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Call for Participation RoboCup Humanoid League Virtual Season
by Jasper Güldenstein 25 Nov '21

25 Nov '21

* Call for Participation * RoboCup Humanoid League Virtual Season https://humanoid.robocup.org/hl-vs2022/ December 17th 2021 to April 30th, 2022 =========================================================== The RoboCup Humanoid League is inviting interested teams to apply for participation in the Humanoid League Virtual Season. The Humanoid League will host competitions in the following categories: * KidSize: 40 – 100cm robot height (FIFA size 1 ball) * AdultSize: 130 – 200cm robot height (FIFA size 5 ball) For more detailed class definitions and more information about the humanoid league, please refer to the humanoid league home page at https://humanoid.robocup.org/, specifically the robot specifications found at https://humanoid.robocup.org/hl-vs2022/ 1. Humanoid League Virtual Season ================================= A virtual soccer competition will be organized similar to RoboCup 2021 but distributed over several months with games every other week. Since the Virtual Humanoid Soccer Competition will be held entirely online, all teams registering for the competition will be admitted. The exact tournament format will be announced once the number of participating teams is known. Details on the setup and implementation will be published and continuously updated on the RoboCup Humanoid League website:https://humanoid.robocup.org/hl-vs2022/ 1.1. Simulator & Game Rules ---------------------------- As in RoboCup 2021, Webots with the Humanoid League simulation world, the automatic refereeing system, and the simulation interface will be used. We keep the specifications of the simulation interface and the server up to date on the this link: https://humanoid.robocup.org/hl-vs2022/ Currently, the automatic refereeing system and the simulation world are being worked on. Most significantly, domain randomization will be introduced. This includes reasonably uneven ground, randomized reset positions of the robots starting poses, and varying lighting conditions, backgrounds and ball textures. As with any major change during the competition, these will be announced and finalized 3 weeks before the next game. Bug Fixes are not subject to this deadline. Robot models must be submitted 2 weeks before the start of the competition to be verified. If you would like to update your robot model during the season it must be submitted by Monday 8am CET of the week the next game is scheduled. The rules of the virtual game will initially be the ones used for RoboCup 2021 but will be updated during the competition. The 3 week notice period also applies here to allow teams to adapt their software. 1.2. Competition Schedule ------------------------- Matches will be played approximately every other week (see preliminary schedule). Whether Saturday or Sunday will be the day of streaming will be determined by a vote of the participating teams during the sign-up process. Two workshops are planned (see dates below) with a focus on sim2real transfer. Further information on these will follow soon. Matchday 1: Dec 18th / 19th Matchday 2: Jan 8th / 9th Matchday 3: Jan 22nd / 23rd Workshop 1: Jan 28th/29th/30th Matchday 4: Feb 5th / 6th Matchday 5: Feb 19th / 20th Matchday 6: Mar 5th / 6th Matchday 7: Mar 19th / 20th Matchday 8: Apr 2nd / 3rd Workshop 2: Apr 8th/9th/10th Matchday 9: Apr 16th / 17th Matchday 10 Apr 30th/ May 1st Please note that the exact dates of the games are subject to change in case of significant bugs in the simulation or automatic refereeing software or an overlap with regional RoboCup tournaments. In these cases, the teams will be notified as early as possible about a shift in the game schedule. 1.3. Competition Setup ----------------------- The competition will be performed entirely in the cloud. Each team is guaranteed to play a minimum of 8 games. The exact tournament format will be announced once the number of participating teams in each size class has been determined. Details of the server specification are the same as in RoboCup 2021 and can be found here https://humanoid.robocup.org/hl-vs2022/ The deadline for teams uploading their software is Thursday, if Saturday is selected as matchday, and Friday if Sunday is selected. The simulation will then be run in the cloud and a video of the match streamed online on the match days. Access to log files will be provided to teams after the match has been streamed. Teams will be given possibilities to test the setup of the competition. Several test scenarios will be offered to teams in early December. These scenarios will be similar to the ones offered during the mock competition. Teams must pass the tests in the order presented if they have not already proven so during previous virtual competition that they pass these tests. *Robot model inspection*: A manual inspection is carried out by members of the TC, making sure that the model does not crash or significantly slows down the simulator. The TC also checks that the team.json is in the proper format and all fields are set. *Connection test*: We launch a simulator with one robot instance, and we start a game to verify whether Webots accepts the connection. *Walking test*: We launch a simulator with one robot instance, and we start a game with a cap of 5 minutes real time. We inspect the video for evidence of the robot being able to walk in the ready or play state. *Penalty shoot-out*: We launch a simulator and one robot instance with the teams being paired (if possible). Teams need to be able to move the ball to pass. *Short game*: We launch a simulator and 4 robot instances with the teams being paired (when it is possible). The game time is capped to 2.5 minutes per half time, RR style. Teams need to be able at least to touch the ball to pass. If custom test scenarios are required by teams to test specific components of the cloud infrastructure together with the team’s software, please let us know. 1.3. Registration ------------------ The registration process for the Humanoid League Virtual Season is done in two steps. First, you need to submit general data about your team via the submission system of the Humanoid League: http://submission.robocuphumanoid.com/. All teams that fulfill the formal requirements are automatically qualified to participate. The following data is required: * Team name * URL of the team’s home page * Name of team leader or team contact person * E-mail address of team leader or contact person * Postal address of the team, team leader or contact person * Competition category: Humanoid League Virtual Season Kid or Adult * Letter of Commitment Please note that teams applying for participation in several classes must register individually for each class and pay the appropriate registration fee. The registration form must be filled out online at http://submission.robocuphumanoid.org/ <http://submission.robocuphumanoid.org/> In the second step, the teams must pay a fee of $340 for the entire tournament season (including a minimum of 8 games plus tests). Payment needs to be made to the Federation via Wire Transfer or PayPal. Detailed instructions are sent to teams after registration. Please note that teams need to cover the respective transfer and conversion fees that apply for your country when transferring money to the US. For PayPal, US-based teams need to pay 2% of processing fees (around 7 USD), for international teams a 4% processing fee applies (around 14 USD). The fees for wire transfer depend on the country and specific bank. 1.4. Submission of Robot Model File ------------------------------------ Robot models used in the competition must comply with the specifications published here: https://humanoid.robocup.org/hl-vs2022/ They must be submitted by December 1st, 2021. Teams are highly encouraged to make their robot model available to the research community with an open-source license. This is, however, not a requirement for participation. In order for the Technical Committee to ensure the robot models comply with the laws of the game, the full robot file needs to be made available to the Technical Committee during the qualification process. 1.5. Registration Fee --------------------------- Each team must pay a registration fee of $340. This fee will only be used to cover the costs to run the simulations of the games and tests in the cloud. All work (e.g. automatic referee development or organisation) is done by volunteers. The amount is calculated by using the experience from RoboCup 2021 and projecting it to the number of games we plan. Any extra funds will be used for future Humanoid League Virtual Seasons as a buffer. 2. Submission System ===================== The submission system will be opened Monday November 15th and all application material must be submitted online at http://submission.robocuphumanoid.com/. 3. Deadlines ============= Registration system open: November 16th, 2021 Deadline for submission: November 26th, 2021 Deadline for payment of registration fee: December 10th, 2021 Submission of robot model file: December 1st, 2021 With best regards, Technical Committee of RoboCup Humanoid League 2021

