) T. 05 40 00 61 36 P. 07 77 25 41 82 [ https://www.u-bordeaux.fr/ | https://www.u-bordeaux.fr ]

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Robotica2023: Tomar, Portugal - 3D Simulation Competition - Call for Participation
by Nuno Lau 17 Mar '23

17 Mar '23

============================================================= ---------------- CALL FOR PARTICIPATION ----------------- ============================================================= (Our apologies for any cross-posting) ROBOTICA 2023 - 22nd Portuguese Robotics Open https://www.festivalnacionalrobotica.pt/2023/en April 28 to 30, 2023 Tomar, Portugal The Portuguese Robotics Open is a RoboCup Event that aims at promoting Science and Technology among students from the 1st grade to university studies, as well among the general public, through robotic competitions. We would like to invite you to participate in the 22nd Portuguese Robotics Open which will take place from April 28 to 30, 2023, in Tomar, Portugal. If you are interested in participating, please register your team in one of the promoted competitions. 3D Simulation competition allows for the participation of remote teams. == 3D SIMULATION LEAGUE == Robot scientific competitions are a growing trend worldwide and particularly at the European level in the past few years. The 3D SIMULATION LEAGUE provides a great opportunity to experiment with humanoid robots without the need for investing in robot hardware. It facilitates experimenting using different learning and optimization techniques by providing a simulated environment. Since the games are played with teams of 11 players, the league is also a very good environment for experimenting on multi-robot coordination methodologies. --------- The official rules of this League for the 2023 edition, can be found at: https://ssim.robocup.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/3D-Rulebook2022.pdf --------- --------- Important resources for the 3D Simulation League, including mailing lists, an installation guide for the server and 3D viewer, team binaries, source-code releases, game replays and other documents can be found at: https://ssim.robocup.org/3d-simulation/3d-tools/ --------- == Schedule == Early Registration deadline (250 euros): April 2, 2023 Late Registration deadline (300 euros): April 16, 2023 Remote Team Late Registration deadline (100 euros): April 16, 2023 Portuguese Robotics Open: April 28-30, 2023 All deadlines are 23:59 GMT. == Registration == Registration is performed through the on-line form at: https://forms.gle/7WnmRiTnLAmHLTxj8 == Description and History == The Portuguese Robotics Open (also known as Festival Nacional de Robótica) had its 1st edition in 2001. The event has had an enormous growth since the 1st edition, both in the number of teams, participants and visitors and also includes an international IEEE conference where national and international researchers present their latest work in the field of Robotics (https://www.festivalnacionalrobotica.pt/icarsc/). The Portuguese Robotics Open is currently an initiative of the Portuguese Robotics Society. Hoping to see you at the Portuguese Robotics Open! Kind Regards, The Portuguese Robotics Open Organizing Committee

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IROBOT'2023 - 12th International Thematic Track on Intelligent Robotics, Azores, Portugal
by Nuno Lau 17 Mar '23

