April 2024 - RoboCup-worldwide

Call for participation in euROBIN / ERL Coopetition in Nancy, Nov 2024
by Pedro U. Lima 02 Jul '24

02 Jul '24

The euROBIN network proposes the novel concept of robot cooperative competition focused on the three main application domains defined in the robotics roadmap of Horizon Europe: • Robotic manufacturing for a circular economy • Personal robots for enhanced quality of life and well-being • Outdoor robots for sustainable communities Each application domain correspond to one coopetition league. euROBIN’s cooperative competitions are based on a scoring system that gives credit to a team for its own achievements in executing tasks and for the successful usage by other teams of modules developed by the team. The latter approach promotes cooperation, , effectively encouraging module transferability and reusability. Check all details in https://www.eurobin-project.eu/index.php/showroom/news/71-eurobin-coopetiti… For more information, email eurobin-coopetition(a)dlr.de <mailto:eurobin-coopetition@dlr.de>

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Call for Papers: 8th International Conference on Algorithmic Decision Theory - ADT 2024
by Nicholas Mattei 30 Apr '24

30 Apr '24

*ADT** 2024 - CALL FOR PAPERS* The 8th International Conference on Algorithmic Decision Theory - ADT 2024 <https://preflib.github.io/adt2024/index> will be held October 14-16, 2024, at the Center for Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science (DIMACS) at Rutgers University. We've got a great lineup of invited speakers including Xiao (Tracy) Liu, Herve Moulin, and Jenn Wortman Vaughan! Website: https://preflib.github.io/adt2024/ ADT 2024 focuses on algorithmic decision theory broadly defined, seeking to bring together researchers and practitioners coming from diverse areas of Computer Science, Economics, and Operations Research in order to improve the theory and practice of modern decision support. The conference topics include research in: Algorithms, Argumentation Theory, Artificial Intelligence, Computational Social Choice, Database Systems, Decision Analysis, Discrete Mathematics, Game Theory, Machine Learning and Adversarial Machine Learning, Matching, Multi-agent Systems, Multiple Criteria Decision Aiding, Networks, Optimization, Preference Modeling, Risk Analysis and Adversarial Risk Analysis, and Utility Theory. *Important Dates* *Title and Abstract Submission*: May 10, 2024 *Full Paper Submission*: May 17, 2024 *Notification*: July 19, 2024 *Final Version of Accepted Papers*: August 9, 2024 *Conference Dates*: October 14-16, 2024 *Submissions* Submissions are invited on significant, original and previously unpublished research on all aspects of Algorithmic Decision Theory. Papers must be at most 15 pages long in the LNCS format (including references). The formal proceedings of ADT 2024 will be published by Springer Verlag in the Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence (LNAI) <http://www.springer.com/lncs>. ADT 2024 will not accept any paper that, at the time of submission, has already been published in a journal or another venue with formally published proceedings. However, in order to accommodate the publication norms of the many fields that work on decision theory, papers can be submitted but not already published elsewhere provided the authors note they are submitting for the non-proceedings track at the top of their submission. All papers will be peer-reviewed by a double-blind procedure. Therefore, papers must be submitted anonymously as pdf documents via the Microsoft CMT <https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/ADT2024> system. It is important and required that authors do not reveal their identities in submitted papers. Since the review process is double blind, authors must take measures to ensure that their identity is not easily revealed from the submission itself. Authors should include the submission number (as assigned by the conference system) in the author field of the submission, and refer to their prior work in a neutral manner (i.e., instead of saying “We showed” say “XYZ et al. showed”). It is acceptable to submit work that has been presented in public or has appeared on arXiv, provided the submission itself is anonymized. *Submission Format:* Authors should consult Springer’s authors’ guidelines and use their proceedings templates <https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gu…>, either for LaTeX or for Word, for the preparation of their papers. Note that at least one author of each accepted paper is required to attend the conference to present the work. Authors will be required to agree to this requirement at the time of submission. In addition, the corresponding author of each accepted paper that will appear in the proceedings, acting on behalf of all of the authors of that paper, will need to complete and sign a Consent-to-Publish form, through which the copyright for their paper is transferred to Springer. To accommodate the publishing traditions of different fields, ADT 2024 will accept two types of submissions: *Submissions with full text in the proceedings:* Papers of this type will be accepted for either oral or poster presentation, or both. Each accepted paper of this type will be allocated at most 15 pages in the proceedings and there will be no distinction between papers accepted for oral or poster presentation in the conference proceedings. *Submissions with one-page abstract in the proceeding:* Papers of this type will be accepted for either oral or poster presentation, or both. Each accepted paper of this type will appear as a one-page abstract in the proceedings, along with a URL pointing to the full paper. This option is available to accommodate subsequent publication in journals that would not consider results that have been published in preliminary form in conference proceedings. Such papers must be formatted just like papers submitted for full-text publication, at the submission time, but authors are required to write “submission without proceedings” into the author field of their paper (instead of author names), if they choose this category. Otherwise, it will be assumed, by default, that their paper is submitted in the first category (submissions with full-text in the proceedings). Rupert Freeman and Nicholas Mattei ADT 2024 Program Co-Chairs David Pennock and Lirong Xia ADT 2024 General Chairs -- *Nicholas Mattei* Assistant Professor, Tulane University nsmattei(a)tulane.edu | www.nickmattei.net Stanley Thomas Hall | 305B +1 504 865 5782 Department of Computer Science Tulane University 6823 St Charles Ave New Orleans, LA 70118