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Save the Date: ISAIM-2022
by Diochnos, Dimitrios 23 Nov '21

23 Nov '21

SAVE THE DATE Seventeenth International Symposium on ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE and MATHEMATICS ISAIM 2022 http://isaim2022.cs.ou.edu/ January 3-5, 2022 Online via Zoom (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) The International Symposium on Artificial Intelligence and Mathematics (ISAIM), is a biennial meeting that fosters interactions between mathematics, theoretical computer science, and artificial intelligence. This will be the seventeenth Symposium in the series, sponsored by Florida Atlantic University and the Annals of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence. Due to the pandemic the three-day Symposium will take place online. ISAIM-2022 will feature invited speakers and special topic sessions. Registration is free but you need to register in advance so that you can get the Zoom links in a timely manner. KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: o Noa Agmon (Bar-Ilan University) o Cynthia Dwork (Harvard University) o Jerome Lang (LAMSADE, CNRS, Universite Paris-Dauphine, PSL) o Arun Ross (Michigan State University) o Ohad Shamir (Weizmann Institute of Science) o Noam Slonim (IBM Research AI) o Noga Zaslavsky (MIT) SPECIAL TOPIC INVITED SESSIONS: o In Memory of Naftali Tishby -Organized by Martin Golumbic (University of Haifa) o Boolean and pseudo-Boolean Functions -Organized by Endre Boros (Rutgers University) and Yves Crama (University of Liege) o Coalition Formation Games -Organized by Judy Goldsmith (University of Kentucky) and Joerg Rothe (Heinrich-Heine-Universitat Dusseldorf) o Combinatorial and Geometric Problems in Imaging Sciences -Organized by Valentin Brimkov (Buffalo State College) o Formalization in Mathematics -Organized by Gonzalo A. Aranda-Corral (Universidad de Sevilla) and Francisco Jesus Martin Mateos (Universidad de Sevilla) o Sequencing, sequential decision making and scheduling -Organized by Lisa Hellerstein (New York University) and Thomas Lidbetter (Rutgers University) o Uncertain Reasoning -Organized by Alessandro Antonucci (Istituto Dalle Molle di Studi sull'Intelligenza Artificiale - IDSIA), Salem Benferhat (University of Artois), and Kamal Premaratne (University of Miami) ORGANIZERS: o General Chair: Martin Charles Golumbic, University of Haifa o Conference Chair: Frederick Hoffman, Florida Atlantic University o Publications & Publicity Chair: Dimitrios I. Diochnos, University of Oklahoma Send inquiries and requests to <isaim2022 at cs DOT ou DOT edu>. Visit http://isaim2022.cs.ou.edu/. Join isaim(a)googlegroups.com to receive announcements related to ISAIM.

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Readership Position available at the University of Hertfordshire:
by Daniel Polani 23 Nov '21

23 Nov '21

Dear RoboCuppers, please note a unique opportunity (late early or mid-career) at UH below to join our enthusiastic and quirky team. Of course I should mention our Humanoid RoboCup Lab and Robot House facilities. Please feel free to contact me for further information (or follow below link). Readership/Principal Lectureship in Robotics and Adaptive Systems School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK Closing: 6. December 2021 Applications are invited for a Reader/Principal Lectureship on emerging topics in Robotics/AI, including, but not limited to: - Robotics: embodied and/or cognitive robotics, soft robotics, adaptive or evolutionary robotic design, robot safety and ethics, sensorics and robotics, emotional/social robots, smart homes and sensors, sensor fusion, assistive robotics, human-robot interaction, agricultural robotics, humanoid robots - Machine learning: reinforcement learning, Deep Methods, statistical methods, large scale data modelling/intelligent processing and high-performance learning algorithms - Biological and biophysical computation paradigms, systems biology, neural computation - Complex Systems: collective intelligence, adaptive, autonomous and multi-agent/robot systems, collective and swarm intelligence, social and market modelling, adaptive, evolutionary and unconventional computation - Mathematical Modelling: statistical modelling, information-theoretic methods, compressive sensing, intelligent data visualization, multiscale models, optimization; causality - Emerging Topics in AI: computer algebra and AI, topological methods (e.g. persistent homology), algebraic and category-theoretical methods in AI; modern topics in games and AI; quantum algorithms for AI - AI and applications: financial modelling, AI and biology/physics/cognitive sciences - Foundations: fundamental questions of intelligence and computation, emergence of life/intelligence, Artificial Life Closing Date: 6. December 2021 To apply and for further information, please see: https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/CKJ638/reader-principal-lecturer-in-robotics-and…, Ref. No.: 032595 - Daniel Polani

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[jobs] Mulitple Openings at Magazino Germany
by Sebastian Eltester 18 Nov '21

18 Nov '21

Dear Robocup community, are you ready to help shape the future of robotics? Then become a Magazino<https://www.magazino.eu/company/?lang=en>!! 🤖 We have plenty of job opportunities open, whether it is a student position, a junior position or a senior position. If you are eager to join a highly divers team with backgrounds from all over the world then hit the apply button to join us! Take a closer look at our vacancies: * Robot Release QA Engineer (f/m/x)<https://www.magazino.eu/apply-now/robot-release-qa-engineer-f-m-x/?lang=en> * Robot Deployment Engineer (f/m/x), Region Munich<https://www.magazino.eu/apply-now/robot-deployment-engineer-f-m-x-region-mu…> * Robot Deployment Engineer (f/m/x), Region NRW/Lower Saxony<https://www.magazino.eu/apply-now/robot-deployment-engineer-f-m-x-region-nr…> * Working Student Remote Operator (f/m/x)<https://www.magazino.eu/apply-now/working-student-f-m-x-remote-operator-rob…> 🌈 We're open to all nationalities and all genders! 🌈 If you have questions, feel free to contact us any time! Cheers! Sebastian PS.: Who else is stoked for RCAP? Sebastian Eltester Operations Center Lead T +49-89-2155-2415-8 M +49-171-9718580 <mailto:waggershauser@magazino.eu>eltester(a)magazino.eu<mailto:eltester@magazino.eu> | [www.magazino.eu]www.magazino.eu [signature_775036230]<https://www.magazino.eu/> [signature_520303617] <https://www.facebook.com/Magazino-GmbH-737817356290011/> [signature_1689280880] <https://www.xing.com/xbp/pages/magazino-gmbh> [signature_607702122] <https://www.linkedin.com/company/magazino-gmbh/> [signature_1213976598] <https://www.instagram.com/magazino_loves_robots/> MAGAZINO GmbH | Landsberger Straße 234 80687 München | Deutschland Amtsgericht München HRB 209758 | USt-IdNr.: DE293308625 Geschäftsführer: Frederik Brantner, Lukas Zanger

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[jobs] Two tenured positions in Autonomous Systems at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences
by Alex Mitrevski 16 Nov '21

