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Final Call for proposals: RCF Project Support 2022
by Gerald Steinbauer-Wagner 02 Feb '22

02 Feb '22

Call for proposals: RCF Project Support 2022 The RoboCup Federation (RCF) is pleased to announce this call for proposals to support activities for promoting the development of RoboCup Leagues. RCF Project Support aims at funding activities for the development of the RoboCup Leagues or the promotion of RoboCup in general. The main goal of these projects is to research and develop activities that support significant advancements of the RoboCup leagues and/or the RoboCup community which are difficult to achieve otherwise. This includes support for short-term visits for a collaboration between teams (e.g. joint team development, integration of research agendas) and/or RoboCup camps on special or novel topics. This year the RCF particularly encourages proposals in the following areas: * Human-Robot-Interaction (HRI), any type interaction of a human with a robot within one of the RoboCup leagues * Low-Cost Standard Robots, any ideas to lower the entry bar to a RoboCup league or to allow to scale the number of robots in a team * Unified Game Controllers, development of game controllers that can be shared between RoboCup leagues easily and with minor re-configuration * Data Sets from Competitions, any concept for automated collecting and annotating data (i.e. ground truth) from competitions in order to support statistical analysis or machine learning Support Support will be provided in the form of reimbursement upon receipts of direct expenses (e.g., hardware devices or costs for organization of events) or of a grant for the applicants. In case of hardware acquisition, it must be specified how the league (e.g. other teams) will benefit from this hardware. A detailed list of expenses must be described in the proposal. Funds from RCF are limited, partial funding may be also considered. Submission A single PDF file should be submitted through the easychair system https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=rcfsupport2022 under the Category: Projects for League Developments The proposal (MAX 4 pages) must include: 1. description of the project, 2. motivations and goals, 3. benefits for RoboCup and RoboCup leagues (not for a single or a few teams), 4. implementation plan and budget. Evaluation Application materials will be evaluated by a committee of RoboCup Trustees or RoboCup Exec members. The evaluation of the proposals will be based on (i) the quality of the proposed research; (ii) the research contributions of the applicants, particularly in relation to RoboCup; and (iii) the impact of the proposed plan on the advancement and visibility of RoboCup (e.g. high ranked publications). A limited number of awards is expected to be assigned. Deadlines Submission Deadline: January 30th, 2022 Notification: February 8th, 2022 Completion of the project: Preliminary work expected to be presented during the RoboCup Symposium 2022, the project needs to be finished by end of 2022 and a final report submitted by January 2023. Exceptions to this rule must be submitted for approval to the evaluation committee.

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Neural Computing and Applications (NCAA) - Call for Topical Collectionon (Deadline March 31, 2022)
by Pub Conference 01 Feb '22

