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RoboCup SPL Call for Applications for Participation 2024
by Stefan Seering 16 Dec '23

16 Dec '23

Call for Applications for Participation RoboCup 2024 Standard Platform League spl.robocup.org <https://spl.robocup.org/> Monday 15th July through Monday 22th July 2024 Eindhoven, The Netherlands 2024.robocup.org <https://2024.robocup.org> RoboCup <https://www.robocup.org/> is an international initiative that fosters research and education in Robotics and Artificial Intelligence through a variety of competitions (RoboCupSoccer, RoboCupRescue, RoboCup@Home, RoboCupIndustrial, RoboCupJunior) involving mostly multi-robot systems. RoboCupSoccer currently includes a number of different robot soccer leagues that focus on different research challenges. *The Standard Platform League (SPL)* is characterized by all the teams using an identical robot platform. Participating researchers focus on algorithmic development for fully autonomous robots in the main competition and operation of robots with shared autonomy in technical challenges. The SPL robot soccer team competition games at RoboCup 2024 will be played between teams of fully autonomous NAO robots. Participating teams may use V6, V5 or older versions of the NAO humanoid robot manufactured by Aldebaran <https://www.aldebaran.com/en/nao>. Teams should be able to play on a randomly assigned field within one hour. The RoboCup 2024 SPL will host: * A soccer team competition as the main competition of the event. * A shared autonomy technical challenge. The soccer team competition will consist of a number of games that is similar to recent years for most teams. The draft rule book for 2024 will be released by 15th of December 2023 on the downloads page <https://spl.robocup.org/downloads/#2024>. The league operates two divisions: Champions Cup (CC) and Challenge Shield (CS). Teams in the Champions Cup division will compete in matches with up to 7 robots per team. Teams in the Challenge Shield division will compete in matches with up to 5 robots per team. The teams participating in the team competition should also compete in the additional technical challenge. The Technical challenge for 2024 is the shared autonomy challenge. This technical challenge requires participants to develop a mixed team that consists of one human-operated Nao robot and one fully autonomous Nao with the objective of exploring how humans and robots can cooperate in soccer. Teams are encouraged to improve their skills in these challenges so that aspects of these challenges can be included in the main competition in future years. More details regarding technical challenges will be given in the rule book <https://spl.robocup.org/downloads/#2024>. Joining the League The league is always ready to welcome new teams. If you are considering joining: the league has prepared information for you <https://spl.robocup.org/joining-robocup-spl/> to support you in your first steps. We encourage you to contact the organizing committees and other teams if you have questions. To assist in adoption of NAO V6 robots, source code examples and documentation regarding V6 robots were published on the SPL website <https://spl.robocup.org/v6-support/>. One can also find example code for V6 robots in the code released by participating teams. If you need access to the RoboCup NAOqi Image and the specific documentation, please write an email (mentioning your team affiliation and plans) to rc-spl-tc(a)lists.robocup.org. Qualification All interested teams that are not pre-qualified must apply by sending an email to the Technical Committee (see below). A valid application must contain: 1. *Team Description Paper:* See below. The TDP must be *attached as PDF file* to the email. 2. *Preference to compete in the Champions Cup or Challenge Shield:* State whether you prefer to compete in CC or CS. If you prefer to compete in CS, please state if you would accept an assignment to CC to balance the competition. 3. *Video presentation:* Include a link to a video (maximum 5 minutes long, uploaded on the team’s web site or on some video server) that demonstrates the status of the team. The organizing committees use the video to determine the readiness of the team to compete effectively, and hence should focus on the team’s ability to play soccer. Teams who did not participate in the team competition at RoboCup 2023 *must* include footage of at least one robot attempting to kick off and score (this footage must be captured as a single wide shot with no cuts). If robots from multiple teams are active in the footage (e.g., game footage), please include a textual overlay or additional document denoting which robots belong to the applying team for every scene. Videos of simulation contributions will also be accepted, but only when a real robot is unavailable. Preference will be given to teams that use real robots to show soccer skills in their video. 4. *Robot purchase plans:* State how many NAO robots your team plans to buy this year. Pre-Qualification Teams that reached the quarter-finals or finished in the top 5 of the technical challenges at RoboCup 2023 will be pre-qualified for RoboCup 2024, if they submit a valid application as detailed below. The following teams can make use of pre-qualification: * BadgerBots * Bembelbots * B-Human * Dutch Nao Team * HTWK Robots * HULKs * Nao Devils * NomadZ * RoboEireann * rUNSWift * R-ZWEI KICKERS * SPQR Team A valid application for pre-qualified teams must contain: 1. *Team Description Paper:* See below. The TDP must be *attached as PDF file* to the email. 2. *Preference to compete in the Champions Cup or Challenge Shield:* State whether you prefer to compete in CC or CS. If you prefer to compete in CS, please state if you would accept an assignment to CC to balance the competition. 