16 Nov '21

Dear roboticists, The Department of Computer Science at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences (Sankt Augustin Campus), together with the Bonn-Aachen International Centre for Information Technology (b-it), has the following two permanent professorships (W2) for Computer Science, in particular in Autonomous Systems: 1. Mathematical foundations of autonomous systems 2. Industry-relevant and application-related aspects of autonomous systems. The two position are to be filled as soon as possible. We expect applicants for both positions to meet the following requirements: * the employment requirements of §36 HG NRW, in particular three years of professional experience outside of higher education institutions, * very good knowledge of English, as well as the ability and willingness to teach in English, * pedagogical and didactic skills in teaching complex learning content, * a willingness to participate in activities within the university, as well as national and international committees, * experience in the acquisition, establishment and implementation of internal and externally funded research and development projects, * active participation in the further development and expansion of the MAS program. In addition, the following criteria would be desirable: * teaching experience at universities or comparable institutions, * willingness to also teach undergraduate courses that correspond to the topics of the call for applications, * willingness for interdisciplinary cooperation with other institutions within and outside the university, * evidence of international collaborations and networking with the professional community, * willingness to conduct courses and examinations in German. More detailed information can be found at: 1. Mathematical foundations of autonomous systems: https://stellen.h-brs.de/jobposting/dcdfdd50800036e2492311716a44c03b81a1583… <https://stellen.h-brs.de/jobposting/dcdfdd50800036e2492311716a44c03b81a1583…> 2. Industry-relevant and application-related aspects of autonomous systems: https://stellen.h-brs.de/jobposting/0adf13b597c4a2f154f856c2fcaf65311ffeb2c… <https://stellen.h-brs.de/jobposting/0adf13b597c4a2f154f856c2fcaf65311ffeb2c…> We would like to see more female scientists at our university and are therefore particularly pleased to receive applications from women. We welcome applicants with children. H-BRS is a certified family-friendly university - and proud of it. People with severe disabilities are part of our university. We give them preference in the application process if their qualifications are equal. The position is suitable for part-time work. For information about the professorship to be filled, please contact the head of the appointment committee Prof. Dr. Nico Hochgeschwender (nico.hochgeschwender(a)h-brs.de <mailto:nico.hochgeschwender@h-brs.de>). In addition, the Equal Opportunity Officer of the H-BRS, Dr. Barbara Hillen, is also happy to assist you (www.h-brs.de/de/gi/barbara-hillen <https://www.h-brs.de/de/gi/barbara-hillen>). Regards, Nico Hochgeschwender **************************************************************************************** Prof. Dr. Nico Hochgeschwender Professor of Autonomous Systems B-IT Bonn-Aachen International Center of Information Technology Fon: +49-2241-865-9634 Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University oAS Fax: +49-2241-865-8293 Computer Science Department Net: nico.hochgeschwender(a)h-brs.de Grantham-Allee 20 53757 Sankt Augustin, Germany Web: http://www.h-brs.de/de/inf/nico-hochgeschwender Twitter: @nico_roboticist **************************************************************************************** International Master Program on Autonomous Systems https://www.h-brs.de/en/inf/autonomous-systems-msc ****************************************************************************************

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Postdoctoral Position at University of Glasgow
by Alessandro Vinciarelli 16 Nov '21

16 Nov '21

Dear all, we have a postdoctoral position (3 years) for the European Project SONICOM (http://www.sonicom.eu). The main goal of the successful candidate will be the development of methodologies capable to infer the personality traits of an individual (both self-assessed and attributed) from speech data rendered in VR and, possibly, from other nonverbal behavioural cues. The preferred candidates have an established track record in speech/signal processing and machine learning (in particular deep networks). Please apply by clicking on the following link: https://lnkd.in/dYVpY_KS The deadline is on November 25th at 23.45. Best, Alessandro

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Call for IEEE TNNLS Special Issue on "Stream Learning, " Submission Deadline: December 15, 2021
by Pub Conference 16 Nov '21

16 Nov '21

IEEE TNNLS Special Issue on "Stream Learning," Guest Editors: Jie Lu, University of Technology Sydney, Australia; Joao Gama, University of Porto, Portugal; Xin Yao, Southern University of Science and Technology, China; Leandro Minku, University of Birmingham, UK. Submission Deadline: December 15, 2021 [EXTENDED]. Website: https://cis.ieee.org/images/files/Publications/TNNLS/special-issues/One-Pag…

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PhD/MS Openings in Human-Robot Interaction at University of Pittsburgh's School of Information and Computing
by Michael Lewis 15 Nov '21

15 Nov '21

The PhD programs in Informatics and Networked Systems or Intelligent Systems provide interdisciplinary training in robotics, AI, and HRI. The available position(s) at ULab (http://www.pitt.edu/~cmlewis/research.html) comes with a 2-5 year Graduate Assistantship to study human interaction with AI and robotic systems. You will work in close collaboration with Prof. Sycara's laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University ( http://www.ri.cmu.edu/person.html?person_id=304) to study Theory of Mind models of Artificial Social Intelligence, Human-Autonomy Teams (HATs) and metrics for evaluating them. Applicants at either bachelors or masters level are invited to apply. Please contact Michael Lewis cmlewis(a)pitt.edu to discuss possible assistantship and instructions for application.

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CPS&IoT'2022 - the 10th International Conference on Cyber-Physical Systems and Internet-of-Things
by Jozwiak, Lech 12 Nov '21

12 Nov '21

Special Focus: Green CPS&IoT for Green World Special Theme of CPS&IoT’2022: Artificial Intelligence, Edge Computing, Architectures, Methods and Tools for Autonomous Robots, Vehicles, Assistive, Environmental and other advanced CPS&IoT Dear Colleague, Please find the Call for Papers of CPS&IoT’2022 - the 10th International Conference on Cyber-Physical Systems and Internet-of-Things, Budva, Montenegro, 7-10 June, 2022 attached to this e-mail. CPS&IoT’2022 will be held in the Conference Venue (Hotel Budva) and online. All papers that will be accepted after the conference review process will be published in the CPS&IoT’2022 Conference Proceedings regardless of the authors' physical presence at the conference and will be presented by their authors either in the Conference Venue or online. The CPS&IoT’2022 Conference will host several prestigious keynote speakers from industry and academia. Extended journal versions of selected high-quality papers will be published in a special issue of the ISI indexed journal “Microprocessors and Microsystems” (MICPRO) https://www.journals.elsevier.com/microprocessors-and-microsystems<https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.journ…>. The CPS&IoT'2022 Conference<https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fembeddedc…> is collocated with the CPS&IoT’2022 Summer School<https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fembeddedc…> and MECO'2022 Conference<https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fembeddedc…> - the 11th Mediterranean Conference on Embedded Computing. Together they constitute a major Europe based conference event in CPS and IoT. Please also find attached the Call for Workshops and Special Sessions of CPS&IoT’2022. You are encouraged to submit your papers, as well as, Workshop and Special Session Proposals to the CPS&IoT’2022 Conference, and to participate in the collocated CPS&IoT’2022 Summer School. Paper Submission Deadline: 31 January 2022. Workshop and Special Session Proposal Submission Deadline: 30 November 2021. Best regards, Lech Jozwiak Program Chairman of the CPS&IoT’2022 Conference and Radovan Stojanovic Managing Chairman of the CPS&IoT’2022 Conference

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[Journal] IJAIT Call for Special Issue on Explainable Machine Learning in Methodologies and Applications
by Pub Conference 08 Nov '21

08 Nov '21

Computational Intelligence Journal Special Issue on Explainable Machine Learning in Methodologies and Applications https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/14678640/homepage/special_issu… This special issue 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 Special Issue 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 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

