April 2024 - RoboCup-worldwide

robocup-worldwide mailing list submissions
by Juan M. Gandarias 13 Apr '24

13 Apr '24

robocup-worldwide mailing list submissions -- Juan M. Gandarias, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Robotics and Mechatronics Lab Systems Engineering and Automation Department University of Malaga Calle Doctor Ortiz Ramos Malaga, Spain web: https://jmgandarias.come-mail: jmgandarias(a)uma.es Tel: +34 951952332

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ICRA 2024 Forum “Enhancing Service Robots for Future Homes”
by Katarzyna Pasternak 11 Apr '24

11 Apr '24

Dear RoboCuppers, We are pleased to extend our invitation for the Forum "Enhancing Service Robots for Future Homes: Insights and Learnings Forum" scheduled to take place at ICRA 2024 on May 16th, 2024. This forum will provide a venue to discuss the current state and future of research and advancement of domestic service robots, spanning from human-robot interaction and scene understanding to navigation and object manipulation. We believe that by exploring these areas, we can pave the way for the creation of at-home service robots that seamlessly integrate into human environments. Our distinguished panel of speakers, comprising six experts in the field of robotics, will offer invaluable insights into the topics such as explainable robots, safety, trustworthiness, perception, planning, and learning for service robots. Through their expertise, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of recent technological advancements and their implications for the development of service robots. Furthermore, we will provide context by discussing the role of RoboCup and other competition environments in shaping the future of robotics. We cordially invite you to join us for this forum, where you'll have the opportunity to engage with fellow experts, researchers, and enthusiasts in the field. Your presence and insights will contribute to the success of our discussions. Event Details: Date: May 16th, 2024 Time: 13:30 - 18:00 Location: Pacific Convention Plaza Yokohama(PACIFICO Yokohama), North G1 room Website: sites.google.com/view/fma-home-icra24 and 2024.ieee-icra.org/program/forums/ Should you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to reach out to the forum organizers at kwp(a)cs.miami.edu. We look forward to welcoming you to the "Enhancing Service Robots for Future Homes" forum and to the enriching discussions that lie ahead. Warm regards, Forum Organizers Justin Hart, Matteo Leonetti, Katarzyna Pasternak, Komei Sugiura, Ubbo Visser, Sven Wachsmuth

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Call for paticipation - RoboCup ARM Challenge 2024
by Jose Avendano Arbelaez 10 Apr '24

10 Apr '24

Call for Participation 2024 RoboCup Autonomous Robot Manipulation (ARM) Challenge https://arm.robocup.org/ The RoboCup Autonomous Manipulation Challenge is live and accepting registrations for the 2024 season. This is a great opportunity to learn about robot manipulation or get a certificate to demonstrate your existing skills! Live information session on learning robotic manipulation and this competition will take place on March 13th. Prizes Certificate of Achievement for demonstrating skills in programming, control, simulation, and perception of robotic pick-and-place and grasping applications in dynamic environments. RCF Sponsored Research Grant for 2025 (Up to 5000 USD) Important Dates February 15th - Registration Opens March 13th - Live challenge kickoff and Q&A April 18th - Technical Support and Development Q&A for teams May 26th - Submission deadline for the qualification round May 30th - Announcement of teams qualified for finals July 18-21 - In-person finals with UR5e Robot (RoboCup 2024 Eindhoven) Registration All teams must pre-register using the online form on the website. Registration deadline: May 5th, 2024 Submission Participating teams will complete a submission form providing links to their code/files and a video of their algorithm in action. Questions? roboticsarena(a)mathworks.com<mailto:roboticsarena@mathworks.com> or j.j.olthuis(a)tue.nl<mailto:j.j.olthuis@tue.nl>

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[Jobs] PostDoc in Robotics/AI - Computer Science
by Ubbo Visser 10 Apr '24