3. *Robot purchase plans:* State how many NAO robots your team plans to buy this year. If a joint 2023 team splits, only one team can be pre-qualified for 2024 (please indicate which one). Team Description Paper Both regular and pre-qualified teams must submit a team description paper (TDP) attached as PDF file to their application email. For the TDP to be considered, it must: * be formatted according to the *Springer LNCS author guidelines <https://www.springer.com/gp/computer-science/lncs/conference-proceedings-gu…>*. * be no longer than *8 pages* (including references). * be structured in the following *sections with the specified headings*: 1. *Team Information:* o team name (the one true spelling, considering capitalization, spaces, hyphens, etc.) o team leader(s) o team contact email address o team website URL (if available) o country of origin o university/company affiliation(s) of the team 2. *Code Usage:* Acknowledge the team’s use of any other team’s code (1) previously from 2019 to present and (2) anticipated at RoboCup 2024. If code is used from other teams, is this code integrated into a code base that is mainly designed by the applying team? If the applying team does not use any other team’s code, state so. For further details, please have a look into the rule book, section A.1 <https://spl.robocup.org/downloads/#2024>. 3. *Own Contribution:* Describe in detail the ‘research publishable’ significant advancements the applying team has made and is going to use at RoboCup 2024, in accordance with the rule book, section A.1 <https://spl.robocup.org/downloads/#2024>. 4. *Past History:* provide game results in RoboCup Open competitions as well as main RoboCup competitions from 2020 onward. Include opponents and game scores from each competition in a table. State if the team plans to participate in any RoboCup Open competitions or friendlies prior to RoboCup 2024. 5. *Impact:* What is the impact of the team’s participation and research in RoboCup on (1) the SPL, (2) the team’s university/community? 6. *Other:* Present any other information that you believe supports your application. Please note that the TDP is not a peer-reviewed publication and will not appear in any collection apart from the RoboCup TDP archive <https://tdp.robocup.org>. Qualification for Regional Opens Only Teams may also submit a short intent to participate in a regional open if they do not wish to participate in the 2024 RoboCup competition. Although teams may participate in regional opens without submitting this intent to participate, teams who submit an intent to participate and become qualified may be eligible for future special robot pricing. Special robot pricing for teams competing in RoboCup Events are still being discussed. Updates about special prices will be announced as soon as offers and conditions are finalized. Teams must submit the following information by 15th of February 2024: (1) The team name, leader(s), and the university/company affiliation(s) of the team and (2) a short statement describing the status/progress of the team. A link to a short video showing robot soccer behaviours and/or game play (using robots or in simulation) may be included if available. Submission and Evaluation All applications with the (pre-)qualification material must be submitted by *15th of February 2024*, by email to rc-spl-tc(a)lists.robocup.org. Please use a subject matching the pattern *RoboCup 2024 Application <team name>*. Applications must not be sent to personal SPL TC/OC email addresses and must not contain video attachments. By submitting your application, you grant the SPL committees the rights to publish the TDP and application video / code release link. Note that applying serves as a statement of commitment to participate in the RoboCup 2024 SPL. If you have doubts regarding the ability of your team to participate (due to funding, visas, etc.), please apply by the deadline but note this in your application email. Declining to participate in any competition after the official early registration period has opened may negatively affect future applications (the later you decline, the worse it will affect future applications). Teams are encouraged to consider joint participation. Joint proposals will be judged on combined merit. Applications will be evaluated by criteria which include: 1. Potential to play competitive games at RoboCup 2024 (demonstrated ability to play soccer, previous results, etc.) 2. Contributions (and potential contributions) to league (code releases/papers, active in organization, developing own code, etc.) 3. Diversity (region, team make-up, unique characteristics, etc.) Since 2023 the competition rules require all teams to release the source code for novel contributions. This ensures that all teams can learn from good solutions and all teams are driven to make improvements each year. More details regarding code releases will be given in the rule book <https://spl.robocup.org/downloads/#2024>. All teams can expect to be required to publish a contribution. The form will be similar to the releases required of pre-qualified teams as stated in the 2023 rulebook. As part of the application phase teams will be assigned into the CC and CS divisions. Assignments will be judged based on previous performance and application material. The organizing committees will do their best to honor teams' preferences. However, the necessity might arise to assign teams into divisions against their preference. All teams applying for CC are expected to be able to compete in CS. Teams will be notified during the application phase if they are assigned into a division against their preference Qualification decisions, including alternate lists, will be announced by 1st of March 2024. Robot Acquisition Teams who submit an intent to participate and become qualified will be eligible for potential future special robot pricing. Special robot pricing for team competing in RoboCup Events are still being discussed. Updates about special prices will be announced if offers and conditions are finalized. /RoboCup 2024 Standard Platform League Technical and Organizing Committees/

