Dr. Fuchun Sun from Tsinghua University is visiting Social Robotics Laboratory. He gave a seminar this afternoon at Faculty of Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, NUS.

 Abstract of the lecture

In this talk, a new modeling approach, called fuzzy singularly perturbed model (FSPM), is developed for space robots with flexible arms. Its universal approximation, necessary condition and controllability analysis are also given. Then, novel planning algorithms are proposed for space robots with two flexible arms, and some special cases, such as vibration suppression and joint failure, are considered. Next, advanced control approaches based on FSPM are also developed for space robots. Finally, a simulation system is introduced for the technical verification of space robots, and some experimental results are given.

Biography of Dr. Fuchun Sun

Dr. Fuchun Sun received PhD degree from the Department of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, in 1998. He worked over four years for the Department of Automatic Control at Naval Aeronautical Engineering Academy. From 1998 to 2000 he was a Postdoctoral Fellow of the Department of Automation at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. Now he is a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. His research interests include intelligent control, networked control system and management, neural networks, fuzzy systems, nonlinear systems and robotics. He has authored or coauthored two books and over 100 papers which have appeared in various journals and conference proceedings.

Dr. Sun is the recipient of the excellent Doctoral Dissertation Prize of China in 2000 and the Choon-Gang Academic Award by Korea in 2003, and was recognized as a Distinguished Young Scholar in 2006 by the Natural Science Foundation of China. He has been a member of the Technical Committee on Intelligent Control of the IEEE Control System Society since 2006. He serves as an associated editor of IEEE Trans.on Neural Networks and a member of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Soft Computing－A Fusion of Foundations, Methodologies and Applications.

Objective
The TechX Challenge is a competition organised by DSTA, Singapore’s national authority for defence science and technology.

It aims to inspire and engage the wider community of engineers and technologists, challenging them to defy conventional thinking and stretch the boundary of science and technology for defence and national security.

This is in line with DSTA’s overall strategy to develop greater indigenous capacity for innovation in R&D to sharpen the technological edge for Singapore’s defence.

Overview
The first TechX Challenge is a race among autonomous robots in an urban setting.

The developers of the autonomous robot that completes all the stipulated tasks most quickly within a specified time will be awarded a prize of S$1 million.

The TechX Challenge includes a review of eligibility, a qualifying round, with the final competition scheduled in August 2008. The layout of the site chosen for the final round of the competition will only be made known very close to or on the day of the finals itself.

Team X-1
Team X-1 comprising a joint team from lecturers and students from the NUS and staff from Institute for Infocomm Research lead by S.S.Ge on being selected as one of the 5 finalists in the TechX Challenge qualifying round.

The TechX Challenge Finals
Six robots from the six finalist teams competed at the inaugural TechX Challenge finals held on Sunday 21 September at the Republic Polytechnic. Each of the robots was required to navigate from an outdoor urban location to an indoor environment, autonomously. Along the way, the robot had to overcome obstacles, negotiate stairs, take an elevator to a designated floor, search and engage designated targets before navigating to the finish point.

A Robotics Showcase was held. The showcase featured how robots had been deployed for defence and national security since the 1970s, and the more recent efforts to develop robots that could perform a wider range of operational roles. Many visitors, particularly the young ones, were also thrilled by being able to operate a real-life robot in an obstacle course.
The TechX Challenge finals and its accompanying Robotics Showcase drew over 1000 visitors.

TechX Challenge succeeded in its aim to inspire and engage the wider community of engineers and technologists for defence and national security, and to promote interest in defence science and technology.

TechX Challenge Results
The six teams assembled as early as 7.00 am to get their robots ready. Many supporters turned up in their team t-shirts and added to the air of excitement and anticipation. The Minister for Defence, Mr Teo Chee Hean flagged off the event with the first robot X-1, followed by Sharp Shooter, xWarrior, TP Robot, and Uni-Seeker. The entry from SP-University of Freiburg withdrew at the last minute.

The TechX Challenge Trophy and $1 million prize were not awarded as the competing robots did not complete all the stipulated tasks.