01 Feb '22

Neural Computing and Applications <https://www.springer.com/journal/521/> Topical Collection on Interpretation of Deep Learning: Prediction, Representation, Modeling and Utilization https://www.springer.com/journal/521/updates/19187658 Aims, Scope and Objective While Big Data offers the great potential for revolutionizing all aspects of our society, harvesting of valuable knowledge from Big Data is an extremely challenging task. The large scale and rapidly growing information hidden in the unprecedented volumes of non-traditional data requires the development of decision-making algorithms. Recent successes in machine learning, particularly deep learning, has led to breakthroughs in real-world applications such as autonomous driving, healthcare, cybersecurity, speech and image recognition, personalized news feeds, and financial markets. While these models may provide the state-of-the-art and impressive prediction accuracies, they usually offer little insight into the inner workings of the model and how a decision is made. The decision-makers cannot obtain human-intelligible explanations for the decisions of models, which impede the applications in mission-critical areas. This situation is even severely worse in complex data analytics. It is, therefore, imperative to develop explainable computation intelligent learning models with excellent predictive accuracy to provide safe, reliable, and scientific basis for determination. Numerous recent works have presented various endeavors on this issue but left many important questions unresolved. The first challenging problem is how to construct self-explanatory models or how to improve the explicit understanding and explainability of a model without the loss of accuracy. In addition, high dimensional or ultra-high dimensional data are common in large and complex data analytics. In these cases, the construction of interpretable model becomes quite difficult and complex. Further, how to evaluate and quantify the explainability of a model is lack of consistent and clear description. Moreover, auditable, repeatable, and reliable process of the computational models is crucial to decision-makers. For example, decision-makers need explicit explanation and analysis of the intermediate features produced in a model, thus the interpretation of intermediate processes is requisite. Subsequently, the problem of efficient optimization exists in explainable computational intelligent models. These raise many essential issues on how to develop explainable data analytics in computational intelligence. This Topical Collection aims to bring together original research articles and review articles that will present the latest theoretical and technical advancements of machine and deep learning models. We hope that this Topical Collection will: 1) improve the understanding and explainability of machine learning and deep neural networks; 2) enhance the mathematical foundation of deep neural networks; and 3) increase the computational efficiency and stability of the machine and deep learning training process with new algorithms that will scale. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following: - Interpretability of deep learning models - Quantifying or visualizing the interpretability of deep neural networks - Neural networks, fuzzy logic, and evolutionary based interpretable control systems - Supervised, unsupervised, and reinforcement learning - Extracting understanding from large-scale and heterogeneous data - Dimensionality reduction of large scale and complex data and sparse modeling - Stability improvement of deep neural network optimization - Optimization methods for deep learning - Privacy preserving machine learning (e.g., federated machine learning, learning over encrypted data) - Novel deep learning approaches in the applications of image/signal processing, business intelligence, games, healthcare, bioinformatics, and security Guest Editors Nian Zhang (Lead Guest Editor), University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC, USA, nzhang(a)udc.edu Jian Wang, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, China, wangjiannl(a)upc.edu.cn Leszek Rutkowski, Czestochowa University of Technology, Poland, leszek.rutkowski(a)pcz.pl Important Dates Deadline for Submissions: March 31, 2022 First Review Decision: May 31, 2022 Revisions Due: June 30, 2022 Deadline for 2nd Review: July 31, 2022 Final Decisions: August 31, 2022 Final Manuscript: September 30, 2022 Peer Review Process All the papers will go through peer review, and will be reviewed by at least three reviewers. A thorough check will be completed, and the guest editors will check any significant similarity between the manuscript under consideration and any published paper or submitted manuscripts of which they are aware. In such case, the article will be directly rejected without proceeding further. Guest editors will make all reasonable effort to receive the reviewer’s comments and recommendation on time. The submitted papers must provide original research that has not been published nor currently under review by other venues. Previously published conference papers should be clearly identified by the authors at the submission stage and an explanation should be provided about how such papers have been extended to be considered for this special issue (with at least 30% difference from the original works). Submission Guidelines Paper submissions for the special issue should strictly follow the submission format and guidelines ( https://www.springer.com/journal/521/submission-guidelines). Each manuscript should not exceed 16 pages in length (inclusive of figures and tables). Manuscripts must be submitted to the journal online system at https://www.editorialmanager.com/ncaa/default.aspx. Authors should select “TC: Interpretation of Deep Learning” during the submission step ‘Additional Information’.

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[meetings] AAMAS 2022 Call for scholarship applications
by Sara Bernardini 31 Jan '22

31 Jan '22

==== AAMAS 2022 CALL FOR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS === Important Dates Application Submission Deadline: 12th of February 2022 (23:59 UTC-12) Notification: 26th of February 2022 (23:59 UTC-12) Student Attendance Support We are delighted to announce funding for the AAMAS 2022 student scholarship applications. This will enable the virtual registration fees to be waived to successful applicants. To be eligible you must be registered as a full-time student at a higher education institution (e.g., University). In allocating awards, we will prioritise to students who are listed as authors of a paper accepted for AAMAS 2022 (i.e., full paper or extended abstract at the main conference). Scholarships will then be allocated to students who had a paper accepted at an affiliated workshop or the Doctoral Consortium. Funding permitting, we will also try and support students who do not have a paper accepted but come from under-represented groups. Please note that attending the conference is a requirement for being supported. No support will be possible for students who do not attend AAMAS 2022. Submission Requirements To apply, you are required to register and click to complete the Student Scholarship Application Form within registration, via the following link: tinyurl.com/aamas2022scholarship <http://tinyurl.com/aamas2022scholarship> The requested information includes a scanned student ID card certifying you are registered as a full-time student. We care about your privacy: The Student Scholarship Application Form is compliant with GDPR (https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj <https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj>) and your data will be kept, processed, and then destroyed, according to the GDPR European regulations and the most recent US guidelines. Please note that participation in the student scholarship program carries with it an obligation to attend the conference and an encouragement to volunteer to act as a student volunteer. Student volunteers may be asked to support to conference in various ways, i.e., to help with running a particular session. Successful US applicants are also asked to participate in the Doctoral Consortium (DC) either as a presenter or as an attendee, with no obligation to have a paper accepted at the DC. US applicants are also asked to write a short report on their attendance at AAMAS. Please submit your application by the 12th of February 2022 (11:59pm, UTC-12) via the link above. We will notify you of your application decision by the 26th of February 2022 (11:59pm, UTC-12). If your application is successful, you will receive a code that you can then use upon registration as a conference fee waiver. We ask the applicants to not register for the conference before the scholarship notification. We will not be able to reimburse payments that have already been made. For any question, feel free to contact us at aamas2022scholarships(a)googlegroups.com <mailto:aamas2022scholarships@googlegroups.com> The AAMAS 2022 Scholarship Chairs: Hau Chan (University of Nebraska–Lincoln, United States) Wojciech Jamroga (University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg) Paolo Turrini (University of Warwick, United Kingdom)