17 Mar '23

(apologies for cross-posting) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ IROBOT'2023 CALL FOR PAPERS 12th International Thematic Track on Intelligent Robotics To be held at EPIA 2023, September 5-8, 2023 Faial Island, Azores, Portugal https://epia2023.inesctec.pt/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The EPIA Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a well-established European conference in the field of AI. The 22nd edition, EPIA 2023, will take place in Horta, Faial Island (Azores) between September 5th-8th, 2023. As in previous editions, this international conference is hosted with the patronage of the Portuguese Association for Artificial Intelligence (APPIA). The purpose of this conference is to promote research in all areas of AI, covering both theoretical/foundational issues and applications, and the scientific exchange among researchers, engineers, and practitioners in related disciplines. EPIA 2023 will feature a set of thematic tracks, covering a wide spectrum of AI topics. Accepted papers will be published in a Springer's Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence volume. ## Important Dates 16 Apr 2023: Paper Submission Deadline 9 May 2023: Author Notification/Registration Open 15 Jun 2023: Camera-Ready Deadline 5-8 Sep 2023: EPIA'2023 Conference ## IROBOT Description IROBOT'2023 poses itself as a follow-up on the previous nine International Thematic Tracks/Workshops on Intelligent Robotics held at EPIA since 2005. Its main purpose is to bring together researchers, engineers and other professionals interested in the application of AI techniques in real/simulated robotics to discuss current work and future directions. Robotics, from the point of view of AI, has been an important application field, from which AI has also gained. Namely, the dynamic and unforeseen nature of the environment, especially for mobile robots, has fostered research in these aspects of AI. Together with the developments in Robotics Research, the use of Robotics in industry and services has changed a lot in recent years. New paradigms and approaches for industrial robots and service robots have emerged, for example, on mobile robots learning, localization, mapping and navigation in unstructured environments. IROBOT 2023 will discuss will discuss these new developments on industrial and service robotics with focus on robotic assistive platforms/solutions and robotics application related to nature (ocean, florest, agriculture, etc.). ## Topics of Interest The Thematic Track will be structured around the following themes: - Adaptive and flexible industrial robotics - Agriculture robots - AI Planning for robotics - Autonomous vehicles - Cognitive robotics - Computer vision and object recognition - Coordination in robotics - Evolutionary robotics and reactive intelligence - Human-robots interface and interaction - Humanoid robotics - Intelligent buildings and warehouses - Intelligent transportation systems - Mobile robots localization and navigation - Modelling and simulating complex robots - Multi-Robot systems - Field Robots - Real-time reactivity - Robot behaviour engineering - Robot learning and adaptation - Robotic surveillance - Sensor fusion This topics' list is not exhaustive. Papers may address one or more of the topics, and authors should not feel limited by them. Unlisted but related topics are also acceptable, provided they fit in the thematic track main subject. ## Paper Submission Authors are invited to submit original research contributions or experience reports in English. Scientific or technical articles describing state-of-the-art techniques, algorithms, systems, environments, problems or applications relevant to the area of Intelligent Robotics may be submitted. Papers discussing application transfer from simulated to real robots and papers showing socially useful robotic applications generated by participations in robotic competitions are also welcome. Although the main focus is on robot learning, there will be space for reporting research in AI applied to other types of robots. Submissions must follow the guidelines specified in the EPIA'2023 site. The Springer LNCS format must be used (instructions in https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gu…). Springer encourages authors to include their ORCIDs in their papers. The length of submitted full papers must not exceed 12 pages. Authors must remove their names from the submitted papers, and should take reasonable care not to indirectly disclose their identity. Paper submissions will be made in PDF format, through the submission page: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=epia2023 Three program committee members will be assigned to review each paper. Acceptance will be based on the paper's significance, technical quality, clarity, relevance and originality. Accepted papers, must be presented at the conference by one of the authors. Accepted papers will be scheduled for presentation, which requires that at least one of the authors should register at the Conference. All accepted papers will be published in the Conference Proceedings. ## IROBOT'2023 Organizing Committee Luís Paulo Reis, Universidade do Porto / LIACC, Portugal Nuno Lau, Universidade de Aveiro / IEETA, Portugal João Alberto Fabro, Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR), Brazil

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Call for Interest - ERL – Smart City competition in 2023
by Pedro U. Lima 16 Mar '23

16 Mar '23

=============================================================================== Call for Interest ERL – Smart City competition in 2023 Milton Keynes, UK 18-21 September 2023 https://eu-robotics.net/erl-smart-city-competition-in-2023/ ================================================================================ In line with its aim to boost European Robotics Leagues (ERL) activity, euRobotics is pleased to announce that a SmartCity competition will take place during 18th – 21st September 2023 in Milton Keynes, UK. The ERL Smart City Robotics Competition follows a series of successful competitions which were organised under the SciRoc project, including a competition in Milton Keynes in 2019 and another in Bologna, Italy, in 2021. At the present time, the competition episodes include: Episode 1 – Deliver coffee shop orders Episode 2 – Through the Door Episode 3 – Take the elevator Episode 4 – Shopping pick and pack Episode 5 – Socially Acceptable Item Delivery Full details about the competition can be found on the following website: https://eu-robotics.net/erl-smart-city-competition-in-2023/ If you are interested in participating, please fill the registration form at ERL website by April 17th. Form link: https://forms.gle/XVwTT1o2MaBUbeLj9 ############## Important dates: ############## Call for interest deadline: April 17th 2023 Application deadline: May 31st 2023 ERL Smart City competition: 18th-21st September 2023

