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[Meetings] Call for Contributions for IROS 2024 Workshop: Benchmarking Autonomous Service Robotics in Real Life
by Katarzyna Pasternak 23 Jul '24

23 Jul '24

=========================================================== Workshop on Benchmarking Autonomous Service Robotics in Real Life =========================================================== 2024 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems October 15th 2024, Abu Dhabi, UAE https://sites.google.com/view/iros-2024-benchmarking-asr ______________________________________________________________ Autonomous service robots are increasingly prevalent in real-world settings, assuming various roles to supplement human capabilities. Mobile platforms such as Walker, H1, Cobiot, TIAGo, and Figure-01 have captured the interest of non-expert users, eager to integrate robots into everyday environments. With this growing presence, researchers must consider various aspects of integrating robots within inhabited spaces, including factors such as verbal and nonverbal communication, social behavior and navigation, or robot morphologies. The expansion of research in this domain poses the challenge of developing new benchmarks to assess performance realistically beyond the confines of research laboratories. This workshop aims to foster dialogue surrounding the future of research and its benchmarking in autonomous service robotics. Using keynotes, participants, and organizers’ experiences of real-world robotic competitions, we plan to steer the conversation to address core components of recent advancements and put forth a set of voluntary draft guidelines for autonomous service roboticists concerning test procedures and benchmarking. The sessions' results will be synthesized into a set of draft frameworks for setting realistic testing scenarios and utilizing them in testing and benchmarking. This workshop seeks to enhance the reporting standards within real-world autonomous robotics research and propel the field toward more structured research practices. Contributions are invited on all topics relevant to *real-life testing and benchmarking* advancements in autonomous service robots and topics that can help to inform this core idea, including (but not limited to) *testing and benchmarking in*: - Human-Robot-Interaction and Cooperation - Navigation and Mapping in dynamic environments - Service Robots - Solving Service Robot Tasks - General-Purpose Service Robots - Foundation Models - Computer Vision and Object Recognition under natural light conditions - Object Manipulation - Adaptive Behaviors - Behavior Integration - Ambient Intelligence - Standardization and System Integration *Submission deadline*: *August 31st, 2024* Acceptance notification: October 1st, 2024 Final version due: October 8th, 2024 Workshop date: October 15th, 2024 The contributions should be in the IROS standard pdf format and include short work-in-progress and position papers (2-4 pages) or long-format papers (4-8 pages). All papers are to be considered for both oral presentations and posters. Posters will be presented during the scheduled poster session. Every paper will be reviewed in a single-blind process. The selection of accepted papers will be done by the organizing committee, based on the reviews. Based on the number and quality of submissions, selected papers may be published in a special section or issue of Advanced Robotics <https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/tadr20>, the international journal of the Robotics Society of Japan. The submissions should be done here: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=basr2024 The Organizers - Justin Hart, University of Texas - Austin, USA - Matteo Leonetti, King's College London, UK - Katarzyna Pasternak, University of Miami, USA - Komei Sugiura, Keio University, Japan - Ubbo Visser, University of Miami, USA - Sven Wachsmuth, University of Bielefeld, Germany

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[Correction]Regional Committee Meeting today, Thursday, July 18, 2024, 2.30-4.30 pm in Room New Era 2
by Ferrein, Alexander Antoine 19 Jul '24

19 Jul '24

Dear all, I mixed up the different venues. The New Era 2 meeting room is not the Tech Dome, but in the New Era venue. Apologies for causing confusion! Alexander Dear all, The Regional Committee Meeting will take place today, Thursday, July 18, 2024, between 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm in the New Era 2 meeting room in the Tech Dome. Looking forward to seeing you all there this afternoon! Best regards, Alexander -- Prof. Dr. Alexander Ferrein Mobile Autonomous Systems & Cognitive Robotics Institute Robotics and Foundations of Computer Science FH Aachen - University of Applied Sciences Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Eupener Strasse 70 | 52066 Aachen | Germany T: +49 241 6009 51904 | F: +49 241 6009 52190 E: ferrein(a)fh-aachen.de <mailto:ferrein@fh-aachen.de> | W: www.ferrein.fh-aachen.de Speaker Major Competitions of the RoboCup Committee Germany W: www.robocup.de Former Vice-Chair of the African-German Network of Excellence in Science A Network of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation W: www.agnes-h.org