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Postdoc Position in RL/imitation learning for robot navigation in simulated environments (University of Edinburgh, UK)
by Stefano V. Albrecht 12 Dec '23

12 Dec '23

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Position “Reinforcement learning and imitation learning for robot navigation in simulated environments” About the position We are seeking a motivated candidate to fill a postdoctoral research fellow position in “Reinforcement learning and imitation learning for robot navigation in simulated environments”. This position will be hosted and located in the Autonomous Agents Research Group (https://agents.inf.ed.ac.uk) in the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom. The researcher will be supervised jointly by Prof. Stefano V. Albrecht (University of Edinburgh) and Prof. Concetto Spampinato (University of Catania). What will you be doing Contribute to the project through research activities, including: • Conduct a comprehensive literature review to understand the current state-of-the-art in reinforcement learning, imitation learning, and robot navigation. • Develop novel reinforcement learning and imitation learning algorithms tailored to the specific challenges of robot navigation in our simulated environment MIDGARD (https://midgardsim.org/). • Design, together with engineers, more realistic and diverse simulated environments that capture the complexities of real-world scenarios in MIDGARD. • Develop evaluation metrics and protocols to assess the performance of reinforcement learning and imitation learning algorithms in these environments. • Define and validate methods for sim-to-real challenges that may arise in the transition from simulation to physical robots. This activity will be carried out jointly with robotics researchers. Candidate requirements PhD in AI, machine learning, computer science, or related area. Excellent publication track record in leading conferences for AI/ML/robotics research. Background and expertise in one or more of the following areas: • RL and imitation learning algorithms • Knowledge of robotic systems and challenges in navigation • Solid foundation in machine and deep learning concepts and techniques • Proficient in Python and Pytorch algorithm development Employment package 12 months initially, with option to extend to 36 months subject to performance review. Standard salary for research postdoc in Italy (1.500 Euros/month). Accommodation costs (i.e. rent) are additionally covered. Paid trips to conferences to present work. Desktop/laptop computer. How to apply Interested candidates are encouraged to contact the PeRCeiVe Lab research admin at alessia.spitaleri(a)unict.it<mailto:alessia.spitaleri@unict.it> for further details on how to apply and support with the application process. For questions about the position and research, please contact Prof. Stefano Albrecht (s.albrecht(a)ed.ac.uk<mailto:s.albrecht@ed.ac.uk>) and Prof. Concetto Spampinato (concetto.spampinato(a)unict.it<mailto:concetto.spampinato@unict.it>). Applications close: December 27th 2023 at noon (Italian time) -- Dr. Stefano V. Albrecht Associate Professor, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh Head of Autonomous Agents Research Group (https://agents.inf.ed.ac.uk) Royal Society Industry Fellow, Five AI/Bosch (www.five.ai<http://www.five.ai>) Royal Academy of Engineering Industrial Fellow, Dematic/KION (www.dematic.com<http://www.dematic.com>) The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC005336. Is e buidheann carthannais a th’ ann an Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann, clàraichte an Alba, àireamh clàraidh SC005336.