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Call for paper-Neural Computing and Applications, Topical Collection on Interpretation of Deep Learning
by Pub Conference 08 Nov '21

08 Nov '21

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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Call for Special Offers (RoboCup Humanoid League)
by Maike Paetzel-Prüsmann 05 Nov '21

05 Nov '21

========================================================= Call for Special Offers (Humanoid League) ========================================================= Research institutes and companies that produce and sell relevant hardware for RoboCup humanoid teams are encouraged to send their proposals for special offers to the Technical Committee of the Humanoid League. A special offer is limited in time and enables teams and institutes participating in RoboCup 2022 to buy a hardware product used for the RoboCup 2022 competition for a reduced price or under other special conditions. Hardware products can either be complete robot platforms or relevant hardware parts needed for robot construction. Special offers will be published on the humanoid league website and sent out via the RoboCup email list. Special offers are *not* considered an official sponsoring of the RoboCup event. Important dates: ----------------------------------------------------------- * Deadline: November 29th 2021 * Notification: December 3rd 2021 Submission guidelines and procedure ---------------------------------------------------------- Send an email with a the following information to the Humanoid League Technical Committee <rc-hl-tc(a)lists.robocup.org> : 1. Name of institution or company and contact information of a person responsible for the offer 2. Description of the special offer as it shall appear on the website (max 100 words). This MUST include information about the product, the price and a point of contact 3. Explanation of relevance to the league (if not obvious from the description) 4. Date of expiry for the special offer All proposals for special offers will be reviewed by the Technical Committee and checked for relevance to the league. The responsible person for the special offer will be notified on December 3rd about the decision. Kind regards, Maike (for the Humanoid Legue Technical Committee) -- Dr. Maike Paetzel-Prüsmann Postdoctoral Researcher Foundations of Computational Linguistics Laboratory University of Potsdam, Germany Pronouns: she / her More information: https://www.maike-paetzel.de/

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AtHome2022 - First Call for Participation
by Mauricio Matamoros 31 Oct '21

31 Oct '21

Online version: https://athome.robocup.org/2022-cfp1-all/ ==================================================================== First Call for Participation RoboCup@Home 2022 (DSPL · OPL · SSPL) Summer 2022 (Bangkok, Thailand) 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. This page describes the preregistration and qualification procedure for RoboCup@Home 2022. Important dates: Oct. 31, 2021 Publication of the Call for Participation Nov. 28, 2021 Deadline for submission of qualification material. (Team Description Paper, Team Video, Team Website). Jan. 10, 2022 Qualification announcement Jan. 30, 2022 Deadline for Participation Confirmation The qualification procedure consists of the following steps: ****Step 1) Qualification Material Submission (mandatory)**** The team ***MUST*** send an email to the Organizing Committee (oc [at]robocupathome.org) to participate in the qualification process for the RoboCup@Home 2022 event. Please fill in the following information: Team Name: League: [ DSPL | OPL | SSPL ] Country: Affiliation: Team Leader Name: Contact information (E-mail): Rank in local tournaments: Link to a team video: Link to a team web site devoted to their efforts: Team Description Paper (TDP) attached to the email based on the official template. The e-mail subject should be: [@Home2022-Qualification](YourTeamName) Considerations: · Only one platform can be specified per team. Only one team leader · can be specified per team. · Only one team video url can be specified per team. · Only one contact email can be specified per team. · All the publications and software to be evaluated for qualification ***MUST*** be in the team’s website. · The email must be encoded in UTF-8 using only the ISO-8859-1 character set. **** Deadline: Sunday, Nov. 28, 2021 23:59 GMT ***** ****Step 2) Participation confirmation (mandatory)**** All qualified teams ***MUST*** send an email to the Organizing Committee (oc[at]robocupathome.org) to confirm (or cancel) their participation in the RoboCup@Home 2022 event. Confirming attendance implies that the team has sufficient resources to register, and commits to attend to the event. To confirm participation, please fill in the following information: Team Name: League: [ DSPL | OPL | SSPL ] Country: Hereby [Team Name] of [Country] [confirms | forfeits] participation in the the RoboCup@Home [League]. The e-mail subject should be: [@Home2022-Confirmation] (YourTeamName) Remark: Qualified teams who miss the participation confirmation will be disqualified automatically and the participation slots freed for the Second Call for Participation. **** Deadline: Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022 23:59 GMT ***** ****Step 3) Robot Acquisition (Standard Platform Leagues):**** Qualified Teams must contact the supplier as soon as the Qualification Notification arrives to start the acquisition procedure. Teams selected to receive Standard-Platform robots have to make an agreement with the supplier in compliance with the supplier’s instructions. The suppliers are not allowed to sell, export, lease and/or ship their products to natural or legal persons and to entities and countries which are subject to international sanctions or prohibitions. Since Selection Committee cannot answer this issue, please ask the supplier directly. Remark: Failing to acquire a Standard-Platform will void the qualification of the SSPL/DSPL. It won’t not possible for SSPL/DSPL to change to OPL. ****Instructions for the Qualification Material**** ***Instructions for the Team Video:*** In order to proof a running hardware, each team has to provide a qualification video. As a minimum requirement for qualification, the video must show the robot(s) successfully solving a task involving the integration of at least 5 different abilities, such as: environmental reasoning, high-level task planning, human-robot interaction, localization, manipulation, object recognition, people recognition, etc. Remarks: · The shown task execution must look continuous, smooth, and robust. · When speeding-up video, the speed factor must be indicated. · The language spoken and shown in the video must be English. · When using any other languages, translations must be included. · We strongly suggest upload videos to Youtube. · Videos sent will be uploaded/displayed in the league’s youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/channel/UChkdCpT0xrFMMt-_N8wSVew/playlists” · Standard Platforms Only: Teams are allowed to use any robot in their Team Video. However, the use of the standard robot is advised. HINT: It is strongly advised to show your robot(s) smoothly and accurately solving any of the Stage II tests of the 2018, 2019, and 2020 rulebooks. Copyright note:When sending videos for qualification, teams implicitly grant permission to RoboCup @Home and the RoboCup Federation to copy, modify, distribute, upload, publish, and use the multimedia material to promote the event and the league at convenience. ***Instructions for the TDP*** The TDP is an 8-pages long scientific paper, detailing information on the technical and scientific approach of the team’s research, while including also the following: · TDP · Group’s research focus and interests. · Innovative technology and scientific contribution · Please specify when your research is being used by other teams or research groups · Please specify when you are using software from other teams · Brief, general description of the system when solving a [domestic] task (applicability in the real world) · The impact of your research must be clearly visible · Maximum length is 8 pages (including figures and citations) · Annex · Photo(s) of the robot · Brief, compact list of the 3rd party robot’s software (e.g. include MoveIt/YOLO) · Brief, compact description of all external computing devices, if any · Brief, compact description of the robot’s hardware (OPL Only) · Please mark with an asterisk home-made software solutions Annex should be appended after the References · There is no page limit for annex, but a maximum of one page is strongly encouraged · TDP length is ****8 pages + annex**** (any submissions over this length will be disqualified). · DSPL and SSPL: The robot depicted in the TDP or Team Video must be the league’s standard one. For the TDP, please use the Springer LNAI format used in the RoboCup Symposium submissions and limit yourself to 8 pages without altering margins or spacing (including references but excluding the annex). You may download a template for the TDP from here. Remark: The language for the TDP, its graphics, tables, images, and all additional content must be English. Content in other languages must be translated. Copyright note: All TDPs sent for qualification may be made publicly available in the RoboCup @Home Wiki for further reference. On submitting, teams implicitly grant permission to RoboCup @Home and the RoboCup Federation to copy, distribute, upload, publish, and use the manuscript to promote the event and the league at convenience. ***** Exceeding the number of pages will automatically void your application *****. ***Instructions for the Web site*** While the TDP goes into detail about the technical and scientific approach of the team’s research, the website should be designed for a broader audience, including: · Photos of the robot(s) · Videos of the robot(s) · Description of the approaches and information on scientific achievements · Relevant publications (last 5 years, preferably available to download) · Link to repositories with software for the community · Team members · Previous participation in RoboCups · Participation and rankings in local RoboCup tournaments Remark: No IP addresses will be accepted as website. Remark: Only documented active software repositories are considered as contributions to the league. It must be clear and straightforward to other teams how to use your software. ***Qualification and evaluation criteria:*** In this first Call for Participation, up to 8 teams per league can be assigned a participation slot. In order to qualify, a team must meet the minimum selection requirements approved by the Executive Committee. However, meeting the minimum requirements won’t automatically grant a participation slot. Only the top 8 teams meeting the selection criterion will qualify for participation. Rejections are strongly advised to improve their qualification materials and apply in the second CFP. Qualification materials will be judged by the following criteria: · Team description paper (clarity, scientific contributions, re-usability by the league, applicability in real world) · Performance in local tournaments and previous competitions. · Qualification Video (number of demonstrated abilities, integration, difficulty of the task, applicability in real world) · Website (multimedia, publications from last 5 years, downloadable content, open-source software and other contributions) · Relevant Scientific contribution/publications (downloadable papers and open-source software) · Novelty of approach (what you do is new for @Home) We encourage teams to produce self-explicative videos for a general audience where complex tasks are solved. For Team Description Papers focus on the scientific contribution and avoid brief descriptions of the overall system. With kind regards, and looking forward to see your team in Bangkok, The 2022 RoboCup@Home Organizing and Technical Committees