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Regional Committee Meeting today, Thursday, July 18, 2024, 2.30-4.30 pm in Room New Era 2
by Ferrein, Alexander Antoine 18 Jul '24

18 Jul '24

Dear all, The Regional Committee Meeting will take place today, Thursday, July 18, 2024, between 2.30 pm to 4.30 pm in the New Era 2 meeting room in the Tech Dome. Looking forward to seeing you all there this afternoon! Best regards, Alexander -- Prof. Dr. Alexander Ferrein Mobile Autonomous Systems & Cognitive Robotics Institute Robotics and Foundations of Computer Science FH Aachen - University of Applied Sciences Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Eupener Strasse 70 | 52066 Aachen | Germany T: +49 241 6009 51904 | F: +49 241 6009 52190 E: ferrein(a)fh-aachen.de | W: www.ferrein.fh-aachen.de Speaker Major Competitions of the RoboCup Committee Germany W: www.robocup.de Former Vice-Chair of the African-German Network of Excellence in Science A Network of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation W: www.agnes-h.org

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[Jobs] Post-Doc Position at Tohoku University for Field Robotics and Multimodal Large Language Model Application
by Satoshi Tadokoro 17 Jul '24

17 Jul '24

*Open Call for Post-Doctoral Researchers: Field Robotics and Multimodal Large Language Model Application* Tough Cyberphysical AI Research Center (TCPAI) Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan The TCPAI at Tohoku University is seeking talented postdoctoral researchers to join our cutting-edge project on intelligent robot task execution in extreme environments using multimodal large language models. This research is part of the "Research into Spatial Agents Web to Solve Problems in Extreme Environments" project, led by Prof. Satoshi Tadokoro, and funded by F-REI (2024-2030). *Application Deadline: September 30, 2024* Note: This call will close once the planned number of positions is filled, even if it is before the deadline. *Position Details:* - Type: Full-time - Work Period: One year, starting from January 2024 or earlier (with possibility to extend the contract) - Salary: Approximately 6,000,000 JPY per year (including social insurance and taxes) - Work locations Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan, and TCPAI Fukushima Coast Laboratory, Minamisoma, Japan (near the Fukushima Robot Test Field) Note: Successful candidates will work with team members of the RoboCup RRL Quix. *Required Qualifications:* - PhD in robotics, computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related field (awarded within the last ten years) - Strong publication record in relevant areas - Strong interest in multimodal large language models, machine learning, and robot intelligence in extreme field environments - Proficiency in programming (C++, Python, ROS) and simulation (Gazebo/Issac Sim) - Experience with machine learning frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch). - Good spoken and written English skills (Japanese not required) - Collaborative mindset for working in person with interdisciplinary international colleagues *Preferred Skills:* - Practical experience in applying machine learning to real-world problems, particularly in robotics - Robot hardware design and development *Application Documents:* 1. CV in English (including a list of research achievements) 2. Overview of Developed Robots (highlighting significant hardware and software contributions) 3. Certificate of PhD Degree (or certificate of expectation) 4. Names of Three References (TCPAI might contact them to ask about the candidate) *How to Apply:* Submit the above documents via email with the subject line "Post-Doc Application" to Prof. Satoshi Tadokoro at tadokoro(a)tohoku.ac.jp by September 30, 2024. After the initial document screening, remote interview schedules will be set up. -- *Satoshi Tadokoro* satoshi.tadokoro.c5(a)tohoku.ac.jp Graduate School of Information Sciences, Tohoku University 6-6-01 Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 Japan Phone +81-22-795-7022 Mobile +81-90-3709-5449

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[Meetings] Regional Committee Meeting @ RoboCup 2024 in Eindhoven
by Ferrein, Alexander Antoine 10 Jul '24