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Call for Posters: ISAIM 2024 Special Session on Deep Reinforcement Learning
by Diochnos, Dimitrios 10 Dec '23

10 Dec '23

Call for Posters: International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics (ISAIM) 2024 Special Session on Deep Reinforcement Learning Submission: https://forms.gle/MJuSJHJpuJ3mFevf6 Workshop Theme: "Deep Reinforcement Learning: Bridging Theory and Practice" https://isaim-deeprl.github.io/2024/ Dates & Venue: January 8, 9, 2024, collocated with the International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics (ISAIM), Fort Lauderdale, FL. Overview: Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) stands at the forefront of AI research, shaping the future of diverse fields from robotics to finance. However, the journey from theoretical foundations to practical applications in DRL is laden with challenges. Our workshop, a special session of ISAIM 2024, aims to address these challenges by fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation of the latest advancements in DRL. We will discuss a variety of talks (including but not limited to) sample efficiency, exploration vs. exploitation, transfer learning, stability and convergence, and real-world application barriers. Invited Speakers: Benjamin Eysenbach (Princeton) Aviral Kumar (CMU / Google) Pulkit Agrawal (MIT) Chi Jin (Princeton) Sanjiban Choudhury (Cornell) Wen Sun (Cornell) Kaiqing Zhang (UMD) Max Simchowitz (MIT) Animesh Garg (Georgia Tech) Zhuoran Yang (Yale) Objective: Our goal is to illuminate the connection between the theoretical and practical aspects of DRL, addressing inherent challenges in the field. Participants will gain comprehensive knowledge, backed by expert-led discussions, talks and lively interaction. Target Audience: This workshop is ideal for researchers, AI practitioners, graduate students, and industry professionals keen on exploring the forefront of Deep Reinforcement Learning. Call for Posters: We invite submissions for poster presentations that align with the theme of the workshop. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase your research, share novel ideas, and interact with experts in the field. There will be a lot of engaging discussion and all relevant work is welcome! Submission Guidelines: Poster topics should be relevant to DRL and its challenges. But this is defined very broadly, please submit if you think at all relevant! Abstracts should be concise, clearly outlining objectives, methodology, and findings. Include author(s) name, affiliation, and contact information. Flexible on format, 4+ page papers accepted! Submission Deadline: Jan 5, 2024 Contact Information: zhaoranwang(a)gmail.com or abhgupta(a)cs.washington.edu Join us in exploring the intricate world of DRL and contribute to bridging the gap between theory and practice. We look forward to your insightful contributions and lively discussions! Organizers: Abhishek Gupta (UW), Zhaoran Wang (Northwestern), Aldo Pacchiano (Boston University / Broad Institute), Claudio Gentile (Google)

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Robot Fleet Management with Open-RMF Training 2024
by Yuhong Lin 05 Dec '23

05 Dec '23

Final Call for Early Bird: Mastering Robot Fleet Management with Open-RMF Training (01/22-01/24, 2024) Dear Roboticists, Don't miss out on the final chance to secure your spot at the upcoming 4th edition of "Mastering Robot Fleet Management with Open-RMF Training," scheduled to be held online from January 22 to 24, 2024. *Training Details:* - *Dates*: January 22 - 24, 2024 - *Location*: Live Online Classes + Remote Real Robot Practice - *Time*: 9:00 – 18:00 Central European Time (CET) - *Limited Seats:* Only 15 participants - *Website*: https://www.theconstructsim.com/robot-fleet-management-ros2-open-rmf-traini… <https://www.theconstructsim.com/robot-fleet-management-ros2-open-rmf-traini…> *About the Training:* Join industry mentors for a 3-Day Live Training: Gain practical skills in configuring, deploying, and managing robot fleets with open-source software (Open-RMF), while learning how to apply it to your real multi-robot scenarios. *What You Will Learn:* - RMF basic structure - How to create a compliant RMF simulation - How to set up Free Fleet for autonomous mobile robots - How to set up basic tasks like Deliver, Clean, Patrol, and Charge - How to create your own custom fleet adapter to integrate API and ROS2 systems of your robot into RMF. - How to dock in RMF - How to clean with RMF - How to create a GUI for humans to interact with RMF *Training Highlights:* - Expert instruction from industry professionals - Hands-on experience with real robots - Interactive exercises with simulated robots - Practical application in a real multi-robot environment – Starbots Coffee Lab *Practical Sessions @ Starbots Coffee Lab:* Throughout the training, you will have the opportunity to apply your newfound knowledge in real-world scenarios at the Starbots Coffee Lab, a multi-robot system application. Learn more at https://www.theconstructsim.com/robot-fleet-management-ros2-open-rmf-traini… <https://www.theconstructsim.com/robot-fleet-management-ros2-open-rmf-traini…> . For any inquiries regarding this training, please feel free to contact us at info(a)theconstructsim.com. Best regards, The Construct team