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[meetings] [competition] ICSR-2024 Competition
by Alessandra Rossi 28 Apr '24

28 Apr '24

Dear Attendees, We hope this message finds you well. We have an important update regarding the upcoming ICSR-2024 Competition <https://www.icsr2024-competition.org>. Due to an unforeseen scheduling conflict, we've made the decision to merge the ICSR-2024 Competition with The Innovation Village <https://innovation-village-2024.sharevent.it/it-IT> event happening in early May in Italy (May 8-9). This decision was made by the organizing committee in order to maximize the impact of the event and create a more comprehensive experience for all participants. As a result, only a part of the Competitions will be held in May, while the entire competition will be hosted within the framework of the main ICSR Conference in 2025. We understand that this change may affect those who were looking forward to visiting Naples. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. However, we want to assure you that this merger presents a unique opportunity for collaboration and innovation. Additionally, we remind the community that Naples will be the host city for ICSR 2025, providing attendees with the opportunity to experience its rich culture and vibrant atmosphere. We appreciate your understanding and flexibility in this matter. If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to welcoming you to ICSR 2025 in Naples. Kind regards Mariacarla Staffa

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[meetings][CFP][RO-MAN 2024] Second call of position papers for SCRITA Workshop
by Alessandra Rossi 28 Apr '24

28 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. We are also extremely happy to inform you that Prof. Selma Šabanović, Indiana University, will be our invited speaker! 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(a)unina.it e-mail address: a.rossi(a)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 the IEEE 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 to present a video or demonstrate their 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 Invited Speaker Prof. Selma Šabanović, Indiana University *(confirmed)* Submission Guidelines Authors should submit their papers formatted according to the IEEE 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> or MS-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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IEEE RAS Summer School on Educational Robotics
by Gerald Steinbauer-Wagner 25 Apr '24

25 Apr '24

We are happy to invite participants to EduRob24, the upcoming Summer School on Educational Robotics at Graz University of Technology, Graz, Austria, taking place from 8.-12. July 2024. To spark the interest of young people in Robotics and AI is of paramount importance. Unfortunately, resources are scarce at schools which are the natural multiplier in this endeavor. Thus, the summer school aims to develop an easy-to-access robot simulation environment and ready-to-use teaching material for educational robotics in schools. Teachers, lecturers, and university students will work on this goal during a week that will offer keynotes, hands-on sessions, discussions, and a strategy workshop. Dive into topics such as technology, sustainability, accessibility, didactic concepts, and Open Roberta and take part in material development and in shaping an easy-to-access future of educational robotics. Through lectures, hands-on sessions, and discussions, participants will gain knowledge in robotics technology, content creation, and teaching skills. This summer school is also a starting point of several activities toward the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2026 in Vienna, Austria which will have a strong connection to Educational Robotics. Key highlights of the program include: * Development of a browser-based simulation framework in cooperation with Open Roberta Lab (https://lab.open-roberta.org/) * Technical education through lectures by experts in Educational Robotics and teaching concepts * Development of teaching material based on the developed easy access simulation framework We in particular address university students, teachers, mentors, lecturers, and all excited to bring the next generation of pupils closer to science and technology, especially Robotics and AI. Due to the generous support of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society there are no participation cost for the summer school and there are limited grants for accommodation and travel. Participation to the summer school will be granted based on the participant's motivation and previous experience in the field. For more information please visit this website: https://edurob24.ist.tugraz.at/ We are looking forward to hearing from you soon! Best regards, The EduRob24 Committee