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2023 RoboCup Newsletter #1
by Ornella-Roxane Owoundi Bilounga 13 Mar '23

13 Mar '23

Dear RoboCuper, Please find attached the first RoboCup Newsletter. We wish you and your team a successful preparations for RoboCup 2023, and we hope to see you all in Bordeaux. Best regards, The Executive Working Committee [ https://www.u-bordeaux.fr/ ] Ornella OWOUNDI Cheffe de projet RoboCup 2023 RoboCup 2023 project manager Direction de la planification stratégique (DiPSi) Pôle Pilotage et aide à la stratégie (PAS) T. 05 40 00 61 36 P. 07 77 25 41 82 [ https://www.u-bordeaux.fr/ | https://www.u-bordeaux.fr ]

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[meetings][CFP] EXTENDED DEADLINE - RO-MAN 2023 - Special Session "To err is robotic: Understanding, preventing and resolving robots' failures in HRI"
by Alessandra Rossi 10 Mar '23

10 Mar '23

*Apologies for any cross-posting* Dear colleagues, Apologies for any cross-posting, the *deadline for Special Sessions has been EXTENDED to 31st March 2023.* We are very pleased to invite you to the Special Session called *To err is robotic: Understanding, preventing and resolving robots' failures in HRI *( code u3f1h)*.* This special session welcomes works: 1) focusing on how people from perceive robot's failures in short- and long-term interactions, and highlight how different failures influence their perceptions and emotions toward the robots, and 2) exploring different techniques (e.g. inner speech, predictability and transparency of robotic behaviours, Theory of Mind, robot etiquette, Verification Methods, explanations) can foster a natural human-robot communication to reduce the perception of failures and/or help people understand the implications, risks, and goals of robot behaviour. This Special Session is organised within the 32nd IEEE International Conference on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (IEEE RO-MAN 2023) will be held at Paradise Hotel in Busan, South Korea from August 28 to 31, 2023. Please find attached the full call for papers for the Special Session "*To err is robotic: Understanding, preventing and resolving robots' failures in HRI*". Kindest regards Alessandra Rossi, Kheng Lee Koay, Kerstin S. Haring *Dr. Alessandra Rossi* Postdoctoral researcher PRISCA research lab University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Adaptive Systems Research Group University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom ------------------------------------------------------ SPECIAL SESSION To err is robotic: Understanding, preventing and resolving robots' failures in HRI Code u3f1h Robots placed in human-oriented dynamic environments, such as private homes, shopping malls, healthcare facilities, are likely to exhibit occasional behaviours which are perceived by people as unexpected, failures, or actual errors. Robots' errors can negatively affect people's perception of the robotic behaviours, in terms of usefulness, functionalities and capabilities, trustworthiness and acceptability. Robotics errors and how these are perceived by people do not only depend on robot self, but they are also a consequence of other factors. For example, they may be a consequence of human errors, or an unclear and non-transparent communication, or they may depend on a misunderstanding and miscommunication of the social, psychological and cognitive conventions expected by people. Moreover, there are also some cases in which these behaviours may be perceived as if robots intentionally deceive or cheat people. As a consequence, these may result in people wrongly interpreting and predicting the robots’ intents and behaviours, and negatively affecting Human-Robot Interaction (HRI). This session will focus on examine how people from perceive robot's failures in short- and long-term interactions, and highlight how different failures influence their perceptions and emotions toward the robots. This will help with subject related to classifying of robot errors from the aspect of human (e.g. intentional, voluntarily, perceived