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[meetings] ICSR 2023 - Registration for International Conference on Social Robotics
by Alessandra Rossi 25 Nov '23

25 Nov '23

Dear everyone, we would like to invite you to participate at the 15th International Conference on Social Robotics (ICSR 2023) that will be held in Doha, Qatar, on December 3-7, 2023. The theme of this year’s conference is *“Human-Robot Collaboration: Sea, Air, Land, Space and Cyberspace”.* The theme emphasizes on all physical and cyber-physical domains where humans and robots collaborate. Registration is open! It is possible to register for Online-Only Conference Participation (Dec 5-6). Includes: online participation for 1. Plenary conference talks 2. Podium conference talks. Registration info are https://icsr23.qa/registration/ The program details here: https://icsr23.qa/program/ <https://icsr23.qa/program/?fbclid=IwAR22qmwGNE4jV5aBrukQmDEdmRfvhFC4WAG2KN4…> best regards Alessandra

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[meetings][CFP] ICSR 2023: Adaptive Social Interaction based on user’s Mental mOdels and behaVior in HRI - ASIMOV Workshop
by Alessandra Rossi 23 Nov '23

23 Nov '23

****** Apologies for multiple emails - Errata corridge ******* ASIMOV Adaptive Social Interaction based on user’s Mental mOdels and behaVior in HRI the 15th International Conference on Social Robotics <https://icsr23.qa> 03-07 December 2023, Doha (Qatar) Important Dates - Deadline for Paper Submission: November 26th, 2023 - Paper Acceptance Notification: November 30th, 2023 - Camera Ready Paper: December 1st, 2023 - Main Conference Date: December 3rd–7th, 2023 - Workshop Date: December 4th, 2023 (14:00-17:00 - UCT+3) The ability to understand and adapt to people’s mental models is a key objective for enabling natural, efficient, and successful human-robot interaction (HRI), in particular in human-centered scenarios where robots are expected to meet people’s social conventions. Theory of mind and mental models are largely investigated in human-computer interactions, however, it is still unclear what level of others’ mental states a robot should be aware of in order to communicate with people in a transparent and socially acceptable way. The ASIMOV workshop will constitute a unique opportunity to gather roboticists and computer scientists to discuss a variety of current and new approaches aiming at endowing social robots with learning abilities, enhancing cognitive and social abilities based on mutual understanding (i.e. shared Theory of Mind). Target Audience This workshop is intended as a forum for a broad audience, which spans social and assistive robotics, cognitive and behavioral robotics, and social awareness and explainability in HRI. The workshop should be a place to exchange opinions, discuss innovative ideas, and get hints and suggestions on ongoing research, therefore contributing to tackling unresolved issues. The proposed topic brings together researchers working on user behavior and intention detection, human-robot interaction, social and assistive robotics, control interfaces, learning, and ethical and safety issues in human-machine interaction, among others. A large scientific community is involved in such research fields. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: - Mental models in HRI - Human-aware perception-action loop - Emotion and intention recognition - Empathy and Theory of Mind in Robotics - Mutual affective understanding - Real-time monitoring of behavior and mental states - Detection of non-verbal behavioral cues - Online adaptive behavior - Acceptability and personalization - Physiological monitoring and biofeedback systems - BCI (brain-computer interfaces)-enabled adaptive interaction - Short- and Long-term personalization - Human partnership and trust in HRI - Explainable AI in HRI - Security and safety in HRI Submission We welcome prospective participants to submit either full papers (up to 6 pages) or extended abstracts (up to 2 pages). Papers can be on research that the authors would like to discuss during the workshop, especially encouraging papers on new ideas or research that the authors plan to conduct. Possible topics of the submissions will cover a wide view of the state of the art. Workshop papers must clearly indicate that they are part of ASIMOV workshop. All material collected during the Workshop: video, slides, papers, etc. upon approval of the authors, will be made available on the workshop website. Selected papers will be invited to submit an extended/revised version of the papers for a special issue in a recognized international journal. We will propose to either the International Journal of Social Robotics or Paladyn Journal of Behavioural Robotics or Journal of Healthcare Engineering or IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics. It is highly recommended to use the Springer LNCS/LNAI style for the layout. Detailed instructions for paper submission are available on the conference website (https://icsr23.qa/paper-submission/). LNCS style templates are available on the Springer LNCS website. Each paper will receive two reviews. Accepted papers require that at least one of the authors register for the workshop. All submitted papers will be reviewed by two reviewers. The abstracts of the accepted papers will appear on the workshop website. Authors will be able to submit a PDF copy through EasyChair <https://easychair.org/my/conference?conf=asimov2023>. Invited Speakers - Prof. Agnieszka Wykowska, Italian Institute of Technology (Genoa, Italy) - Prof. Alessandro Di Nuovo, Sheffield Hallam University (UK) - Dr. Salvatore Anzalone, University of Paris 8 (Paris) Organising Committee - Mariacarla Staffa, University of Naples Parthenope (Italy), email: mariacarla.staffa(a)unipartenope.it - Alessandra Rossi, University of Napled Federico II (Italy), email: alessandra.rossi(a)unina.it - Antonio Andriella, Pal Robotics, Barcellona (Spain), email: antonio.andriella(a)pal-robotics.com - Maryam Alimardani, Tilburg University (The Netherlands), email: m.alimardani(a)tilburguniversity.edu - Lorenzo D'Errico, Università degli Studi di Napoli "Federico II" email: lorenzo.derrico(a)unina.it