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AAMAS 2022 Call on Diversity and Inclusion Activities
by Sara Bernardini 30 Oct '21

30 Oct '21

Submission Deadline: Rolling submissions will be processed until April 1, 2022. Submission Notification: Rolling notification. DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION ACTIVITIES: Participation in AI (including Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems) by groups that are underrepresented in computer science is a fraction of what is needed to have an AI workforce that reflects the diversity in society. Diversity has many facets, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and cultural background. We would like to invite submissions of proposals for activities that will help broaden participation in the AI (including Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems) field. Activities can range from meetings for specific groups, to panels, workshops to discuss the situation and propose changes, reports on outreach activities, and more. SUBMISSION PROCEDURE: The proposals should be short (2 pages, pdf) and should address the following: 1. What activity is proposed and its specific objectives 2. Who will be the chair of the activity 3. What is the target audience (academics, industry, graduate students, undergraduate students, etc) 4. What is expected number of participants 5. Duration of the proposed activity (1/2 day, 1 day, 2 hours, etc) 6. Will the activity be by invitation only or will it need an open call for participation/registration/submission, and what is the expected timeline (call out, deadline, notification) 7. Funding needed (if any) and potential sources of funding 8. Advertisement strategy: how will the event be advertised on mailing lists and social media? 9. Willingness of in-person, online, or hybrid event organization: AAMAS 2022 may be held in-person, online, or hybrid. Please describe your plan for conducting in-person, online, and hybrid events. Each proposal should be submitted electronically as a single PDF file via emails to all co-chairs (hchan3(a)unl.edu and long.tran-thanh(a)warwick.ac.uk). For any questions, please contact the co-chairs of the diversity and inclusion activities. ORGANIZERS: Hau Chan (University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA) Long Tran-Thanh (University of Warwick, UK)

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AAMAS-2022 Call for Demos
by Sara Bernardini 30 Oct '21

30 Oct '21

Call for Demos https://aamas2022-conference.auckland.ac.nz/calls/call-for-demos Important Dates Demonstration Submission: January 21st 2022 (23:59 UTC-12) Author Notification: February 25th 2022 (23:59 UTC-12) Camera Ready Submission: March 11th 2022 (23:59 UTC-12) Information for Authors The goal of the AAMAS Demo track is to provide opportunities for participants from academia and industry to present their latest developments in agent-based and robotic systems. Interactive systems and novel applications are particularly welcome. Two “Best Demo” awards will be selected by the Demos Program Committee along with the conference attendees to recognise the most innovative demo (the one with the most original and significant research methodologies) and the best application demo (the one with the highest potential for real-world impact). Authors of accepted papers and posters in the main track of the AAMAS conference, as well as workshop presenters, are particularly encouraged to submit. Topics of Interest Topics of interest include (but are not limited to) the following: Systems implementing agents in real-world settings in various application areas such as engineering (e.g., transportation, robotics, manufacturing, grid), economy (e.g.,e-commerce), health care, societal challenges and education. Systems supporting the development of agents which include development environments and tools to assist developers in the specification, design, implementation and/or testing of agent systems. Systems using agents to model behavior which include virtual agents, simulation systems,games and social robots. Submission Requirements Submissions accepted to the Demo track will be advertised on the AAMAS website and included in the conference proceedings. Each Demo submission must consist of both the following elements (paper + video). Paper (maximum 4 pages): Papers should not be anonymised, i.e., author names and affiliations should be included. Pages 1-2: Description of the system to be demonstrated. The authors are encouraged to discuss the application domain, problem scenario, technology used, agent/multi-agent techniques involved, innovations of the system, interactive aspects, etc. Page 3: List the bibliographic references. Page 4: A list of requirements for the demo setup at the conference for the organizers, in case the conference will be held in person. Papers must be prepared using the AAMAS 2022 template and submitted as PDF files. Submissions not conforming to the guidelines above will be rejected. Video (maximum 5 minutes): The paper must contain a URL to a (QuickTime or YouTube) demonstration video of no more than 5 minutes, showing and explaining the execution of the system. The video should be understandable without sound as much as possible, as they may be played during the conference (see below). The video should include (at the beginning and at the end) the title of the demo and the track number provided by the submission system. At least one author of each accepted demonstration is required to register and attend the conference to carry out the demonstration. In case of an in-person (or hybrid) conference: The organisers will make every effort to facilitate demo requirements. If you have unusual requirements please contact the organisers in advance. We will provide a poster board, a monitor with a standard HDMI connector, a power strip and a 2m table for each demonstration. Videos of accepted demo papers will be played (with no sound) during breaks and demo sessions to increase visibility. In case of a strictly virtual conference: The demos will have predefined slots in the program for interactive (Q&A) sessions. In addition, the videos will be available for all conference registrants throughout the conference. Submissions should be made through the Demo track submission system at: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=aamas22demo Selection Process The submission and selection process for the AAMAS 2022 Demos will be separate from that of the main conference. Each submission will be assessed by the Demos Program Committee. The authors will receive a brief evaluation report with the notification. The evaluation criteria are: Relevance to the AAMAS conference Significance and originality Video content and presentation Maturity and readiness of the demonstration Potential for public interaction Potential impact in the intended application domain Potential interest to a broader audience Demonstration Chairs Noa Agmon (Bar-Ilan University, Israel) Mubbasir Kapadia (Rutgers University, USA)