vs. real errors -- recklessness, forgetfulness, poor motivation --) and robot dimensions (e.g. actual error - algorithms, sensors, actuators). Moreover, while dealing with robotic failures, it is fundamental to consider two different strategies. The first one is oriented to prevent robots from exhibiting unintended behaviours, which in some extreme cases may even endanger people’s, pets’ safety, or break objects. Some examples are meant to enable robots to adapt and recover from any erroneous behaviour, such as the use of Software Verification Methods, Theory of Mind, robot etiquette. Others are focused on mitigating the effects of robot errors with apologies, promises or creating transparent robotic behaviours. This session will explore how different techniques can be used to enhancing natural human-robot communication (such as inner speech, legibility, predictability and transparency of robotic behaviours, explicit and non-explicit strategies) can be used to help people understand the implications, risks, and goals of robots' behaviours and to mitigate the perception of the failures. In this session, we also want to explore strategies both to prevent robots from exhibiting unintended behaviours, and to mitigate the effects of robot errors on human-robot interaction. The topics covered in this special session are in line with the main theme of the conference (i.e., “Design New Bridge for H-R-I”). In particular, we want to start by fostering the [R] Robotic Recovery and Reconnection to allow [I] Intelligent Interface and Interaction for the [H] Human Health, Happiness and Hope. Notably, accepted topics include, but are not limited to: - Explainable AI (XAI) in HRI - Multi-modal situation awareness and spatial cognition - Social intelligence for robots in interactive and non-interactive tasks - Verifications Methods for autonomous agents - Legibility, Predictability and Transparency in HRI - Cognitive robotics - Deception in HRI - Robot cheating in HRI - Theory of Mind, Mental models in HRI - Robot etiquette - Modelling Trust and Acceptance in HRI Important Dates All dates are in UTC Time Standard Initial Paper Submission Deadline: March 17, 2023 March 31, 2023 Notification of Acceptance: May 26, 2023 Final Paper Submission: June 30, 2023 How to submit Authors should submit their papers electronically in PDF format via the Papercept <https://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/J7oDCwEQYFRkjN9S93A0b?domain=ras.papercep…> submission site. For the initial submission, a manuscript can be of 6-8 pages including references. For the final submission, a manuscript should be of 6 pages, With 2 additional pages allowed with an extra charge (TBA). All papers are reviewed using a single-blind review process. All papers are reviewed using a single-blind review process: authors declare their names and affiliations in the manuscript for the reviewers to see, but reviewers do not know each other's identities, nor do the authors receive information about who has reviewed their manuscript. Authors should use the templates provided by the electronic submission system. The templates for US Letter format paper should be used. Please use the following templates: Templates: LaTeX <https://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/zDWRCxVRZhQDlXwtw2vE2?domain=ras.papercep…> or MSWord <https://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/-Aj0Cy6V1syK14ktNA3jc?domain=ras.papercep…> Papers should be submitted on http://ras.papercept.net/ <https://protect-eu.mimecast.com/s/J7oDCwEQYFRkjN9S93A0b?domain=ras.papercep…> under the "Submit a contribution to RO-MAN 2023", by selecting special session paper, and use the code: u3f1h Do not forget the code and to select the special session paper. Organisers Dr. Alessandra Rossi - University of Naples Federico II, Italy - alessandra.rossi(a)unina.it Kheng Lee Koay - University of Hertfordshire, UK - k.l.koay(a)herts.ac.uk Kerstin Sophie Haring - University of Denver, USA - b.d.researcher(a)ieee.org For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us!