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[meetings] [news] Hard Submission Deadline May 1: 3rd Benchmark for Autonomous Robot Navigation (BARN) Challenge -- ICRA 2024 Competition
by Xuesu Xiao 24 Apr '24

24 Apr '24

Hard submission deadline is approaching! 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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2024 Call for Nominations for Silvia Coradeschi and Gerhard K. Kraetzschmar Awards
by Amy Eguchi 19 Apr '24

19 Apr '24

2024 Call for Nominations for Silvia Coradeschi and Gerhard K. Kraetzschmar Awards Prof. Silvia Coradeschi (d. Feb 5, 2014) was a founding trustee of RoboCup and an early visionary in the RoboCup initiative. She served as General Chair of RoboCup 1999 in Stockholm, Sweden, was a frequent competition participant, and was an exemplar of the RoboCup ideal of engaging in cutting-edge AI and Robotics research. Prof. Gerhard K. Kraetzschmar (d. July 24, 2019) joined RoboCup since its beginning in 1997 and significantly contributed to the development of the RoboCup Federation (Trustee since 2004, Vice-President from 2008 to 2016). He was involved in the organization of many of the leagues, with major contributions to RoboCupJunior, RoboCup@Home, and RoboCup@Work. He was General Chair of RoboCup 2016 in Leipzig, Germany. To honor their extraordinary contributions to RoboCup and to honor their memories, the RoboCup Federation created “The Silvia Coradeschi RoboCup Award” in 2014 (https://www.robocup.org/silvia_coradeschi <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.robocup.org_silvia…>), for a young female RoboCup student or post-doctoral researcher, with distinguishing research and the “The Gerhard Kraetzschmar RoboCup Distinguished Service Award” in 2021 (https://www.robocup.org/gkk_award <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.robocup.org_gkk-5F…>), to recognize the outstanding contributions of an individual for his/her exceptional leadership, service, and dedication that benefit RoboCup in any of its leagues. We are now calling for candidates for the 2024 Awards. The award recipients, to be named at RoboCup 2024 will receive: - a certificate - a US$1,000 honorarium Nominations for the “Silvia Coradeschi Award”: Eligible candidates for the “Silvia Coradeschi Award” are female graduate students and post-doctoral researchers who received the degree within the past 3 years and who will register for RoboCup 2024. The two criteria are: 1. Distinguishing research as evidenced by, for example, refereed publications. 2. RoboCup leadership, either within a team and/or in the broad RoboCup community. To nominate a female student or post-doctoral researcher for the “Silvia Coradeschi Award”, the individual's professor should fill out the nomination form <https://forms.gle/VT2j8SsXHCfn9XkT9> by May 1st, 2024. The submission should include: - A letter of recommendation that addresses both criteria. - An additional letter of recommendation from a RoboCup community member not affiliated with the nominee’s team is recommended (but not required) to support the nomination. Please upload the letters to the form by the professor recommending the candidate. Nominations for the “Gerhard Kraetzschmar RoboCup Distinguished Service Award”: Eligible candidates for the “Gerhard Kraetzschmar RoboCup Distinguished Service Award” are RoboCup members with an outstanding record of service in one or more of the RoboCup Leagues, including as Technical and Organizing Committees, Executive Committee, and/or Board of Trustees. To nominate a RoboCup member for the “Gerhard Kraetzschmar RoboCup Distinguished Service Award”, a person nominating a candidate should fill out the nomination form <https://forms.gle/VT2j8SsXHCfn9XkT9> by May 1st, 2024 by May 1st, 2024. The email must include - a letter of recommendation that addresses the individual’s impact of service and contributions to RoboCup, including diversity, quality, and length of the work done for RoboCup. - One or two additional letter(s) of recommendation from RoboCup community members to support the nomination. Please upload the letters to the form by the person nominating the candidate. Warmly Amy Eguchi on behalf of the Silvia Coradeschi and Gerhard K. Kraetzschmar Award 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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[Call for papers] Brazilian Symposium on Robotics (SBR 2024)
by Thiago Pedro Donadon Homem 17 Apr '24