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[meetings] First call for proposals for Special Sessions, Workshops and Tutorials at the 31st IEEE International Conference on Robot & Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN 2022)
by Alessandra Rossi 29 Oct '21

29 Oct '21

Dear colleagues, Apologies for any cross-posting Please find attached below the first call for proposals for Special Sessions, Workshops and Tutorials 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 Special Session and Workshop/Tutorial proposal, please email workshop(a)roman2022.org or contact info(a)roman2022.org. Kindest regards, Alessandra Rossi, Minsu Jang and Tariq Iqbal Publicity Chairs Dr. Alessandra Rossi Postdoctoral researcher PRISCA research lab University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy Visiting Researcher Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Adaptive Systems Research Group University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom ================================================================================== *** FIRST CALL FOR SPECIAL SESSIONS, WORKSHOPS, AND TUTORIALS *** 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 ================================================================================== The RO-MAN2022 Organising Committee invites proposals for Special Sessions, Workshops and Tutorials 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. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINES SPECIAL SESSIONS DEADLINE: JANUARY 10, 2022 WORKSHOPS/TUTORIALS DEADLINE: JANUARY 10, 2022 SPECIAL SESSION PROPOSALS Prospective special session organisers are invited to submit a proposal via the main conference's submission system. The organisers of the accepted special sessions will be responsible for the high-quality peer-review of the submitted papers according to IEEE standards (i.e. at least 2 anonymous peer-reviews). The organisers will be Associate Editors (AE) for the proposed session, and they will be responsible for assigning reviewers and judging the submitted paper for the special session. Proposals should include the following information: • Title: Please propose a title that shows the relevance of the session for the RO-MAN community and the innovativeness of the proposed topic. • Aims and scope: Please explain why the chosen topic is novel and relevant, with the potential to contribute to the growth of the RO-MAN community, and is also suitable for either the conference theme or a new emerging theme with potentially high impact. • Tentative speakers: Please provide a list of prospective contributing authors and tentative titles. Special Sessions are normally expected to have 4 to 6 papers. Invited speakers or session-related demonstrations (such as renowned speakers or industrial talks) could be a part of the Special Session. • Organisers and biographies: Please provide a short bio-sketch of the session organisers including their experience in the topic of the Special Session. The guidelines to submit a special session proposal are available at the Special Session section on the RO-MAN 2022 website or by clicking on this link. WORKSHOPS and TUTORIALS PROPOSALS Workshops and tutorials should focus on key areas of established and emerging research, and should provide a forum for participants to exchange new ideas and discuss recent results. We encourage proposals for topics that have substantial community interest, with a creative and innovative program, led by recognised leaders in their fields, that will attract a broad and diverse audience. Organisers of approved workshops and tutorials will be asked to create and maintain a dedicated webpage, which will be used to promote the workshop/tutorial, and disseminate relevant and updated information. Proposals should include the following information: • Title • Format (indicate full or half day, tutorial or workshop) • Main organiser (one person only, complete address, phone, and email) • Co-organisers (complete address, and email) • Previous editions (if any) • Statement of objectives • Intended audience • List of speakers • List of topics • Plan to solicit participation • Workshop organisation • Plan for inclusion, diversity and equity The guidelines to submit a workshop/tutorial proposal are available at the Workshop and Tutorial section on the RO-MAN 2022 website or by clicking on this link. ================================================================================== The primary criteria in the evaluation of special session and workshop/tutorial proposals will be the timeliness of the topics, the quality, track record, and diversity of the proposers and speakers, the coherence of the proposal, the novelty or creativity, and the expected value added to the overall conference. Aspects of diversity that will be considered include the age, gender, national origin, background, and workplace of the proposers and speakers. We will give priority to proposals that fully follow these requirements. Moreover, we encourage the submission of workshops, tutorial and special sessions organized by communities that are under-represented within the RO-MAN activities. For any questions and further information about the Special Session and Workshop/Tutorial proposal, please email workshop(a)roman2022.org or contact info(a)roman2022.org. SPECIAL SESSION CO-CHAIRS JongSuk Choi, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KR) Mariacarla Staffa, University of Naples Parthenope (IT) Kerstin Haring, University of Denver (USA) TUTORIAL / WORKSHOP CO-CHAIRS Amir Aly, University of Plymouth (UK) Daniel Riccio, University of Naples Federico II (IT) Raquel Ros, La Salle - Universitat Ramon Llull (ES)

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IEEE TNNLS Call for Special Issue on "Stream Learning", Submission Deadline: December 15, 2021 [EXTENDED]
by Pub Conference 28 Oct '21

28 Oct '21

*CALL FOR PAPERS* *IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems Special Issue on STREAM LEARNING* https://cis.ieee.org/images/files/Publications/TNNLS/special-issues/One-Pag… *Introduction* In recent years, machine learning from streaming data (called *Stream Learning*) has enjoyed tremendous growth and exhibited a wealth of development at both the conceptual and application levels. Stream Learning is highly visible in both the machine learning and data science fields, and become a new hot direction in recent years. Research developments in Stream Learning include learning under concept drift detection (whether a drift occurs), understanding (where, when, and how a drift occurs), and adaptation (to actively or passively update models). Recently we have seen several new successful developments in Stream Learning such as massive stream learning algorithms; incremental and online learning for streaming data; and streaming data- based decision-making methods. These developments have demonstrated how Stream Learning technologies can contribute to the implementation of machine learning capability in dynamic systems. We have also witnessed compelling evidence of successful investigations on the use of Stream Learning to support business real-time prediction and decision making. In light of these observations, it is instructive, vital, and timely to offer a unified view of the current trends and form a broad forum for the fundamental and applied research as well as the practical development of Stream Learning for improving machine learning, data science and practical decision support systems of business. This special issue aims at reporting the progress in fundamental principles; practical methodologies; efficient implementations; and applications of Stream Learning methods and related applications. The special issue also welcomes contributions in relation to data streams, incremental learning and reinforcement learning in data streaming situations. Scope of the Special Issue We invite submissions on all topics of Stream Learning, including but not limited to: • *Data stream prediction* • *Concept drift detection, understanding and adaptation* • *Recurrent concepts* • *Experimental setup and Evaluation methods for stream learning* • *Reinforcement learning on streaming data* • *Streaming data-based real-time decision making* • *Ensemble methods for stream learning* • *Auto machine learning for stream algorithms* • *Neural networks for big data streams* • *Transfer learning for streaming data* • *Real-world applications of stream learning* • *Active learning for streaming data* • *Online learning for streaming data* • *Imbalance learning for streaming data* • *Lifelong learning for streaming data* • *Incremental learning for streaming data* • *Continuous learning for streaming data* • *Clustering for streaming data* • *Audio/speech/music streams processing* • *Stream learning benchmark datasets* • *Multi-drift and multi-stream learning* • *Stream processing platforms* Timeline • Submission deadline: *Dec 15, 2021* • Notification of first review: March 1, 2022 • Submission of revised manuscript: Jun 1, 2022 • Notification of final decision: Aug 1, 2022 Guest Editors • Jie Lu (University of Technology Sydney, Australia) • Joao Gama (University of Porto, Portugal) • Xin Yao (Southern University of Science and Technology, China) • Leandro Minku (University of Birmingham, UK) Submission Instructions - Read the Information for Authors at http://cis.ieee.org/tnnls <http://cis.ieee.org/tnnls> - Submit your manuscript at the TNNLS webpage (http://mc.manuscriptcentr <http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tnnls)>al.com/tnnls) <http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tnnls)> and follow the submission procedure. Please, clearly indicate on the first page of the manuscript and in the cover letter that the manuscript is submitted to this special issue. Early submissions are welcome.