10 Apr '24

Drs. Ubbo Visser and Jonathan Katz are interested in hiring a Postdoctoral Associate in AI/Robotics in Automation for Minimally Invasive Genitourinary Surgery in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Miami (Miami, FL). We invite talented and highly motivated applicants to join our collaborative lab at the University of Miami. This position is ideal for a Ph.D. in the field of Computer Science or Electrical Engineering, with experience in applying AI/ML and robotics expertise in the medical field. Some duties include but are not limited to the following: - Designing and implementing high-fidelity simulations for robotic-assisted surgery. - Developing algorithms for real-time control and path planning of surgical instruments. - Integrating machine learning and computer vision techniques for autonomous surgery. - Collaborating with surgeons to adapt research for clinical use. - Publishing research findings in top scientific journals and conferences. The successful candidate will be part of a dynamic team bridging the Departments of Computer Science and Genitourinary Surgery, focusing on groundbreaking research in surgical automation. Proficiency in programming languages such as C++ and Python, and experience with simulation frameworks like Gazebo, ISAAC Sim, and V-REP is a plus. Applicants with a background in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering, research experience, an excellent publication record, as well as experience in applying AI/ML and robotics expertise in the medical fields are strongly preferred. This is a 3-year contract opportunity to contribute to innovative research at the intersection of technology and medicine. The University of Miami is an Equal Opportunity Employer - Females/Minorities/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities are encouraged to apply. Applicants and employees are protected from discrimination based on certain categories protected by Federal law. Click here <https://umiami.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UMCareerStaff/job/Coral-Gables-FL/Post…> for additional information and to apply. Website: https://umiami.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/UMCareerStaff/job/Coral-Gables-FL/Post…. Kind regards, Ubbo Visser ~O_ ~O_ ~O_ ~O_ ~O_ ~O_ ~O_ ~O_ o~ ____(___(_/_(___(_/_(___(_/_(___(_/____)________ ~~~~~~~~~~/~~~~~~/~~~~~~/~~~~~~/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dr. Ubbo Visser Associate Professor of Computer Science President-elect, RoboCup Federation Director of Graduate Studies Distinguished Faculty for Cognitive Science and Aging University of Miami Department of Computer Science Ungar Building, Room 330A 1365 Memorial Drive Coral Gables, 33146-4245, FL, USA T: +1 305 284 2254 (x2268 Secr.) Email: visser(a)cs.miami.edu <mailto:visser@cs.miami.edu> Web: http//www.cs.miami.edu/~visser <http://www.cs.miami.edu/~visser>

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[meetings][CFP][RO-MAN 2024] Trust, Acceptance and Social Cues in Human-Robot Interaction Workshop
by alexarossi＠gmail.com 08 Apr '24

08 Apr '24

Dear colleagues, it is with great pleasure that we invite you to submit your works at the seventh edition of a successful series of workshops SCRITA. This workshop focuses on the continuous investigation of unresolved and new open challenges of the factors affecting people's acceptance and trust in robots in short- and long-term settings. We will invite authors to submit position papers only, discussing their prior experience and new developments in the scope of the workshop to feed into the group and the following panel discussions. We further encourage authors of the accepted papers to present a video or demonstrate their works and achievements. All accepted papers will have short oral presentations. Please find below the full CFP, but do not hesitate to contact us for further information. best regards Alessandra -- Alessandra Rossi, PhD Assistant Professor Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies - D.I.E.T.I. University of Naples Federico II Via Claudio, 21, 80125 - Naples, Italy w-page:https://alessandrarossi.net e-mail address:alessandra.rossi@unina.it e-mail address:a.rossi@herts.ac.uk X: @alhandra81 SCRITA 2024 Trust, Acceptance and Social Cues in Human-Robot Interaction Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California, USA 26-30 August 2024 Workshop website http://scrita.herts.ac.uk Submission link https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=scrita2024 Submission deadline May 31st, 2024 This workshop will be a half day event organised in conjunction with theIEEE RO-MAN 2024 <http://ro-man2024.org/>conference, held in Pasadena, California, USA. This workshop focuses on the continuous investigation of unresolved and new open challenges of the factors affecting people's acceptance and trust in robots in short- and long-term settings. In particular, we want to look into the dynamics between people and robots to foster short interactions and long-lasting relationships taking inspiration from different domains, such as educational, service, collaborative, companion, care-home and medical robotics. For that, this workshop aims to facilitate a discussion about people’s trust towards robots “in the field”, inviting workshop participants to contribute their past experiences, lessons learnt and future issues. During last year's workshop edition(i.e., SCRITA@RO-MAN 2023), together with leading researchers and exceptional speakers from various fields, we started working towards developing such novel methods. We outlined current methods and their strengths, discussing how these measures do not always reflect appropriately, or how some questions might be ambiguous and leave room for interpretation by individual participants. We identified five main factors affecting trust to be investigated to generate a new metric that allows researchers to assess and reduce common side effects influencing how people put their trust in robots. Submission & List of Topics The workshop will be open to a broad audience from academia and industry researching social robotics, machine learning, robot behavioural control, and user profiling. In particular, we aim to integrate expertise from roboticists with psychologists' and sociologists’ insights and experiences to foster a multidisciplinary and human-focused discussion that can capture the multi-faceted nature of trust and acceptance. We will foster the exchange of views on past and ongoing research and contribute to the discussion of innovative ideas for tackling unresolved issues by providing new and inspirational directions for research. We will invite authors to submit position papers only, discussing their prior experience and new developments in the scope of the workshop to feed into the group and the following panel discussions. We further encourage authors of the accepted papers topresent a video or demonstratetheir works and achievements. All accepted submissions will have an oral presentation. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: * Impact of Social Cues on Trust in HRI; * Measuring Trust in HRI; * Trust Violation and Recovery Mechanism in HRI; * Effects of Humans’ Acceptance on Trust of Robots; * Humans Sense of Control and Trust in Robots; * Trust and Assistive Robotics; * Overtrust in Robots; * Antecedent of Trust and Robot Trust; * Enhancing Humans Trust in Robots; * Enhancing Trust in a Robot Companion; * Privacy Implications on Trust in HRI; * Mental Models and Trust in HRI; * Trust and Safety in HRI; * Ethics Implications on Trust in HRI; * Trustworthy AI; * XAI in HRI; * Legal Frameworks for Trustworthy Robotics Submission Guidelines Authors should submit their papers formatted according to theIEEE two-column format <http://ras.papercept.net/conferences/support/support.php>, which is also used for contributions to the main conference. Use the following templates to create the paper and generate or export a PDF file:LaTeX <http://ras.papercept.net/conferences/support/tex.php>orMS-Word <http://ras.papercept.net/conferences/support/word.php>. Authors needs to submit their PDF via EasyChair <https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=scrita2024>. Each paper will receive at least two reviews. 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. Committees * Dr Alessandra Rossi, Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, University of Naples Federico II (Italy) * Dr Patrick Holthaus, School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science, University of Hertfordshire (UK) * Sílvia Moros, School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science, University of Hertfordshire (UK) * Dr Gabriella Lakatos, School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science, University of Hertfordshire (UK) * Ali Fallahi, School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science, University of Hertfordshire (UK) Contact All questions about submissions should be emailed to scrita(a)herts.ac.uk - a.rossi(a)herts.ac.uk - p.holthaus(a)herts.ac.uk