17 Apr '24

Dear Colleagues, It is my pleasure to invite you all to submit your work to the Brazilian Symposium on Robotics (SBR 2024). Call for Papers SBR 2024 - Brazilian Symposium on Robotics Goiânia, GO, Brazil - November 13 to 15, 2024 https://natalnet.br/sbr2024 Important Dates Paper Submission Deadline: July 8, 2024 Notification of Acceptance: September 2, 2024 Camera Ready Submission Deadline: October 16, 2024 Proceedings Accepted papers will be available at IEEE Xplore. The best selected papers will be invited for submission of an extended version in the Journal of Intelligent & Robotic Systems - JINT, Impact factor 3.3 (2022) Overview The SBR (Brazilian Symposium on Robotics aim at promoting a comprehensive scientific meeting in the area of Intelligent Robotics, bringing together researchers, undergraduate and graduate students of Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, and related fields. The event will include technical sessions of an oral presentation of full papers and technical lectures of recognized importance in the area. SBR will take place in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil from November 13 to 15, 2024. The SBR and its associated scientific events are the primary scientific/academic meetings of a larger event that brings relevant robotics developments, named ROBÓTICA 2024. That also comprises the CBR (Brazilian Robotics Competition), OBR (Brazilian Robotics Olympiad), MNR (National Robotics Fair), besides the SBR, WRE (Workshop of Robotics in Education), and WTDR/CTDR (Workshop on MSc Dissertation and Ph.D. Thesis in Robotics and Best MSc Dissertation and Ph.D. Thesis Contest in Robotics). Registration: https://centraldesistemas.sbc.org.br/ecos/sbrwrectdr2024 Paper submission: https://jems.sbc.org.br/home.cgi?c=4589 Conference website: https://natalnet.br/sbr2024 Topics of Interest 1. Vision in robotics and automation; 2. Symbol mediated robot behavior control; 3. Sensory mediated robot behavior control; 4. Active sensory processing and control; 5. Industrial applications of autonomous systems; 6. Sensor modeling and data interpretation e.g. models and software for sensor data integration, 3D scene analysis, environment description and modeling, pattern recognition; 7. Robust techniques in AI and sensing e.g. uncertainty modeling, graceful degradation of systems; 8. Robot programming e.g. on-line and off-line programming, discrete event dynamical systems, fuzzy logic; 9. Multi-Robot and Multi-Agents, Cooperation and Collaboration; 10. CAD-based robotics e.g. CAD-based vision, reverse engineering; 11. Robot simulation and visualization tools; 12. Tele-operated and autonomous systems; 13. Microelectromechanical robots; 14. Robot modeling; 15. Robot control architectures; 16. Sensor-Motor control of Robots; 17. Robot planning, reasoning, communication, adaptation, and learning; 18. Mechanical design; 19. Robotic Manipulators; 20. Robot soccer; 21. Evolutionary robotics; 22. Bio-Inspired robotics; 23. Robots for robotic surgery and rehabilitation; 24. Micro/nano-robotics, new Devices, and materials for robots; 25. Human-Robot Interaction and Interfaces; 26. Education issues in Robotics; 27. Computing architectures; 28. Sensor Networks, architectures of embedded Hardware and software; 29. Self-Localization, Mapping and Navigation; 30. Multi-robot systems; 31. Aerial vehicles; 32. Autonomous vehicles; 33. Mobile robot platforms; 34. Service robots and entertainment robots; 35. Underwater robots; 36. Humanoids. Organization chairs: Chair: Dr. Thiago Pedro Donadon Homem - IFSP Co-chair: Dr. Paulo Roberto Ferreira Jr. - UFPel Robotica 2024 General chair: Dr. Marco Antonio Assfalk de Oliveira - UFG ---- Dr. Thiago Pedro Donadon Homem Associate Professor Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of São Paulo (IFSP) CV Lattes: http://lattes.cnpq.br/6109272293288485 ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2140-0129

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[meetings][CFP][competition] International Conference of Social Robotics (ICSR) Competition
by Alessandra Rossi 16 Apr '24