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[jobs] One open position for Marie Skłodowska–Curie Doctoral Candidate Researcher (PhD student) in human-robot interaction - TRAIL project
by Alessandra Rossi 09 Mar '23

09 Mar '23

------- * Apologies for any cross-posting* ------- At the University of Naples Federico II (Italy), we are looking for one Marie Skłodowska–Curie Doctoral Candidate Researcher (PhD student) in human-robot interaction. Project: TRAIL: TRAnsparent InterpretabLe robots (Doctoral Network, EU MSCA Project) Start date: 1 September 2023, for 3 years Salary level: salary in accordance with the attractive EU MSCA Doctoral Network regulations for doctoral candidates Application deadline: 30 April 2023 The Doctoral Network TRAIL consists of 15 institutions including universities, research institutions and industry partners. The research area of TRAIL is neural network technology, intelligent robotics and transparency in artificial intelligence. The successful candidate will receive an attractive salary (around 3K) in accordance with the MSCA regulations for Early-Stage Researchers. The exact (net) salary will be confirmed upon appointment and is dependent on local tax regulations and on the country correction factor (to allow for the difference in cost of living in different EU Member States). The salary includes a living allowance, a mobility allowance and a family allowance (if applicable). Furthermore, TRAIL will offer to take advantage of joint scientific research trainings, transferable skills workshops, and international conferences. For more information about the project and consortium contact us (email below). The researcher will focus on the following topics: Researcher position: Using movements and emotions to express hidden intention The focus of the project is to investigate how body movements and emotions can be used as a natural mechanism to express the robot’s intentions, beliefs and understanding of the situational context (i.e., theory of mind), and how such effective behavioural cues can be learned through the interaction. The resulting behavioural and emotional model should be able to adapt with respect to the user preferences, making the approach platform-independent and in a domain including both interaction and autonomous task. Requirements: MSc or equivalent in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science or Engineering with a focus on Intelligent Systems, Intelligent Robotics, Machine Learning and Human-Robot Interaction is required. Excellent programming skills (Python, C++, Machine Learning Frameworks, ROS etc.) are needed. The posts involve substantial travelling within Europe. Each PhD student will be expected to spend secondments at other partner sites and travel to international conferences. According to EU mobility rules, the doctoral researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Italy for longer than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. Applicants who already have a doctoral degree are not eligible. Excellent English communication skills are an important requirement. Application: Send your complete application documents to silvia.rossi(a)unina.it : - A 2-page motivation letter including a description of previous research experience (1page) and current research interest, outlining the fit to the desired ESR (1 page), - A full curriculum vitae with details about where you resided or carried out your main activity [work, studies, etc.], - Copies of degree certificate[s], including transcripts of grades obtained for B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees. In case, MSc is to be completed before the starting of this position, please provide expected final grade and completion date, - Names and email contacts for two referees who would be willing to write a letter of support for your application, - List of publications (if any), - Any English language and other relevant certificates. Shortlisted candidate will be invited for an interview in May. The successful candidate will be working in Naples, Italy. Naples (Italian: Napoli) is the third-largest city in Italy and is the capital of the Campania region. World-known for its rich history, art, culture, architecture, music, and gastronomy, Naples is a lively, exciting and bustling city situated on the southwest coast in a gorgeous gulf, and is surrounded by attractive tourist and archaeological sites such as Capri, Ischia, Amalfi Coast, Pompei, Ercolano, Mount Vesuvius. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naples for further information. For more details on how to apply, please email Prof. Silvia Rossi at silvia.rossi(a)unina.it.

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[meetings] [news] 2nd CfP: 2nd Benchmark for Autonomous Robot Navigation (BARN) Challenge -- ICRA 2023 Competition
by Xuesu Xiao 07 Mar '23

07 Mar '23

IROS deadline is behind us, so it’s time to start your submission to the 2nd BARN Challenge at ICRA 2023! Submission Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYKxIZ2HYSDMLx3BxlYkxugmpy1OrrewY… Competition Website: https://cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/Research/BARN_Challenge/BARN_Challenge23.html Participation Instructions: https://github.com/Daffan/nav-competition-icra2022 Lessons Learned from The BARN Challenge 2022 Last Year: 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 (2nd) ICRA 2023 BARN Challenge (https://cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/Research/BARN_Challenge/BARN_Challenge23.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 ICRA2023. 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 ICRA2023 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/1FAIpQLScYKxIZ2HYSDMLx3BxlYkxugmpy1OrrewY… Co-Organizers: Xuesu Xiao (George Mason University / Everyday Robots) 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<mailto:xiao@gmu.edu> https://cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/

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[robotics-worldwide] RoboCup 2023 Virtual Robot Competition - Call for Participation
by AMIRREZA KABIRI 03 Mar '23