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LPNMR 2022 - Call for Workshops
by cfp 28 Jan '22

28 Jan '22

[Apologies if you receive multiple copies of this email. Please distribute to interested parties.] --------------------------------------------------------------------------- CALL FOR WORKSHOPS 16th International Conference on Logic Programming and Non-monotonic Reasoning LPNMR 2022 https://sites.google.com/view/lpnmr2022 Genova, Italy September 5-8, 2022 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The 16th International Conference on Logic Programming and Non-monotonic Reasoning (LPNMR 2022) will be held in Genova, Italy. The objective of the LPNMR workshop program is to stimulate the discussion and the exchange of ideas on topics related, but not limited, to declarative logic programming, non-monotonic reasoning, and knowledge representation. We aim at creating a forum where researchers from a broad spectrum of disciplines may interact and have an opportunity to promote collaboration and identify directions for joint future research. Accordingly, we solicit workshop proposals on theoretical and applied research topics. Workshop proposals should explain and motivate the topic of the workshop, and discuss the format of presentation of the contributes. Workshops will likely be half-day or one-day in duration, but we may consider longer programs. DATES * Workshop proposals submissions: February 25th, 2022 * Workshop proposals notifications: March 7th, 2022 * Workshop program: September 5th, 2022 (tentative date) SUBMISSION Proposals must be submitted via EasyChair: https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=lpnmrws2022 Proposals should clearly specify the following: * Workshop title and acronym * A brief description, emphasizing why this workshop would appeal to audiences from LPNMR * A list of organizers with email addresses, web page URLs, and a short description of their experience in organizing events * A short description of the format of planned activities (talks, posters, panels, invited speakers if any, etc.) * The proposed duration (half day, one day, etc.) * A description of the history of the workshop (if any) * Expected number of participants VENUE Workshops are planned to be held at the University, which is in the city center of Genova. Genova is the capital of Liguria, stretching along the bay of Genova from Nervi to the east as far as Voltri to the west. Its old town district is one of the largest in Europe, and hosts some remarkable artistic and architectural treasures, including the Palazzi dei Rolli, fifty or so homes of the aristocracy entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In addition to offering a wealth of cultural attractions, Genova is a fascinating destination for tourists, with its scenic vantage points, sea promenades, aristocratic villas and of course the Riviera to the east and west, both easy to reach: Portovenere and Le Cinque Terre (also UNESCO World Heritage Sites), Portofino and Camogli to the east and Alassio, Sanremo, Bordighera to the west. The main conference will take place in Genova Nervi, Italy, in the Collegio Emiliani (http://www.collegioemiliani.it/, information available only in Italian on this link), which is a college directly situated on the sea. Nervi is a former fishing village, now a suburb of Genoa. Nervi is 7 km east of central Genova. Of course, we will continuously monitor the pandemic situation in order to evaluate whether the conference can be indeed held as an in-person event, or we will need to switch to a hybrid event, if not completely on-line. GENERAL CHAIR Georg Gottlob, Oxford University, UK PROGRAM CHAIRS Daniela Inclezan, Miami University, USA Marco Maratea, University of Genova, Italy PUBLICITY CHAIR Jessica Zangari, University of Calabria, Italy WORKSHOPS CHAIR Viviana Mascardi, University of Genova, Italy DOCTORAL CONSORTIUM CHAIR Martin Gebser, University of Klagenfurt, Austria LOCAL ORGANIZATION Matteo Cardellini, University of Genova, Italy Angelo Ferrando, University of Genova, Italy (Chair) Marco Mochi, University of Genova, Italy CONTACT For any details on workshops, please contact the Workshop Chair: viviana.mascardi(a)unige.it

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Second Call for Papers: 19th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON MULTI-AGENT SYSTEMS (EUMAS-2022)
by Jörg-Matthias Rothe 28 Jan '22