主页: www.robochina.cn
委员会: www.rcccaa.org

中国机器人大赛暨RoboCup公开赛是中国最具影响力，最权威的机器人技术大赛、学术大会和展览，基本覆盖了中国现有最顶级的机器人专家和众多日本、美国、德国知名机器人学者，为当今中国、乃至亚洲机器人尖端技术产业竞赛和国际顶尖人才汇集的活动之一。大赛从1999年开始已举办了九届，北京、上海、广州、合肥、苏州、济南等地成功举办了历届大赛。2007年在济南举办的第九届大赛有413支参赛队伍，包括美、日、德、英国、新加坡等10个国家和港澳台地区队伍，110余所院校大多来自国家重点大学和科研院所，1200多名国内外顶尖人才参加30多个项目的比赛，比赛场地超过1.5万平米。国家科技部、科协、科学院、工程院、教育部、中国高等教育学会、中国自动化学会、国家863机器人专家组、国家863先进制造与自动化技术领域等众多权威专家、院士和领导。

RoboCup公开赛是国际RoboCup机器人世界杯赛全球五大赛事之一，RoboCup机器人世界杯赛是世界上规模最大、水平最高、影响最广泛的机器人科技赛和学术大会，自1997年开始举办来每年一度的机器人世界杯赛，在日本举办过三届、美国举办过二届、德国、法国、瑞典、澳大利亚、意大利、葡萄牙各举办过一届，最近三届大赛和展览面积都超过3万平米，有50多个发达国家、500多家世界一流高校和科研所、300多家世界著名企业、厂商和服务商亲临参赛参展。2008年7月16-20日第十二届大赛首次在中国苏州举办并取得圆满成功。

最近两届中国机器人大赛，央视新闻联播都有报道和现场直播，人民日报、新华网、科技日报等国内国际权威、专业媒体有系列报道，地方媒体则在比赛期间大时段、连续报道。2008年赛事和展览合作伙伴也由原来的AMD、三菱电机、联想、新科、新浪、中国电信、中央电视台、凤凰卫视、计算机世界媒体集团等增至即将合作的微软、Intel、IBM、Renesas、iFreescale、摩托罗拉、富士康、海尔等国际机器人企业。

2008第十届中国机器人大赛暨RoboCup公开赛、第二届中国国际机器人展暨高峰论坛、第八届中国(中山)国际电子信息产品与技术展览会同期在12月5-7日在中山举办，必将推动广东、珠三角乃至中国的电子信息、装备制造业、精密机械、人工智能与自动化等尖端科技产业发展，必将对广东高等教育发展、科技体育和国际顶尖人才的引进产生积极作用。

附件：
– 2008中国机器人大赛暨RoboCup公开赛
– 机器人技术与发展论坛安排
– 费用方面的说明
– 开会通知

The International Conference on Social Robotics is a conference for scientists, researchers, and practitioners to report and discuss the latest progress of their forefront research and findings in social robotics, as well as interactions with human beings and integration into our society. The inaugural conference was held in Incheon, Korea under the FIRA Robo- World Congress 2009; and this year, the beautiful city garden of Singapore is proud to be the host for ICSR 2010.

The conference welcomes original, peer reviewed papers and contributions describing technically rigorous scientific and philosophical advances in social robots, and their interactions and communications with humans, especially innovative ideas and concepts, new discoveries and improvements, as well as novel applications on the latest fundamental advances in the core technologies that form the backbone of social robotics, distinguished developmental projects, as well as seminal works in aesthetic design, ethics and philosophy, studies on social impact and influence pertaining to social robotics, and its interaction and communication with human being and its social impact on our society.

Call For Papers

 

*International Conference on Social Robotics (ICSR) 2011* November 24-25, 2011, Amsterdam, The Netherlands http://www.icsr2011.org, http://icsr2011.org/poster.pdf

 

The International Conference on Social Robotics brings researchers and practitioners together to report on and discuss the state-of-the-art research in the field of social robotics. The conference focuses particularly on social interaction between humans and robots, the integration of robots into our society, and the design of next generation social robot interfaces and systems.

 

The theme of the 2011 conference is “Alive!” It expresses the vitality of the social robotics research, paying particular attention to the development of robots that appear increasingly social — the point that people perceive them to be alive. The conference aims to foster discussion on the development of computational models, robotic embodiments, and behavior that enable robots to act socially and the impact that social robots have on people and their social and physical environment.

 

*Full Papers*

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The conference welcomes rigorous, original research work that makes scientific, technical, and/or philosophical contributions. Submissions will be evaluated for scientific and intellectual merit through a rigorous peer-review process. Authors of top papers will be invited to expand their work for publication in the International Journal of Social Robotics. We encourage multidisciplinary work that combines knowledge and methods from computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, psychology, sociology, anthropology, design, and philosophy. We also encourage the integration of scientific and practical perspectives such as how social robots might improve practices in health, wellbeing, rehabilitation, and education. Studies may report on technological developments, innovative ideas, new discoveries, and practical applications.

 

*Tutorials*

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The conference will also feature tutorials that aim at training the next generation of social robotics researchers. Experts in the field will offer the tutorials and cover overviews of related work and multidisciplinary research methods in social robotics. We invite senior researchers to propose tutorials and students and others who would like to expand their knowledge of social robotics and tools for conducting research in this area to participate.