03 Mar '23

*RoboCup Rescue Simulation Virtual Robot Competitions 2023* *Bordeaux * *, France**July 04-10, 2023* https://robocup-rsvrl.github.io/ <https://www.robocup.org/leagues/27>https://2023.robocup.org *IMPORTANT DATES* Team Qualification Materials Submission Deadline..: March 20, 2023 (23:55 GMT) Qualified Teams Announcement…………....................…: March 31, 2023 Team registration deadline…….………….......................…: May 31, 2023 Camera-ready TDP submission………....................….….: June 9, 2023 If you are interested or considering participating please take the time to fill the RoboCup 2023 Virtual Robot Competition - intent letter form <https://forms.gle/f5wispMSi5VnfnYUA> as soon as possible, so that we can inform you about the latest developments and updates. *(1) RoboCup Rescue Simulation League and Virtual Robot Competition* ——————— The RoboCup Rescue Simulation League is a socially relevant part of the RoboCup event. Its main purpose is to provide emergency decision support by integration of disaster information, prediction, planning, and human interface. A generic urban disaster simulation environment is constructed on network computers. Heterogeneous intelligent agents such as firefighters, commanders, victims, volunteers, etc. conduct search and rescue activities in this virtual disaster world. Agents can sense their environment and make decisions on the basis of the perceived data. Mission-critical human interfaces support disaster managers, disaster relief brigades, residents, and volunteers to decide their actions to minimize the disaster damage. Addressing this problem involves advanced and interdisciplinary research themes. AI/robotics research, for example, behavior strategy (e.g., multi-agent planning, real-time/anytime planning, heterogeneity of agents, robust planning, mixed-initiative planning) is a challenging problem. For disaster researchers, RoboCup Rescue works as a standard basis in order to develop practical comprehensive simulators adding necessary disaster modules. The Virtual Robot Competition is based on ROS/Gazebo, an advanced robot simulator in which users can simulate multiple agents whose capabilities closely mirror those of real robots. ROS/Gazebo currently features several ground and air robots, as well as a wide range of sensors and actuators. Moreover, by exploiting ROS, users can easily develop their robot systems integrating standard modules. Currently addressed research topics include but are not limited to - Human-robot interfaces - Autonomous navigation - Sensor fusion - Image processing - Speech processing - 2D and 3D mapping - Distributed planning - Distributed learning *(2) Major changes to this year (2023)* ——————- Last year, we had a server migration to ROS2 bringing a great opportunity for roboticists to learn ROS2 in a tested environment via challenges. This new server could be accessed on "The Construct sim <https://www.theconstructsim.com/>" as this league will provide the remote participation option. *(3) Intention of participation* ——————- If you are interested or considering participating please take the time to fill the RoboCup 2023 Virtual Robot Competition - intent letter form <https://forms.gle/f5wispMSi5VnfnYUA> as soon as possible, so that we can inform you about the latest developments and updates. *(4) Qualification material* ————————- Besides sending the intention of participation, please prepare before Mar 20, 2023, a Team Description Paper describing the most innovative contributions or scientific results your team is intended to provide. The TDP is limited to 8 pages and must be formatted according to the LNCS format: http://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gui… <https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/ln…> And the tex template file of the TDP can be found on the overleaf: https://www.overleaf.com/read/nrcfnpygskyx <https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.overleaf.com/read/nrcfnpygskyx&sa=…> The Team Description Paper is an overview of the methodologies you use or intend to use to control your robots inside the Virtual Robot Competition. If applicable, include a reference to your latest publications. The qualification material should be placed on a dedicated web page on the team’s home page. Please include the link to the qualification material on the intention of participation information. *(5) Useful links* ———– - Virtual Robot Competition 2023 Rule (draft) <https://docs.google.com/document/d/13an-jYeI0ybWrIkIHKim3FOXokRhgAZ3l1ZOVh2…> - Virtual Robot Competition Wiki <https://robocup-rsvrl.github.io/> - Virtual Robot Competition 2022 Server <https://github.com/RoboCup-RSVRL/RoboCup2022RVRL_Demo> - Official RoboCup Rescue Simulation website <https://rescuesim.robocup.org/> Kind regards, Amirreza Kabiri on behalf of RoboCup Rescue Simulation Executive, Technical, and Organizing Committees

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[meetings] LAST CALL - ROS Mobile Manipulators In-Person Training in Barcelona
by Yuhong Lin 01 Mar '23