10 Jul '24

Dear RoboCup participants, We are writing to let you know that, like last year, we will have a Regional Committee Assembly this year in Eindhoven. The meeting will be on Thursday, July 18, 2024. I will write again to let you know once the details, including location, are confirmed. Many of you are already represented by regional committees. You can find the list of regional committees here: https://www.robocup.org/organization/regional_committees <https://www.robocup.org/organization/regional_committees> In that case, your representative has already been invited to the meeting. If you are from a country that is not represented, I encourage you to get together with any other participants from your country to form a Regional Committee. The procedure for forming Regional Committees is included at the bottom of this message. Please let me know if you or someone else from your nation is planning to attend this year's meeting. Best Regards, Maike & Alexander on behalf of the RCF President and Trustees RoboCup Regional Committees =========================== A sufficiently large number of teams, researchers and teachers from any nation, group of nations, or nation-sized region (henceforth "region") with significant past and current RoboCup participation is invited to form a "RoboCup Regional Committee." The purposes of these committees are to 1) Promote RoboCup within your region. 2) Organize local RoboCup events and RoboCup opens. 3) Manage qualification for RoboCup leagues when slots are limited. 4) Maintain RoboCup standards for scientific research and education within your region and uphold the RoboCup mission of sharing advances through friendly competition. 5) Maintain an English website to be linked to the main RoboCup website describing the RoboCup activities in your region. There are local events smaller than regional "open" competitions, which should also be run with regional committee participation, but must be approved by the board of trustees. For each such local event and open, regional committees may at some time in the future be asked to collect a standard RoboCup Federation registration fee from participants and send the resulting funds to the federation (details to be announced if/when this policy goes into effect). The regional committee is also expected to send a report following each event summarizing the participation and organization of the event, including how many people and teams participated, from where, etc. If there are many local events in a given year, they can be grouped together into a single annual report. Each regional committee should have a single chair who serves as the main point of contact with the RoboCup Board of Trustees for questions that are relevant to the region. There should be representation on the committee from all of the different RoboCup leagues in which your region is active (including RoboCupJunior). If not already established, we encourage the regional committees to initiate formation of all aspects of RoboCup activities, including RoboCupSoccer, RoboCupRescue, RoboCupJunior, and RoboCupAtHome. To form a committee, please get together with all of the participants from your region. Once the list of committee members is prepared, please contact the RoboCup Trustees to let us know: 1) The members and affiliations of the committee. 2) The names, affiliations, and email addresses of all the teams represented by the committee (hopefully all the teams from your region). 3) The URL of your current webpage, if it already exists (see http://www.robocup.org/organization-of-robocup/regional-committees/(http://… for some examples). The Trustees will then check that all the represented teams agree to be represented in this way, and then link the committee to the RoboCup website. The representatives of all RoboCup Regional Committees meet at least once a year during the annual RoboCup event to discuss with the Trustees about the development of RoboCup in their regions and in general. Furthermore, while vacancies exist in the Board of Trustees, one appointment is reserved for election by the regional committees (one vote per regional committee). -- Prof. Dr. Alexander Ferrein Mobile Autonomous Systems & Cognitive Robotics Institute Robotics and Foundations of Computer Science FH Aachen - University of Applied Sciences Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology Eupener Strasse 70 | 52066 Aachen | Germany T: +49 241 6009 51904 | F: +49 241 6009 52190 E: ferrein(a)fh-aachen.de <mailto:ferrein@fh-aachen.de> | W: www.ferrein.fh-aachen.de Speaker Major Competitions of the RoboCup Committee Germany W: www.robocup.de Former Vice-Chair of the African-German Network of Excellence in Science A Network of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation W: www.agnes-h.org

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[CFP SBR 2024] Submission deadline extended
by Thiago Pedro Donadon Homem 02 Jul '24

02 Jul '24

Dear colleagues, We would like to inform you that we extended the deadline for submission at Brazilian Symposium on Robotics (SBR 2024). SBR 2024 aims 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. *Paper Submission Deadline: August 5, 2024 (hard deadline)* Notification of Acceptance: September 2, 2024 Camera Ready Submission Deadline: October 16, 2024 Access SBR 2024 website. <https://natalnet.br/sbr2024> Regards Thiago and Paulo SBR 2024 - Chairs ------------ [Apologies if you receive multiple copies. Please distribute this call to interested parties.] 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: *August 5, 2024 (hard deadline)* 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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Call for participation in euROBIN / ERL Coopetition in Nancy, Nov 2024
by Pedro U. Lima 01 Jul '24

01 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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[meetings] [news] Call for Papers: IEEE SSRR 2024
by Xuesu Xiao 30 Jun '24