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[jobs] Research Engineer Position, Robotic Arm Control & Simulation - University of Potsdam, Germany
by Maike Paetzel-Prüsmann 27 Oct '21

27 Oct '21

# Research Engineer Position, Robotic Arm Control & Simulation, University of Potsdam Conditional on the final funding decision by the funding body, applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates for a nine-month research engineer position starting as soon as possible (not later than February 2022) with the "Computational Linguistics Lab Potsdam (colabPotsdam)" (headed by Prof. David Schlangen) at the University of Potsdam, Germany. The positions is 40 hours of work per week (100%). The salary is determined by the collective bargaining agreement for public employees in Germany (TV-L 13 Ost). The duration of the contract is for nine month (in accordance with Section 2 subsection 1 of the German Academic Fixed-Term Contract Law (WissZeitVG)). ## Job description The position will be part of an upcoming research project on enabling industrial robots working together with humans (cobots) to use spoken conversations to learn new collaborative task. The goal is to build upon a robotic system which has basic capabilities of grasping and manipulating objects and extend it with the possibility of learning new and advanced tasks from spoken instructions as well as visual reference resolution. As a research engineer, your responsibility is to set up the framework for the robotic arm controller, both in simulation and, in cooperation with the industrial partner Synergetion GmbH, in the lab environment. The control of the robot arm will be implemented using ROS and the Open Source software Webots will be used for the 3D simulations. ### Requirements * A Master's or PhD degree in Computer Science, Robotics or related fields (defended by start of contract) * Experience with ROS or ROS2 * Experience with a simulation software, ideally Webots * Strong programming skills in Python * Proficiency in working with git * The working language of the group is English. Very good spoken and written command of English is required. Experience in one or more of the following fields / technologies is desirable: robot programming, C++, computer vision, CAD-Software, 3D modelling, robot arms, industrial robots. ## The place The beautiful city of Potsdam is surrounded by rivers and lakes and supports a wide variety of recreational activities. It is part of the Berlin metropolitan area, one of the cultural and scientific capitals of the world. The city of Berlin is within commuting distance, and many researchers and students choose to live there. The region offers a high quality of urban life at comparatively still modest costs. Handicapped applicants will be given preference in case of equal suitability. The University of Potsdam strives to increase the proportion of women in research and teaching and specifically encourages female applicants to apply for this position. ## Applications Deadline: The position remains open until filled with a suitable candidate To apply, send the following documents as a single PDF: * Statement of interests that motivates your application * Curriculum vitae * If available, coding samples or links to your contributions to public code repositories * Scans of transcripts and academic degree certificates * The names, affiliations, and contact details of up to three people who can provide reference letters for you. Address for applications and queries: david.schlangen(a)uni-potsdam.de -- Dr. Maike Paetzel-Prüsmann Postdoctoral Researcher Foundations of Computational Linguistics Laboratory University of Potsdam, Germany Pronouns: she / her More information: https://www.maike-paetzel.de/

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Multiple vacancies at the University of Melbourne
by Uwe Aickelin 16 Oct '21

16 Oct '21

We have advertised five opportunities to join the top ranked School of Computing and Information Systems in Australia (THES and QS). Please share with your networks and encourage applications.. Full details below. Algorithmic Fairness: https://jobs.unimelb.edu.au/en/job/906606/senior-lecturerassociate-professo… Machine Learning and Systems (two positions): https://jobs.unimelb.edu.au/caw/en/job/906506/lecturer-or-senior-lecturer-i… Digital Ethics: https://jobs.unimelb.edu.au/caw/en/job/906636/senior-lecturerassociate-prof… Information Systems: https://jobs.unimelb.edu.au/caw/en/job/904639/lecturersenior-lecturer-infor… Professor Uwe Aickelin | Head of School of Computing and Information Systems Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology Level 3, Melbourne Connect – 700 Swanston Street The University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010 Australia T: +61 3 8344 3635 E: uwe.aickelin(a)unimelb.edu.au<mailto:uwe.aickelin@unimelb.edu.au> http://aickelin.com/ | http://linkedin.com/in/aickelin

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Postdoc in HRI/Deep Learning at CMU
by Michael Lewis 12 Oct '21

12 Oct '21

Postdoctoral Fellow Position at Carnegie Mellon University Deep Reinforcement Learning Techniques for Human Robot Teaming Systems OPEN POSITION: A postdoctoral fellow position at Robotics Institute, CMU SUPERVISOR: Prof. Katia Sycara (katia(a)cs.cmu.edu) The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University Website: http://ri.cmu.edu/ri-faculty/katia-sycara LOCATION: The Advanced Agent-Robotics Technology Lab The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA DESCRIPTION: The successful candidate will work on Deep Reinforcement Learning algorithms for human agent teams, with agents interacting autonomously or with humans. Start date in early 2021 is desirable but negotiable. The expected duration of the position is one to two years with renewals upon review. In particular the research will involve computational models for making inferences and predictions about the behaviors and activities of human-agent teams so as to (1) perform complementary beneficial actions, and (2) give advice to human and agent team mates to improve overall team performance. QUALIFICATIONS: - PhD in a field related to AI/ML in particular reinforcement learning in Robotics, CS or related discipline. - A strong theoretical background in Machine Learning, multi robot decision making, and decision-making under uncertainty. - Programming skills including experiences using C++, Python, and/or MATLAB, Neural Network frameworks, eg pytorch - Ability to present work clearly both written and orally - Experiences with deep learning mandatory, experience with ROS desired. APPLICATION DETAILS: Applicants should provide the following material via email to Prof. Katia Sycara (katia(a)cs.cmu.edu). Please use the subject line: “Postdoc application”. Applications will be reviewed as they are received. - A curriculum vitae - A statement of research expertise and interests (up to 2 pages) - Up to 3 publications - Names and contact information of three references - Dates of availability - A personal website, if available, where further details can be found DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The postdoc will (a) carry out high quality research and publish the research results, (b) assist in research supervision and guidance of graduate and undergraduate students, (c) present research results to sponsors, (d) participate in research proposal preparation.