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[RoboCup-athome] First Call for Participation | RoboCup@Home 2024 (DSPL · OPL · SSPL)
by Sven Wachsmuth 23 Nov '23

23 Nov '23

Please remind the on-coming deadline at Nov. 27 2023! First Call for Participation RoboCup@Home 2024 (DSPL · OPL · SSPL) July 15 to 21, 2024 (Eindhoven, Netherlands) https://2024.robocup.org https://athome.robocup.org/ https://athome.robocup.org/2024-cfp1-all/ <https://athome.robocup.org/> https://github.com/RoboCupAtHome/RuleBook RoboCup is an international scientific initiative with the goal to advance the state of the art of intelligent robots through competitions (RoboCup@Home, RoboCup Soccer, RoboCup Rescue, RoboCup@Work and RoboCup Junior). The RoboCup@Home league aims to develop service and assistive robot technology with high relevance for future personal domestic applications. It is the largest international annual competition for autonomous service robots and is part of the RoboCup initiative. A set of benchmark tests is used to evaluate the robots’ abilities and performance in a realistic home environment setting. Focus lies on the following domains but is not limited to: Human-Robot-Interaction and Cooperation, Navigation and Mapping in dynamic environments, Computer Vision and Object Recognition under natural light conditions, Object Manipulation, Adaptive Behaviors, Behavior Integration, Ambient Intelligence, Standardization and System Integration. Important dates: Oct. 12, 2023 Publication of the Call for Participation Oct. 30, 2023 Deadline for submission of participation intention (optional). Nov. 27, 2023 Deadline for submission of qualification material (Team Description Paper, Team Video, Team Website). Jan. 08, 2024 Qualification announcement Jan. 29, 2024 Deadline for Participation Confirmation Further information is published in the Call for Participation: https://athome.robocup.org/2024-cfp1-all/ With kind regards, and looking forward to see your team in Eindhoven, The 2024 RoboCup@Home Organizing and Technical Committees

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[meetings][CFP] ICSR 2023: Adaptive Social Interaction based on user’s Mental mOdels and behaVior in HRI - ASIMOV Workshop
by Alessandra Rossi 22 Nov '23