30 Jun '24

Call for Papers: IEEE SSRR 2024 Papers are solicited for the 2024 IEEE International Symposium on Safety Security Rescue Robotics, Nov. 12-14, 2024, in New York City, USA, in conjunction with FDNY special operations. Extended abstracts (3-4 pages) are due 21 Jul, with acceptances on 10 Sept and full papers due 10 Oct. Details will be posted to ssrr2024.org. IEEE SSRR was started in 2002 with a special mission to bring together roboticists and practitioners, where academics can present domain-relevant research and engage with agencies, responders, and companies. The conference is single track with full papers published in IEEE Xplore. It traditionally sets aside time for field tours of training facilities or hosts exercises, in this case, with the Fire Department New York at their training facilities on Roosevelt Island. it is a hands-on, community-oriented conference. There is a best paper award. The safety, security, and rescue robotics community focuses on the ethical use of robots for public safety and security applications, such as law enforcement, anti-terrorism, nuclear decommissioning, and inspection of critical infrastructure, all phases of emergency management (presentation, preparedness, response, and recovery), and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Robot safety and risk of robots in general, for example preventing injuries or guaranteeing real-time execution, are not topics included in the symposium’s purview but safety and risk in the context of the extreme environments and operating conditions of SSRR applications is. SSRR is a field robotics domain, and although papers describing theoretical results are welcome, all papers should be motivated by real users’ needs, both clearly stating who are the end users and what are the anticipated or demonstrated practical end user requirements. The topics include, but are not limited to: • aerial, ground, and marine robots • new morphologies and sensors • artificial intelligence • computer vision/machine learning • human-robot interaction • ethics • field methodologies for testing and evaluation • multi-robot systems • extreme scenarios and environments • infectious diseases • natural disasters • human-caused disasters, such as building, bridge, and mine collapses • humanitarian assistance and disaster recovery • robot simulators • case studies and surveys • casualty assessment, care, and extraction • detection and mitigation of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) events • inspection of critical infrastructure Organizers: • General Co-Chairs: Murphy, Robin (Texas A&M), Howie Choset (Carnegie Mellon) • Program Co-Chairs: Americas: Padir, Taskin (Northeastern) Europe: Kruijff, Ivana (DRZ - German Rescue Robotics Center) Asia: Nagatani, Keiji (University of Tokyo) • Local Arrangement Chair: Loianno, Guiseppe (New York University) • Finance Chair: Voyles, Richard (Purdue University) • Publication Chair: Xiao, Xuesu (George Mason) 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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CFP: IEEE International Symposium on Safety Security Rescue Robotics (SSRR), Nov. 12-14, 2024, in New York City, USA
by Ivana Kruijff | Deutsches Rettungsrobotik-Zentrum e.V. 22 Jun '24