28 Jan '22

*********************************************** 19th EUROPEAN CONFERENCE ON MULTI-AGENT SYSTEMS (EUMAS-2022) September 14 - 16, 2022, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf https://ccc.cs.hhu.de/eumas2022/ *********************************************** ------------------------------------ IMPORTANT DATES ------------------------------------ - Deadline for paper submission: May 6, 2022 - Notification of authors: July 15, 2022 - Camera-ready papers due: August 12, 2022 - Conference: September 14 - 16, 2022 All deadlines are at 23:59 UTC-12, i.e., while it is still the respective date anywhere on earth. Submission instructions: https://ccc.cs.hhu.de/eumas2022/ ------------------------------------ AIMS AND SCOPE ------------------------------------ In the past two decades, we have seen an enormous increase of interest in agent-based computing and multi-agent systems (MAS). This field is set to become one of the key intelligent systems technologies in the 21st century. The EUMAS conference series aims to provide the main forum for academics and practitioners in Europe to discuss current MAS research and applications. EUMAS-2022, the 19th installment of the conference series, follows the tradition of previous editions (Oxford 2003, Barcelona 2004, Brussels 2005, Lisbon 2006, Hammamet 2007, Bath 2008, Agia Napa 2009, Paris 2010, Maastricht 2011, Dublin 2012, Toulouse 2013, Prague 2014, Athens 2015, Valencia 2016, Evry 2017, Bergen 2018, Thessaloniki 2019, Virtual 2020), and encourages and supports activity in the research and development of multi-agent systems, in academic and industrial efforts. The conference aspires to be the primary European forum for researchers interested in the theory and practice of autonomous agents and multi-agent systems. EUMAS enables researchers to meet, present challenges, preliminary and mature research results in an open and informal environment. To attract students as well as experienced researchers, preliminary as well as mature work, EUMAS 2021 offers three submission types and formal proceedings. Also, we will be working hard to arrange for the post-publication of selected papers in the form of a special issue of a high-quality journal in the area. EUMAS-2022 is a designated event of the European Association of Multi-Agent Systems (EURAMAS): http://www.euramas.org <http://www.euramas.org/> Topics of interest include but are not limited to: - Action and Planning - Adaptation and Learning - Agent Architectures - Agent Programming Languages - Agent Development Methodologies and Tools - Agent-Based Simulations and Modeling - Agent Organizations and Institutions - Agent-Oriented Software Engineering - Agents and Complex Systems - Applications of Multi-Agent Systems - Argumentation - Automated Negotiation - Biologically Inspired Approaches - Cognitive Models - Collective and Swarm Intelligence - Collective Intentionality - Communication, Cooperation, and Coordination - Deep Reinforcement Learning in Multi-Agent Domains - Economic Models - Electronic Commerce - Ethical Behaviour of Multi-Agent Systems - Formal Modeling - Game-Theoretic Methods - Logics for Multi-Agent Systems - Logics for Strategic Reasoning - Machine Learning for Multi-Agent Systems - Multi-Agent Learning - Multi-Robot Systems - Negotiation - Self-Organization - Semantic Web Agents - Socio-Technical Systems - Theories of Agency - Trust and Reputation - Verification - Virtual Agents - Voting and Judgment Aggregation Models for Multi-Agent Systems - Computational Social Choice - Social Networks - Human-Agent Interaction ------------------------------------ SUBMISSIONS ------------------------------------ EUMAS-2022 welcomes original, unpublished papers. Papers submitted shall describe original work that has not been published or accepted for publication, nor is currently under review by another conference or journal (it might be on arXiv or a similar preprint server, though). NEW! Papers rejected from AAMAS, AAAI, or IJCAI will be fast-tracked given that their original reviews and an authors' cover letter (indicating all changes made) will be submitted. Extended abstracts from AAMAS also qualify for this fast track. Each submission will be peer-reviewed in a double-blind fashion. All submissions should be formatted according to Springer's LNCS format and contain at least 12 and at most 16 pages, plus any number of additional pages for bibliography and, if needed, a clearly marked appendix. For templates and instructions for authors, see http://www.springer.de/comp/lncs/authors.html. Authors must submit their abstracts and papers through the EUMAS-2022 Easychair submission site https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=eumas2022. EUMAS-2022 accepted papers will be published by Springer in an LNCS/LNAI volume. As such, they will be made available to several indexing services (including Scopus, Google Scholar, DBLP, CPCI, EI Engineering Index, and more). Authors should consult Springer's author guidelines and use their proceedings templates, either for LaTeX (preferred) or for Word (if need be), for the preparation of their papers. Springer encourages authors to include their ORCIDs in their papers. We urge the authors to follow these guidelines from the submission stage already. Additional guidelines will be communicated after the conference to the authors of accepted papers for the preparation of the final versions to be included in the post-proceedings. ------------------------------------ Opportunity for a JAAMAS publication ------------------------------------ This year, the Journal of Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems (JAAMAS) will provide the opportunity for revised and extended versions of the EUMAS-2022 best paper award winner (see below) and the EUMAS-2022 best paper award runner-up to be fast-tracked for the journal. ----------------------------------------------------------- Opportunity to publish revised and extended papers in SN CS ----------------------------------------------------------- A selection of EUMAS-2022 papers will be invited to submit revised and extended versions for publication in a special issue of the Springer Nature Computer Science journal. ------------------------------------ Best Paper Award ------------------------------------ A Best Paper Award will be presented at the conference. ------------------------------------ Keynote Speakers ------------------------------------ Prof. Marija Slavkovik (University of Bergen) Prof. Carles Sierra (Artificial Intelligence Research Institute of the Spanish National Research Council, Barcelona) ------------------------------------ DOCTORAL CONSORTIUM ------------------------------------ There will be a doctoral consortium day prior to the conference where PhD students can present the topics related to MAS they are currently working on. Keynote Speaker for the PhD Day (September 14, 2022): Piotr Faliszewski (AGH University of Science and Technology Kraków) Organizers of the PhD Day: Linus Boes (HHU Düsseldorf) Christian Laußmann (HHU Düsseldorf) ------------------------------------ CONFERENCE CHAIRS ------------------------------------ Dorothea Baumeister (HHU Düsseldorf) Jörg Rothe (HHU Düsseldorf) ------------------------------------ PROGRAM COMMITTEE ------------------------------------ https://ccc.cs.hhu.de/eumas2022/ ------------------------------------ CONTACT DETAILS ------------------------------------ EUMAS-2022 Organizing Committee: eumas2022(a)cs.hhu.de