22 Nov '23

ASIMOV Adaptive Social Interaction based on user’s Mental mOdels and behaVior in HRI the 15th International Conference on Social Robotics <http://www.colips.org/conferences/icsr2021/wp/> 03-07 December 2023, Doha (Qatar) Important Dates - Deadline for Paper Submission: November 26th, 2023 - Paper Acceptance Notification: November 30th, 2023 - Camera Ready Paper: December 1st, 2023 - Main Conference Date: December 3rd–7th, 2023 - Workshop Date: December 4th, 2023 (14:00-17:00 - UCT+3) The ability to understand and adapt to people’s mental models is a key objective for enabling natural, efficient, and successful human-robot interaction (HRI), in particular in human-centered scenarios where robots are expected to meet people’s social conventions. Theory of mind and mental models are largely investigated in human-computer interactions, however, it is still unclear what level of others’ mental states a robot should be aware of in order to communicate with people in a transparent and socially acceptable way. The ASIMOV workshop will constitute a unique opportunity to gather roboticists and computer scientists to discuss a variety of current and new approaches aiming at endowing social robots with learning abilities, enhancing cognitive and social abilities based on mutual understanding (i.e. shared Theory of Mind). Target Audience This workshop is intended as a forum for a broad audience, which spans social and assistive robotics, cognitive and behavioral robotics, and social awareness and explainability in HRI. The workshop should be a place to exchange opinions, discuss innovative ideas, and get hints and suggestions on ongoing research, therefore contributing to tackling unresolved issues. The proposed topic brings together researchers working on user behavior and intention detection, human-robot interaction, social and assistive robotics, control interfaces, learning, and ethical and safety issues in human-machine interaction, among others. A large scientific community is involved in such research fields. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: - Mental models in HRI - Human-aware perception-action loop - Emotion and intention recognition - Empathy and Theory of Mind in Robotics - Mutual affective understanding - Real-time monitoring of behavior and mental states - Detection of non-verbal behavioral cues - Online adaptive behavior - Acceptability and personalization - Physiological monitoring and biofeedback systems - BCI (brain-computer interfaces)-enabled adaptive interaction - Short- and Long-term personalization - Human partnership and trust in HRI - Explainable AI in HRI - Security and safety in HRI Submission We welcome prospective participants to submit either full papers (up to 6 pages) or extended abstracts (up to 2 pages). Papers can be on research that the authors would like to discuss during the workshop, especially encouraging papers on new ideas or research that the authors plan to conduct. Possible topics of the submissions will cover a wide view of the state of the art. Workshop papers must clearly indicate that they are part of ASIMOV workshop. All material collected during the Workshop: video, slides, papers, etc. upon approval of the authors, will be made available on the workshop website. Selected papers will be invited to submit an extended/revised version of the papers for a special issue in a recognized international journal. We will propose to either the International Journal of Social Robotics or Paladyn Journal of Behavioural Robotics or Journal of Healthcare Engineering or IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics. It is highly recommended to use the Springer LNCS/LNAI style for the layout. Detailed instructions for paper submission are available on the conference website (https://www.icsr2022.it/paper-submission/). LNCS style templates are available on the Springer LNCS website. Each paper will receive two reviews. Accepted papers require that at least one of the authors register for the workshop. All submitted papers will be reviewed by two reviewers. The abstracts of the accepted papers will appear on the workshop website. Authors will be able to submit a PDF copy through EasyChair <https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=asimov2022>. Invited Speakers - Prof. Agnieszka Wykowska, Italian Institute of Technology (Genoa, Italy) - Prof. Alessandro Di Nuovo, Sheffield Hallam University (UK) - Dr. Salvatore Anzalone, University of Paris 8 (Paris) Organising Committee - Mariacarla Staffa, University of Naples Parthenope (Italy), email: mariacarla.staffa(a)unipartenope.it - Alessandra Rossi, University of Napled Federico II (Italy), email: alessandra.rossi(a)unina.it - Antonio Andriella, Pal Robotics, Barcellona (Spain), email: antonio.andriella(a)pal-robotics.com - Maryam Alimardani, Tilburg University (The Netherlands), email: m.alimardani(a)tilburguniversity.edu

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Call for Nominations: ACM/SIGAI Autonomous Agents Research Award
by Nicholas Mattei 20 Nov '23