01 Mar '23

(apologies for cross-posting) * Call for Participation* Last Call for Early Bird - Mastering Mobile Manipulators Hands-on Training March 22 - 24, 2023, Barcelona, Spain - Registration website: https://www.theconstructsim.com/ros-mobile-manipulators-training/ <https://www.theconstructsim.com/ros-mobile-manipulators-training/?utm_sourc…> - Only 15 spots - Early-bird registration deadline: March 8, 2023 =========================================================== This training is organized by The Construct <http://www.theconstructsim.com/> in cooperation with Robotnik <https://robotnik.eu/> We wanted to remind you that this is the last week to take advantage of our early bird discount for our upcoming Mastering Mobile Manipulators in-person training. This hands-on training will teach you how to create ROS applications for autonomous mobile manipulators. With our early bird discount, you can save 29% on your registration. At the training, you'll get hands-on experience with real robots, and you'll learn from industry experts who have years of experience in the field. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced programmer, you'll gain valuable skills that can help you advance your career. *Here's what you'll learn:* - Robot Navigation - Robot Perception: Object Detection - Motion Planning for Robotic Manipulators - Pick & Place Objects with MoveIt - Robot Behavior Design using FlexBe - Creating a Complete App that Integrates all Behaviors into a Single ROS App - Creating a Web Interface for End Users to Use Don't wait too long to sign up - our early bird discount ends on March 8, 2023. After that, the cost of the program will increase, so act fast to secure your spot and save money. <https://discourse.ros.org/t/ros-mobile-manipulators-in-person-training/2982…> Benefits - In-person instruction from industry professionals - Hands-on experience with real robots - Exercises with simulated robots, working along with the instructors - Complete a real-world project with a real RB-KAIROS+ mobile manipulator - Access to a supportive community of like-minded learners <https://discourse.ros.org/t/ros-mobile-manipulators-in-person-training/2982…>Robots Used RB-KAIROS+ Mobile Manipulator <https://robotnik.eu/products/mobile-manipulators/rb-kairos/> by Robotnik <https://robotnik.eu/> <https://discourse.ros.org/t/ros-mobile-manipulators-in-person-training/2982…>Training Curriculum <https://discourse.ros.org/t/ros-mobile-manipulators-in-person-training/2982…>Part 1 - Set Up the Navigation System for a Mobile Manipulator - Create a map of an environment - Robot Localization - Path planning with obstacle avoidance - Send a sequence of waypoints and execute those movements Hands-on challenge: Make an RB-KAIROS+ autonomously navigate in an indoor environment. <https://discourse.ros.org/t/ros-mobile-manipulators-in-person-training/2982…>Part 2 - Moving the Arm - Configure MoveIt for your robot - Program the moveit_commander to send trajectories to the robot arm Hands-on challenge: Program the arm to reach any location in its action space. <https://discourse.ros.org/t/ros-mobile-manipulators-in-person-training/2982…>Part 3 - Do Motion Planning Programmatically After completing this chapter, you can create a Python program that performs motion planning on your robot. <https://discourse.ros.org/t/ros-mobile-manipulators-in-person-training/2982…>Part 4 - Grasping the Object - Object detection - Pick an object - Add perception to avoid obstacles - Visualize the detections in RVIZ - Create a pick & place task Hands-on challenge: Make the arm grasp objects from the shelf while avoiding obstacles. <https://discourse.ros.org/t/ros-mobile-manipulators-in-person-training/2982…>Part 5 - Use FlexBe to Program the Robot Behavior - Create FlexBe states - Create an entire state machine that communicates with the robot Hands-on challenge: Define the behavior of the warehouse robot for a pick & place application. <https://discourse.ros.org/t/ros-mobile-manipulators-in-person-training/2982…>Part 6 - Design Web Interfaces for ROS robots - Set up the server in the robot - Create and run a web page that shows relevant robot information - HTML and CSS on the web page - Set up a JavaScript framework - Understand the lifecycle of the web page - Add an online Joystick to your web page - Show the robot’s cameras on the page - Show your custom map on the page Hands-on challenge: Create a web interface for non-experts to command the robot, and know its status. <https://discourse.ros.org/t/ros-mobile-manipulators-in-person-training/2982…>Part 7 - Real Robot Project: Make a Full Manipulator Application to Autonomously Clean a Space Throughout this training, you will build a complete robot app for mobile manipulators that look at and serve objects from shelves in a warehouse environment. The robot will to go to the shelf’s location, look for the object, grasp it, and bring it to the operator’s boxes. =========================================================== Enroll now to take advantage of our early bird discount and start your journey towards a career in robotics. If you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact us at info(a)theconstructsim.com. The Construct team

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