16 Apr '24

1st ICSR Competition Naples, Italy, 30 - 31 May, 2024 Competition website https://www.icsr2024-competition.org Registration link https://evnk.co/icsr-napoli Early registration April 25th, 2024 We would like to invite you to participate in a dedicated event of the flagship and prestigious International Conference of Social Robotics (ICSR)! ICSR presents the 1st ICSR Competition will be held in Naples, Italy, on 30 and 31 May 2024. ICSR Competition aims at being not only a competition but an extraordinary showcase of innovation and talent in the field of robotics. This event marks the convergence of brilliance, where teams comprising students, PhD students, researchers, and esteemed professors will compete in a series of captivating competitions through a groundbreaking exploration into the realms of robotics, where cutting-edge technologies and social applications come together. In the spirit of fostering collaboration and pushing the boundaries of what is possible, our competitions will showcase the diverse capabilities of robotics. Teams can choose to participate in four different competitions: the Robotics Arm Challenge, the Humanoid Robot Challenge, the Robot Design Challenge and the Game Jam Challenge. Each competition offers a unique perspective on the capabilities of robotics and their potential to shape our social future. As we embark on this incredible journey, let us celebrate the hard work, dedication, and creativity of the teams who have poured their hearts and minds into developing solutions that not only showcase technical prowess but also reflect a keen understanding of the societal implications of robotics. All teams and their members will receive a participation certificate. For each category, the winners will be awarded with certificates and a price. Prices includes monetary rewards, free professional courses and much more. For more information about the challenges and how to participate, please check our website <https://www.icsr2024-competition.org> or contact us. General Chair Mariacarla Staffa, University of Naples Parthenope, ItalyGeneral Co-ChairsAlessandra Rossi, University of Naples Federico II, ItalyAmit Kumar Pandey, Rovial Space, FranceContactAll questions should be emailed to mariacarla.staffa(a)uniparthenope.it

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[jobs] Research Intern positions or Postdocs in human-robot interaction at the University of Naples Federico II, Italy
by Alessandra Rossi 16 Apr '24

16 Apr '24

***** Apologies for any cross-posting ***** Dear colleagues, At the PRISCA lab - University of Naples Federico II, we are looking 2 Research Intern positions or Postdocs in human-robot interaction. Please find attached the call. Kind regards Alessandra -- Dr. Alessandra Rossi Assistant Professor PRISCA research lab Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy emails: a.rossi(a)herts.ac.uk, alessandra.rossi(a)unina.it, alessandra.rossi(a)ieee.org website: alessandrarossi.net twitter: @alhandra81 ----------------------------------------------------------------- [image: image.png] At the University of Naples Federico II (Italy), we are looking for two Research Intern positions or Postdocs in human-robot interaction. Project: ADVISOR - ADaptiVe legIble robotS for trustwORthy health coaching Start date: 1st July 2024, for 1 year Application deadline: 7 May 2024 We are looking for 2 exceptional and highly motivated candidates for a full-time 1-year research position to join the PRISCA lab at the University of Naples Federico II in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technologies. The research area of ADVISOR is developed as part of the funding Italian PRIN PNRR. The researcher will focus on the following topics: The focus of the project is to tackle the lack of user trust in robots, starting from the need for personalised coaching for healthy behaviours, to ensure that diverse populations and individuals’ specific needs and preferences are respected. We aim to investigate how to deploy trustworthy and transparent robot behaviours in this context, and move towards creating a technology that can be easily and successfully adopted by its intended users. We do so by tackling two main issues. The first is advancing research toward developing autonomous, and yet trustworthy robots that can operate in close contact with humans. This will let us clearly identify the functionalities needed to have SAR to be deployed in healthcare. The second is making the robot’s behaviours transparent to the users while being adaptive. Finally, the integration of different social, emotional, and cognitive aspects and the implementation of a set of behavioural and verbal skills will allow us to have a first evaluation of the level of mutual understanding required for a trustworthy interaction. Requirements: A Ph.D. is preferred, or master degree 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. Excellent English communication skills are an important requirement. Preferred Qualifications: collecting and analysing data, conducting literature reviews and scientific track record, writing up academic publications; strong interpersonal skills; great teammate; interest and capability to communicate, written and verbal, with peers, students and collaborators unfamiliar with behavioural science. 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 position (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 undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. In case, a PhD 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 candidates 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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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 11 Apr '24

11 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 09 Apr '24

09 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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