22 Jun '24

Hello Robocup community, could you please distribute the CFP for IEEE SSRR 2024, see below, also PDF attached. Thank you! Best regards, Ivana Kruijff, SSRR 2024 programme co-chair ------------- Call for Papers: IEEE SSRR 2024 Papers are solicited for the 2024 IEEE International Symposium on Safety Security Rescue Robotics, Nov. 12-14, 2024, in New York City, USA, in conjunction with FDNY special operations. Extended abstracts (3-4 pages) are due 21 Jul, with acceptances on 10 Sept and full papers due 10 Oct. Details will be posted to https://ssrr2024.org<https://ssrr2024.org/>. IEEE SSRR was started in 2002 with a special mission to bring together roboticists and practitioners, where academics can present domain-relevant research and engage with agencies, responders, and companies. The conference is single track with full papers published in IEEE Xplore. It traditionally sets aside time for field tours of training facilities or hosts exercises, in this case, with the Fire Department New York at their training facilities on Roosevelt Island. it is a hands-on, community-oriented conference. There is a best paper award. The safety, security, and rescue robotics community focuses on the ethical use of robots for public safety and security applications, such as law enforcement, anti-terrorism, nuclear decommissioning, and inspection of critical infrastructure, all phases of emergency management (presentation, preparedness, response, and recovery), and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Robot safety and risk of robots in general, for example preventing injuries or guaranteeing real-time execution, are not topics included in the symposium’s purview but safety and risk in the context of the extreme environments and operating conditions of SSRR applications is. SSRR is a field robotics domain, and although papers describing theoretical results are welcome, all papers should be motivated by real users’ needs, both clearly stating who are the end users and what are the anticipated or demonstrated practical end user requirements. The topics include, but are not limited to: · aerial, ground, and marine robots · new morphologies and sensors · artificial intelligence · computer vision/machine learning · human-robot interaction · ethics · field methodologies for testing and evaluation · multi-robot systems · extreme scenarios and environments · infectious diseases · natural disasters · human-caused disasters, such as building, bridge, and mine collapses · humanitarian assistance and disaster recovery · robot simulators · case studies and surveys · casualty assessment, care, and extraction · detection and mitigation of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive (CBRNE) events · inspection of critical infrastructure Organizers: · General Co-Chairs: Murphy, Robin (Texas A&M), Howie Choset (Carnegie Mellon) · Program Co-Chairs: Americas: Padir, Taskin (Northeastern) Europe: Kruijff, Ivana (DRZ - German Rescue Robotics Center) Asia: Nagatani, Keiji (University of Tokyo) · Local Arrangement Chair: Loianno, Guiseppe (New York University) · Finance Chair: Voyles, Richard (Purdue University) · Publication Chair: Xiao, Xuesu (George Mason) Ing. Ivana Krujff-Korbayová, PhD Deutsches Rettungsrobotik-Zentrum e.V. Bedarfserhebung, Forschung & Entwicklung, Transfer ivana.kruijff(a)rettungsrobotik.de<mailto:ivana.kruijff@rettungsrobotik.de> Rohdesdiek 32 | 44357 Dortmund Tel. +49-231-99988206 www.rettungsrobotik.de<http://www.rettungsrobotik.de/> [cid:998c1d46-46dd-454b-958e-5c3b13566e3b@eurprd02.prod.outlook.com] Join our online webinar “Rettungsrobotik im Dialog" https://www.eventbrite.de/cc/rettungsrobotik-im-dialog-2832669 Find us on <https://www.facebook.com/drzrobotics> [cid:a1aaeb40-23d6-40d8-9aac-49f3c397be7c@eurprd02.prod.outlook.com] [cid:5a07020a-c9a7-4587-bcdb-e195a5a36fe8@eurprd02.prod.outlook.com] [cid:5cc0322a-4596-49b5-9c1c-33e210e21178@eurprd02.prod.outlook.com] [cid:83a96a28-6ce8-4ccb-afc2-e7a6da9f129d@eurprd02.prod.outlook.com] [cid:61396156-57f3-4bdf-ba84-c72a44d9b1d2@eurprd02.prod.outlook.com]

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[meetings] [news] IROS 2024 Competition: The Earth Rover Challenge
by Xuesu Xiao 19 Jun '24

19 Jun '24

Competition Website: https://sites.google.com/view/the-earth-rover-challenge/ Express-of-Interest Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfBN9W1FmIJpmAeR8PHERCt17THOg2fSzQ… Dear roboticists, do you want to compete with human gamers and AI agents in an around-the-world real life Mario Kart game? Are you interested in training and deploying AI models for real-world robots, but don’t have (sufficient) robot platforms or data? [https://lh7-us.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXchYhlGPjw70Y351H0tptydB2iD…] We are excited to bring to you The Earth Rover Challenge @ IROS 2024 – a first of its kind distributed robotics competition where human gamers and AI models will compete to solve real-world navigation challenges across the world, from Abu Dhabi to Vienna and Singapore to Nairobi! Competition participants will deploy their policies into realistic goal-oriented navigation scenarios, potentially without known maps. This competition will test the robustness, generalization, and safety of robot navigation models. Furthermore, we will standardize training data, robot hardware, and evaluation operations, so teams can entirely focus on model development and evaluation. Every participating team will be given 2 Earth Rover units for testing locally as well as up to 20 hours test time per week (in the coming months leading to the actual competition at IROS) with robots deployed remotely around the world (along with human operators who will follow closely behind the robots to provide real-time operational support to the participating teams). We are excited to test your AI models as they navigate around the globe! Please fill out this form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfBN9W1FmIJpmAeR8PHERCt17THOg2fSzQ…) by Jun 30 AoE to express your interest in participating, and we will be in touch with more information. More information about The Earth Rover Challenge: https://sites.google.com/view/the-earth-rover-challenge/, or email us at erc2024-organizers(a)googlegroups.com<mailto:erc2024-organizers@googlegroups.com>. Organizing Team: FrodoBots, National University of Singapore, UC Berkeley, Google DeepMind, Georgia Tech, George Mason University Thanks Michael Cho, David Hsu, Dhruv Shah, Jie Tan, Joanne Truong, Ted Xiao, Xuesu Xiao, Naoki Yokoyama, Wenhao Yu, and Tingnan Zhang ----------------------- 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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