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[meetings][Second Call for papers] Longitudinal Social Impacts of HRI over Long-Term Deployments
by Joydeep Biswas 28 Jan '22

28 Jan '22

HRI 2022 Workshop March 7th, 2022 Virtual - 9:00 am - 6:00pm PST Workshop Objective This workshop seeks to grow the study of how real-world, deployed robot systems impact the people who interact with them and the social structure of the places that they inhabit. By bringing together researchers interested in longitudinal studies on real-world human-interactive long-term deployments, we hope to arrive at a clearer vision of how best to study these systems. Invited Speakers Maja Mataric, University of Southern California Reid Simmons, Carnegie Mellon University Stefanie Tellex, Brown University Selma Šabanović, Indiana University Paper Topics Contributions are invited on all topics relevant to longitudinal social impacts of HRI over long-term deployments including (but not limited to): - Longitudinal studies of HRI over real-world large-scale deployments - Interdisciplinary approaches and long-term autonomy - Methodological and technical challenges for longitudinal studies - Social impacts of HRI over long-term deployments - Social effects such as safety, privacy, and inclusion - New opportunities for HRI and HR teaming - Demonstrations of long-term deployments - Hardware and devices for human-robot interaction - New sensors, biological signals for longitudinal HRI Social Science and Technical Review Tracks All submissions will select at least one review track for their paper: either social science or technical. A submission may select both tracks if it appropriately represents the work. Submission types Submission types for this workshop include: - Short work-in-progress and position papers (2-4 pages) - Long-format integration and experimental papers (4-6 pages). All papers are to be considered for both oral presentations and posters, with final format to be indicated along with acceptance. To encourage participation, 1-2 page extended abstracts describing the research interests of participants will also be accepted and featured on the workshop's website. Key Dates Early Submission Deadline January 17, 2022 Early Submission Notifications February 7, 2022 Late Submission Deadline February 14, 2022 Late Submission Notifications March 1, 2022 Workshop Website https://sites.google.com/view/lsi-hri/home Submission Site https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=lsihri22 Organizers Justin Hart - hart(a)cs.utexas.edu Elliot Hauser - eah13(a)utexas.edu Samuel Baker - sebaker(a)austin.utexas.edu Joydeep Biswas - joydeepb(a)cs.utexas.edu Junfeng Jiao - jjiao(a)austin.utexas.edu Luis Sentis - lsentis(a)utexas.edu

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[meetings] (RO-MAN 2022) First call for regular and special sessions papers at the 31st IEEE International Conference on Robot & Human Interactive Communication
by Alessandra Rossi 27 Jan '22