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New forum for cross-cutting topics of leagues
by Oskar von Stryk 04 Oct '21

04 Oct '21

Dear RoboCuppers, We are happy to announce the establishment of a new forum for the discussion of cross-cutting topics among the RoboCup leagues: https://cross.forum.robocup.org/ The list of all forums hosted on robocup.org can be found here: https://forum.robocup.org/ Best regards, Oskar von Stryk (On behalf of RoboCup IT Team)

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World Robot Summit 2020 Fukushima
by Satoshi Tadokoro 04 Oct '21

04 Oct '21

Dear To whom it may concern We are pleased to announce that WRS2020 Fukushima will be held at the Fukushima Robot Test Field from October 8 (Fri.) to October 10 (Sun.), 2021. World Robot Summit (WRS), hosted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), is an international robotics competition that simultaneously holds competitions, exhibitions, symposiums, and other events. At WRS2020 FUKUSHIMA, the "Disaster Robotics Category" competition (WRC) will be held alongside the "ROBOICHI" event, which will feature exhibitions by robot-related companies in Fukushima Prefecture and various stage events. Registration for this event is now open. We hope that you will visit the WRS2020 FUKUSHIMA. In addition, there will be live streaming of the competitions and stages on WRS VIRTUAL. If you will not be able to attend the on-site events in Fukushima, we hope to see you on WRS VIRTUAL. 【Outline of WRS2020 FUKUSHIMA】 Name: World Robot Summit 2020 (WRS2020) FUKUSHIMA Hosts: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) Date: October 8 (Fri.) - 10 (Sun.), 2021 (3 days) Venue: Fukushima Robot Test Field (Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture) ■Introduction page of WRS2020 FUKUSHIMA https://wrs.nedo.go.jp/en/fukushima/ 【Outline of ROBOICHI】 Name: ROBOICHI Hosts: Fukushima Prefecture Date: October 8 (Fri.) - 10 (Sun.), 2021 (3 days) Venue: Fukushima Robot Test Field (Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture) 【WRS VIRTUAL】 Contents: Competitions and various programs will be broadcasted during the WRS FUKUSHIMA event. In addition, you can try the competition experience on WRS VIRTUAL. ■Introduction page of WRS VIRTUAL https://wrs.nedo.go.en/ Thanks and best regards. ------------------------------------------------------ Contact: World Robot Summit Secretariat 14-1, Koamicho, Nihombashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, 103-8548 Email: info(a)worldrobotsummit.org ------------------------------------------------------

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[news] results of the survey on robotics labs during CoViD19
by Andreas Birk 29 Sep '21

29 Sep '21

Dear all, first of all, many thanks to all of you who participated in our survey on the impact of CoViD19 on robotics labs and other forms of hands-on education. The results are now published in an article in the IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine (RAM), which is Open Access: A. Birk and D. Simunovic, Robotics Labs and Other Hands-On Teaching During COVID-19: Change Is Here to Stay? in IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, doi:10.1109/MRA.2021.3102979, 2021 https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9523602 Among others, there is evidence that there is a potentially long-lasting impact, i.e., that instructors report an expectation of changes to be permanent. Furthermore, a vast majority of the participants reported a switch to online teaching with hands-on elements. This has among others strong consequences for the used equipment, e.g., simulation environments for use at home emerged as the most important tool for hands-on robotics education, while the use of take-home hardware could not substantially profit from the pandemic. Interestingly, there is a also significant discrepancy between the students' performance as perceived by the instructors and the actual grades the students achieved, which are significantly higher than before. Best regards, Andreas & Dora -- =============================================================================== Prof. Dr. Andreas Birk =============================================================================== Jacobs University Robotics Group Research 1, Campus Ring 12, 28759 Bremen, Germany http://robotics.jacobs-university.de/ =============================================================================== Commercial registry: Amtsgericht Bremen, HRB 18117 Managing Directors: Prof. Dr. Thomas Auf der Heyde / Andrea Herzig Erler Chairman of the Board of Governors: Tim Cordßen-Ryglewski ===============================================================================

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AAMAS-2022 - Call for Papers
by Francesco Amigoni 28 Sep '21

28 Sep '21

******************************************************************** * CALL FOR PAPERS * AAMAS-2022: The 21st International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems Auckland, New Zealand, 9-13 May 2022 https://aamas2022-conference.auckland.ac.nz/ ******************************************************************** We invite you to submit your best work in the area of agents and multiagent systems to AAMAS-2022, the 21st International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems (AAMAS-2022). We hope to be able to welcome all of you to Auckland next year, but a final decision on the conference modality (fully in presence, fully virtual, hybrid) will be only taken by the end of 2021. In the meantime, we look forward to your AAMAS-2022 exciting papers! Please visit the conference website for the full Call for Papers. ******************************************************************** AREAS OF INTEREST & SPECIAL TRACKS ******************************************************************** We welcome the submission of technical papers describing significant and original research on all aspects of the theory and practice of autonomous agents and multiagent systems. Areas of interest include: Coordination, Organisations, Institutions, and Norms Markets, Auctions, and Non-Cooperative Game Theory Social Choice and Cooperative Game Theory Knowledge Representation, Reasoning, and Planning Learning and Adaptation Modelling and Simulation of Societies Humans and AI / Human-Agent Interaction Engineering Multiagent Systems >>> Robotics <<< Innovative Applications AAMAS-2022 will also feature three special tracks, the Blue Sky Ideas Track, the JAAMAS Track, and the Demo Track, each with a separate Call for Papers. ******************************************************************** IMPORTANT DATES ******************************************************************** Abstract submission: October 1st 2021 Full paper submission: October 8th 2021 Authors rebuttal: November 22nd-25th 2021 Notification: December 20th 2021 Camera Ready submission: January 28th 2022 Tutorials/DC/Workshops: May 9-10, 2022 Main Conference: May 11-13, 2022 ******************************************************************** QUESTIONS ******************************************************************** If you have any questions please contact the Programme Chairs, Piotr Faliszewski, AGH University of Science and Technology, Kraków, Poland, and Viviana Mascardi, University of Genova, Genova, Italy. ******************************************************************** --------------------------------------------------------- Francesco Amigoni Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Laboratory Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria Politecnico di Milano Piazza Leonardo da Vinci, 32 I-20133 Milano (MI), Italy Voice: +39 02 2399-3475 Email: francesco.amigoni(a)polimi.it<mailto:francesco.amigoni@polimi.it> Web: https://amigoni.faculty.polimi.it ---------------------------------------------------------

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[meetings] CfP: Oct 1, International Rescue Robotics Symposium
by Oskar von Stryk 27 Sep '21

27 Sep '21

The German Rescue Robotics Center (DRZ) invites participants to the International Symposium on the Current State and Challenges for Intelligent Robotic Assistance in Disaster Response When: 1 Oct 2021, 13:00-16:30 (CET) Where: Online and onsite in Dortmund, Germany What: Invited talks by leading researchers and practitioners and a round table discussion The symposium will highlight the current status and future challenges in intelligent ground and aerial robotic systems assisting in disaster response from the perspectives of research, development, training, and application. Confirmed speakers: * Emanuele Gissi, Italian Fire and Rescue Service * Adam Jacoff, NIST, USA * Jean-Paul Monet, Bouches-du-Rhone Fire Department, France * Robin Murphy, Texas A&M University, USA * Tomas Svoboda, Czech Technical University, Prague, Czech Republic * Satoshi Tadokoro, Tohoku University, Japan We welcome a broad audience, including first responders, industry, academia and general public. For more details and updates on the program and to register (free of charge) please visit the website: https://rettungsrobotik.de/en/symposium [1] The International Symposium Rescue Robotics is part of the Rescue Robotics Days 2021: https://rettungsrobotik.de/en/rettungsrobotiktage/ [2] Ivana Kruijff-Korbayova and Oskar von Stryk (Symposium Co-Chairs) Links: ------ [1] https://rettungsrobotik.de/en/symposium/ [2] https://rettungsrobotik.de/en/rettungsrobotiktage/

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