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[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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Call for Participation in two @Home Education events!
by Amy Eguchi 08 Apr '24

08 Apr '24

Call for Participation in two @Home Education events! We’re excited to announce two Calls for Participation: 1. RoboCup 2024 - @Home Education Competition 15-17 July 2024: Set-up days 18-21 July 2024: Competitions 22 July 2024: Symposium Please submit your TDP using this form <https://forms.gle/hcKsh8j5dqmb8SFq8> by 04/31 or sooner (especially if your team needs a visa to enter the Netherlands). You can find the TDP requirements here <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YOqbkhVaPBZHJ1ZJAHkLdy3WOTOxfrP4/edit?u…>. We will continue to accept the application until the slots are filled. But we strongly encourage you to submit your application ASAP. Also, please visit @Home Education website <https://www.robocupathomeedu.org/> for more information. 2. RoboCup@Home Education Natural Human Robot Interaction challenge @ ICRA 2024 May 13 -14, 2024: Workshop (5/13 could be online) May 14, 2024 (teams that do not need workshop, can come to set-up on those two days or just on May 14): Team set-up May 15-16, 2024: Competition If you’re interested in the event, please visit the event website <https://sites.google.com/ucsd.edu/icra2024-robocupathome-edu/home> and fill out the Application form <https://forms.gle/EiP7hvk7yzJCFoLSA>. The form is open until the slots are filled; however, we strongly encourage you to fill out the form ASAP. Any questions? Please contact Dr. Amy Eguchi @ a2eguchi(a)ucsd.edu. @Home Education Committee ****************************************************************** Amy Eguchi, Ph.D. Associate Teaching Professor, Computer Science Education Transforming Education in a Diverse Society Department of Education Studies, UC San Diego a2eguchi(a)ucsd.edu *Pronouns: she / her / hers* **********************Peace on Earth******************* *UC San Diego was built on the unceded territory of the Kumeyaay Nation. The Kumeyaay people continue to maintain their political sovereignty and cultural traditions as vital members of the San Diego community. We are honored to share this space with them and thank them for their stewardship. *

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[meetings] [news] One Month till Hard Submission Deadline: 3rd Benchmark for Autonomous Robot Navigation (BARN) Challenge -- ICRA 2024 Competition
by Xuesu Xiao 04 Apr '24

04 Apr '24

Soft submission deadline has passed, but hard submission deadline is a month away! Submit by May 1 to be invited to participate in The 3rd BARN Challenge at ICRA 2024 in Japan! 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<mailto:xiao@gmu.edu> https://cs.gmu.edu/~xiao/

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