20 Nov '23

[Apologies for Multiple Postings] Nominations are solicited for the 2024 ACM SIGAI Autonomous Agents Research Award. This award is made for excellence in research in the area of autonomous agents. It is intended to recognize researchers in autonomous agents whose current work is an important influence on the field. The award is an official ACM award, funded by an endowment created by ACM SIGAI from the proceeds of previous Autonomous Agents conferences. The recipient of the award will receive a monetary prize and a certificate, and will be invited to present a plenary talk at the AAMAS 2024 conference. How to Nominate Anyone can make a nomination. Nominations should be made by filling out the below google form, and should consist of a short (< 1 page) statement that emphasizes not only the research contributions that the individual has made that merit the award but also how the individual’s current work is an important influence on the field. NOTE: a candidate can only be considered for the award if they are explicitly nominated. If you believe that someone deserves the award, then NOMINATE THEM — don’t assume that somebody else will! For any questions please contact Manuela Veloso (Award Chair, mmv(a)cs.cmu.edu) or Nicholas Mattei (SIGAI Vice Chair, nsmattei(a)gmail.com). Nomination Link: https://forms.gle/Fg4StTpk85sNKmdt5 Important Dates - 15 December 2023 — Deadline for nominations - 30 January 2024 — Announcement of winner - 6 – 10 May 2024 — AAMAS-2024 conference in Auckland, New Zealand --Nick -- *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][CFP][ICSR 2023] Call For Robot Design Competitions
by Alessandra Rossi 18 Nov '23

18 Nov '23

Dear colleagues, We are very pleased to invite you to participate in the Robot Design Competition at the 15th International Conference of Social Robotics (ICSR 2023 <https://icsr23.qa/>) that will be held in Doha, Qatar on December 4-7, 2023. Please find below the full call. -> https://icsr23.qa/competitions/ More information can also be found on the website and social media: website: https://icsr23.qa/ IG: @icsr23_qa Twitter: @icsr23_qa Facebook: @icsr2023 ICSR 2023 conference Kind regards, Alessandra Rossi Publicity Chair ******************* Apologies for cross-posting ******************** [image: image.png] *International Conference on Social Robotics* December 4-7, 2023, Doha, Qatar https://icsr23.qa IG: @icsr23_qa Twitter: @icsr23_qa Facebook: @icsr2023 ============================================================================== *IMPORTANT DATES* *Entry Submission: November 25, 2023* *Finalists Notification: November 30, 2023 * *Winner Announcement: December 7, 2023* The design and development of various kinds of robots, and their intelligence and behavior have been evolving continuously. The new era of robotics is witnessing the increasing release of new innovative robots with a diverse set of applications. Especially, the past few years have provided more recognition to robots and their importance in various domains of life. - How can robots be part of our life, enrich our life experience, assist, serve and entertain us? - Where is the new generation of these social robots heading? What are the innovative societal applications? What impact are they capable of making? - What are the key enabling technologies that are being improved? - How do we see greater involvement of useful robots in education, wellbeing, space, tourism, and various other sectors? *SUBMISSION* If you have a solid idea/working prototype, send your entries to the flagship Robot Design Competition, organized by ICSR 2023, which is now under the Global Robotics, Art, and Science Synergies (GRASS). We also encourage cross-disciplinary experts/teams to bring impactful solutions for the betterment of society. Each submission should have a (maximum) 2-page summary. The template is flexible; however, it should include a concise abstract/synopsis of a maximum of 50 words, and enough details to judge the technical novelty of the proposed solution and/or innovative applications of robots. A single link of related video can be included. Video link is optional, and the maximum duration of the video should be 3 minutes. Keep in mind it is not a scientific publication, but the description of a robotics innovation with potential to be developed as a project. Competition chairs, with the help from experts and reviewers, will select the finalists. Each finalist is supposed to register and present their entry at a dedicated session in the conference, which will be further evaluated by the Jury of peers. Email your submission at icsr23(a)qu.edu.qa with the subject line starting with: [ICSR 2023 Competition] *REWARDS AND AWARDS* Winners and runners-up in the following categories will be selected : *Innovative Idea*: The entries, which are innovative but are in the early stages of conceptualization will be considered for this category. *Innovative Solution*: The entries, which have demonstrated maturity of the proposed solution through prototypes will be considered for this category. *Innovative Application: *The entries, which have targeted specific applications through robotics solutions will be considered for this category. *Benefits to the finalists:* - Dedicated slot to present during the final round in the conference. - A unique opportunity to exhibit the entry during the conference in the exhibition areas, through looped video display. - Opportunity to have post-event mentorship through industry and academics experts. *Certificate and Prize:* For each category, the winners and runners-up will be awarded with certificates and prize money of USD 300 and USD 200 respectively. *COMPETITION CHAIR* Amit Kumar Pandey, Rovial Space, France

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