27 Jan '22

Dear colleagues, Apologies for any cross-posting Please find attached below the first call for Regular and Special Session papers at the 31st IEEE International Conference on Robot & Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN 2022) that will be held in Naples (Italy) on August 29th - September 2nd, 2022. More information can be also found on the website and social media: http://ro-man2022.org IG: @ieeeroman2022 Twitter: @ROMAN2022ieee Facebook: @ieeeroman2022 For any questions and further information about the Regular and Special Session papers, please email program(at)ro-man2022.org Kind regards, Alessandra Rossi Publicity Chair Dr. Alessandra Rossi Assistant Professor PRISCA research lab Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy ================================================================================== *** FIRST CALL FOR REGULAR PAPERS and SPECIAL SESSIONS PAPERS *** 31st IEEE International Conference on Robot & Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN 2022) August 29th - September 2nd, 2022 Naples, Italy http://ro-man2022.org IG: @ieeeroman2022 Twitter: @ROMAN2022ieee Facebook: @ieeeroman2022 ================================================================================== REGULAR PAPERS and SPECIAL SESSIONS PAPERS IMPORTANT DATES SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MARCH 15, 2022 NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE: MAY 30, 2022 CAMERA-READY DEADLINE: JUNE 15, 2022 The RO-MAN2022 Organising Committee invites for the submission of Regular Papers and Special Session Papers to be held during the 31st IEEE International Conference on Robot & Human Interactive Communication in Naples, Italy from August 29th to September 2nd, 2022. The RO-MAN conference is a leading forum where state-of-the-art innovative results, the latest developments as well as future perspectives relating to robot and human interactive communication are presented and discussed. The conference covers a wide range of topics related to Robot and Human Interactive Communication, involving theories, methodologies, technologies, empirical and experimental studies. Proposals related to the study of robotic technology, psychology, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, human factors, ethics and policies, interaction-based robot design and other topics related to human-robot interaction are welcome. This year's theme is “Social, asocial, and antisocial robots”. One of its goals is to explore how to create robots that are capable of being welcomed as our assistants and companions in society while, at the same time, not being perceived as “asocial” or “antisocial”. A second aim is to understand how we can create robots perceived as facilitators of the natural development of human beings and communities, rather than obstacles. TEMPLATES AND SUBMISSION PROCEDURE Authors should submit their papers electronically in PDF format via Papercept. For the first submission, a manuscript can be of 6-8 pages including references. For the final submission, a manuscript should be of 6 pages, with 2 additional pages allowed at an extra charge. All papers submitted to RO-MAN 2022 will undergo a peer-review process. A manuscript will be reviewed by at least two reviewers, who will provide detailed comments. If the submission is accepted, the authors submit a revised “camera-ready” version that takes into account this feedback. The review process is managed by the program chair, the program co-chairs, the editors, and the conference associate editors. All papers are reviewed using a single-blind review process: authors declare their names and affiliations in the manuscript for the reviewers to see, but reviewers do not know each other’s identities, nor do the authors receive information about who has reviewed their manuscript. Authors will have to declare that the research presented in the submitted papers complies with the IEEE Code of Ethics. Authors should use the templates provided by the electronic submission system. The templates for US Letter format paper should be used. The manuscript submission website will require that you submit your abstract and make any final changes to the author list and title of the paper before uploading the paper. Use the following templates to create the paper and generate or export a PDF file: LaTeX or MS-Word. All authors and co-authors must be registered in the electronic system. It is the corresponding author’s responsibility to ensure that the complete author list and the correct title are being entered. This information will be used for the conference program and the proceedings. AUTHORS SHOULD ADHERE TO THE FOLLOWING STEPS FOR SUBMITTING THE PAPER (FOR INITIAL SUBMISSION): • Create an account: go to https://ras.papercept.net/, then PIN and fill out the form. Ask all your co-authors to do the same if they do not have an account on the system yet, write down the authors' PINs (this information is needed for manuscript processing purposes). • Go to Support Menu and depending on how you are preparing your paper, download a template: LaTeX or MS-Word, Use these templates/style files to create the paper and save in PDF format. • Upload the paper as pdf: go to https://ras.papercept.net/ and click on "Submit a contribution to RO-MAN 2022". • Submit (regular paper, special session paper). • Fill in the form presented on the next page (make sure to enter all author PINs created in Step 1). SPECIAL ISSUE ON RO-MAN 2022 CONFERENCE Best papers will be invited to submit an extended/revised version to a Special Issue of RSJ International Journal of Advanced Robotics. For any concerns about Full Papers preparation, submission and review process, please contact program(at)ro-man2022.org. PC CO-CHAIRS Nak Young Chong, JAIST (JP) Mary Ellen Foster, University of Glasgow (UK) Gentiane Venture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (JP)

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Call for Papers ICARSC'2022 - International Conference on Autonomous Robot Systems and Competitions
by Pedro Neto 21 Jan '22

21 Jan '22

[Our apologies if you receive multiple copies of this announcement] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Call for Papers ICARSC'2022 - IEEE(*) International Conference on Autonomous Robot Systems and Competitions <https://festivalnacionalrobotica.pt/icarsc/> https://festivalnacionalrobotica.pt/icarsc/ / April 29-30, Santa Maria da Feira Portugal (*) IEEE co-sponsorship pending approval ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Dear colleague We are pleased to inform you that ICARSC2022 IEEE(*) International Conference on Autonomous Robot Systems and Competitions will be held in Santa Maria da Feira, Portugal, on April 29-30, 2022. The conference is organized within ROBOTICA 2022 - 22nd Portuguese Robotics Open, a RoboCup-sponsored local event, and it is promoted by the Portuguese Robotics Society. (*) IEEE co-sponsorship pending approval == Conference Scope == ICARSC gathers participants from academia and industry working in the field of autonomous robotics and related areas. ICARSC is a well-established IEEE conference that has been growing continuously for over a decade and is nowadays a truly international forum attracting worldwide quality research papers. ICARSC has long been an IEEE co-sponsored event and its proceedings are indexed in IEEExplore and Scopus. Moreover, similarly to previous editions, extended versions of selected best papers will be invited for publication at relevant indexed journals. == Invited Speakers == George Nikolakopoulos, Luleå University of Technology, Sweden Jorge Dias, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE == Important Dates == Submission Feb 21, 2022 Notification Mar 22, 2022 Camera Ready Mar 29, 2022 Registration Apr 14, 2022 Conference Apr 29-30, 2022 == Conference Topics == The conference aims to gather researchers from the industry and academia to present and discuss the latest trends in research and technology in the fields of robotics and related areas. Contributions from researchers, industry, and outputs from collaboration between industrial and academic R&D units are welcome in, but not limited to, the following topics. - Agricultural Robotics - Applications of Autonomous Intelligent Robots - Artificial Intelligence - Autonomous Robotic Systems - Computer Vision and Image Processing - Control Architectures and Programming - Cooperative Perception - Cooperative Planning and Task Allocation - Dexterous Manipulation and Grasping - Educational Robotics - Entertainment Robots - Evolutionary Robotics - Humanoid Robotics - Human-Robot Interaction - Localization, Mapping, and Navigation - Locomotion and Actuation Systems - Multi-Robot Coordination - Multi-Robot Systems - Planning, Reasoning and Modelling - Recognition and Tracking - Robot Learning - Robotic Competitions - Robotic Simulation - Sensors and Sensor Integration - Swarm Robotics - Space Robotics - Underwater Robotics == Paper Submission == Authors are invited to submit original research contributions in English. Six pages in the standard IEEE format ( <http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/publishing/templates.htm l> http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/publishing/templates.html ) are allowed for each paper, including tables and figures. Full draft papers should be submitted electronically, in PDF format, using the URL: <https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=icarsc2022> https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=icarsc2022. For evaluation purposes, authors must remove their names from the submitted papers, and should take reasonable care not to indirectly disclose their identity. Accepted papers will be scheduled for presentation, which requires that at least one of the authors should register at the Conference and present the paper. If the authors of an accepted paper do not show up at the conference, the corresponding paper will not be submitted to IEEExplore. == ICARSC2022 General/Program Chairs == Pedro Fonseca, University of Aveiro, Portugal Rodrigo Ventura, Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal Luís Louro, University of Minho, Portugal Pedro Neto, University of Coimbra, Portugal

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Reminder and Update Call for proposals: RCF and MathWorks Support for Research Projects 2022
by Gerald Steinbauer-Wagner 21 Jan '22

21 Jan '22

Call for proposals: RCF and MathWorks Support for Research Projects 2022 The RoboCup Federation (RCF) and MathWorks, a Global Sponsor of RoboCup, are pleased to announce this call for proposals to support research projects in RoboCup. RCF-MathWorks Support for Research Projects 2022 aims at funding robotics research projects that use MATLAB and Simulink software. The goal is to enable collaboration between RoboCup researchers and MathWorks engineers to foster progress of RoboCup and its leagues. The RoboCup Federation and MathWorks hosted a webinar to discuss the details of the call, describe expected results and MathWorks tools, showcase previously sponsored projects, and answer questions. Link to the webinar: https://youtu.be/znZSFBWAWhg For more info or clarification on the details of this call, please contact info(a)robocup.org Proposal Requirements Proposals in this category must meet *ALL* of the following requirements: 1. Work must be associated with one or more of the research topics listed below. 2. Work must primarily utilize MathWorks software such as MATLAB, Simulink, Stateflow, and other add-on products. Preference may be given if using one or more of the development methods listed below. 3. Project team will be assigned MathWorks contacts, and must arrange and participate in at least 3 progress check-in meetings with them during the course of the project. The team is encouraged to reach out to their MathWorks contacts whenever they have questions. 4. Final deliverables shall be posted publicly after review by MathWorks contacts. Research Topics 1. Navigation and Planning a. Motion Planning for Manipulators and Mobile Robots b. Motion planning for humanoid robots c. Collision avoidance 2. Perception and Sensor Fusion a. Object detection and tracking b. Lidar and vision-based SLAM c. Point cloud processing d. Fusing IMU with other sensors for localization and state estimation 3. Control systems a. Control of humanoid robots b. Hybrid systems and behavior c. Multi-agent systems d. Robot Manipulation and Grasping 4. Human-Robot Interaction a. Natural language processing b. Signal and audio processing NOTE: teams are encouraged to apply machine learning techniques (deep learning, reinforcement learning, etc.) toward these research topics Development Methods 1. Development Tools a. User interfaces and Web applications b. Hardware initialization and calibration tools 2. Modeling and simulation a. Model-based design of software components b. Physical system simulation and design c. Behavior modeling: finite-state machines, behavior trees, etc. d. Multi-agent simulation 3. Embedded systems a. Implementation to reduce memory, power consumption, etc. b. Targeting microcontrollers, FPGAs, and GPUs c. Real-time and hardware-in-the-loop simulation 4. Interfaces to standard platforms a. Robots, e.g., Toyota, SoftBank, FESTO b. Software frameworks, e.g., ROS Support Support will be given as a gift between 5,000 and 10,000 USD depending on quantity and quality of accepted proposals in this category. Teams will be notified of the exact amount awarded upon their proposal being accepted. Funding will be provided directly by RCF after the RoboCup Symposium 2022 if the research and deliverables are completed in a satisfactory manner. Submission A single PDF file should be submitted through the easychair system https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=rcfsupport2022 under the Category: RCF and MathWorks Support for Research Projects 2022 The proposal (MAX 6 pages) must include: 1. description of the project, 2. motivations and goals, 3. intended use of MATLAB and/or Simulink software, 4. benefits for RoboCup and for the RoboCup League (not for a single or a few teams), 5. implementation plan and budget. Evaluation Application materials will be evaluated by a committee of RoboCup Trustees and MathWorks engineers. The evaluation of the proposals will be based on (i) the quality of the proposed research; (ii) the research contributions of the applicants, particularly in relation to RoboCup; (iii) the usage of MATLAB and/or Simulink software; and (iv) the impact of the proposed plan on the advancement and visibility of RoboCup. A limited number of awards is expected to be assigned. Deadlines Submission Deadline: February 6th, 2022 Notification: February 8th, 2022 Completion of the action: Preliminary work expected to be presented during the RoboCup 2022 Research Symposium, and official content publication by October 2022 Exceptions to this rule must be submitted for approval to the evaluation committee. ** For more information about the call for projects, please contact: info [at] robocup.org **

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Reminder Call for proposals: RCF Project Support 2022
by Gerald Steinbauer-Wagner 21 Jan '22

21 Jan '22

Call for proposals: RCF Project Support 2022 The RoboCup Federation (RCF) is pleased to announce this call for proposals to support activities for promoting the development of RoboCup Leagues. RCF Project Support aims at funding activities for the development of the RoboCup Leagues or the promotion of RoboCup in general. The main goal of these projects is to research and develop activities that support significant advancements of the RoboCup leagues and/or the RoboCup community which are difficult to achieve otherwise. This includes support for short-term visits for a collaboration between teams (e.g. joint team development, integration of research agendas) and/or RoboCup camps on special or novel topics. This year the RCF particularly encourages proposals in the following areas: * Human-Robot-Interaction (HRI), any type interaction of a human with a robot within one of the RoboCup leagues * Low-Cost Standard Robots, any ideas to lower the entry bar to a RoboCup league or to allow to scale the number of robots in a team * Unified Game Controllers, development of game controllers that can be shared between RoboCup leagues easily and with minor re-configuration * Data Sets from Competitions, any concept for automated collecting and annotating data (i.e. ground truth) from competitions in order to support statistical analysis or machine learning Support Support will be provided in the form of reimbursement upon receipts of direct expenses (e.g., hardware devices or costs for organization of events) or of a grant for the applicants. In case of hardware acquisition, it must be specified how the league (e.g. other teams) will benefit from this hardware. A detailed list of expenses must be described in the proposal. Funds from RCF are limited, partial funding may be also considered. Submission A single PDF file should be submitted through the easychair system https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=rcfsupport2022 under the Category: Projects for League Developments The proposal (MAX 4 pages) must include: 1. description of the project, 2. motivations and goals, 3. benefits for RoboCup and RoboCup leagues (not for a single or a few teams), 4. implementation plan and budget. Evaluation Application materials will be evaluated by a committee of RoboCup Trustees or RoboCup Exec members. The evaluation of the proposals will be based on (i) the quality of the proposed research; (ii) the research contributions of the applicants, particularly in relation to RoboCup; and (iii) the impact of the proposed plan on the advancement and visibility of RoboCup (e.g. high ranked publications). A limited number of awards is expected to be assigned. Deadlines Submission Deadline: January 30th, 2022 Notification: February 8th, 2022 Completion of the project: Preliminary work expected to be presented during the RoboCup Symposium 2022, the project needs to be finished by end of 2022 and a final report submitted by January 2023. Exceptions to this rule must be submitted for approval to the evaluation committee.

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