 

*Design Competition*

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Finally, the conference will also invite contributions to a robot design competition. The competition will follow the conference theme “Alive!” and aim at creating the social robot of year 2020 where robots are integrated into the human physical and social environments and offer their users natural, fluent, and purposeful interactions. The submissions can be conceptual or work-in-progress prototypes, but must contribute to “social” robots. Competition entries will be evaluated during the conference by an international panel of experts in robot design.

 

*Organizers*

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Standing Committee:

Sam Ge (National University of Singapore, Singapore), Chair Maja Mataric (University of South California, USA) Haizhou Li (A*Star, Singapore) Jong-Hwan Kim (KAIST, Korea)

 

General Chairs:

Vanessa Evers (University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands) Jaap Ham (Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands) Takayuki Kanda (ATR IRC, Japan)

 

Program Chairs:

Christoph Bartneck (University of Canterbury, New Zealand) Bilge Mutlu (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA)

 

Tutorials Chair:

Martin Saerbeck (A*STAR, Singapore)

 

Design Competition Chair:

Henrik Scharfe (Aalborg University, Denmark)

 

Publication Chair:

Dana Kulic (University of Waterloo, Canada)

 

Exhibition Chair:

Astrid Weiss (University of Salzburg, Austria)

 

Finance Chair:

Birna Reimsdijk (TU Delft, The Netherlands)

 

Website Chair:

David van der Pol (Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands)

 

*Submission*

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Submissions must be made in the PDF format and follow the Springer LNCS style for the layout. Templates for MS Word and LaTeX are available on the conference website. Full papers are limited to ten A4 sized pages. The conference proceedings will be published by Springer and included in its online archives.

 

*Important Dates*

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Paper and tutorial submissions: June 1, 2011

Notification of acceptance: August 1, 2011

Final manuscript submission: September 7, 2011

Conference: November 24-25, 2011

 

Full details can be found on the conference website (http://www.icsr2011.org). A PDF conference poster can be download at http://icsr2011.org/poster.pdf.

It is our pleasure to invite you to the International Conference on Social Robotics, which will be held at Chengdu, China, in October 29-31, 2012.

International Conference on Social Robotics (ICSR 2012)

 

Call For Papers – 2nd Call

29-31 October 2012

Chengdu, China

Official Web Page: www.icsoro.org

Enquiries: sec.icsr@gmail.com

 

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IMPORTANT DATES/DEADLINES

Invited Session Proposal Submission: 1 April 2012 20 April 2012

Regular/Invited Paper Submission: 1 May 2012

Demonstration Proposal Submission: 6 June 2012

Notification of Paper Acceptance: 15 July 2012

Final Manuscript Submission: 15 August 2012

Registration, Social Tour and Reception Party: 28 October 2012

Conference: 29-31 October 2012

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ICSR2012 Theme: Wellness

 

The International Conference on Social Robotics brings researchers and practitioners together to report and discuss the latest progress in the field of social robotics. The ICSR conferences focus on the interaction between humans and robots and the integration of robots into our society.

 

The theme of the 2012 conference is “Wellness.” This theme gives focus on the potential and capabilities of social robots to assist humans achieve better physical, mental and emotional health and wellness. The conference aims to foster discussion on the development of computational models, robotic embodiments, and behavior that enable social robots to have an impact on the human partner’s health and well-being.

 

The conference welcomes original, peer reviewed papers and contributions describing technically rigorous scientific and philosophical advances in social robots, and their interactions and communications with humans, especially innovative ideas and concepts, new discoveries and improvements, as well as novel applications on the latest fundamental advances in the core technologies that form the backbone of social robotics, distinguished developmental projects, as well as seminal works in aesthetic design, ethics and philosophy, studies on social impact and influence pertaining to social robotics, and its interaction and communication with human being and its social impact on our society.

 

The topics of interest include, but are not limited to the following:

– Interaction and collaboration among robots, humans, and environments

– Robots to assist the elderly and persons with disabilities

– Socially assistive robots to improve quality of life

– Affective and cognitive sciences for socially interactive robots

– Personal robots for the home

– Social acceptance and impact in the society

– Robot ethics in human society

– Context awareness, expectation, and intention understanding

– Control architectures for social robotics

– Socially appealing design methodologies

– Safety in robots working in human spaces

– Human augmentation, rehabilitation, and medical robots

– Robot applications in education, entertainment, and gaming

 

SUBMISSION OF PAPERS

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Submissions must be made in the PDF format and follow the Springer LNCS/LNAI style for the layout. LNCS style templates are available on the Springer LNCS website. Manuscripts are limited to ten (10) A4 size papers. Detailed instructions for paper submission are available at www.icsoro.org. All papers will be refereed by the program committee.

 

Conference proceedings will be published by Springer. Selected papers will be invited for publication as a Special Issue in the International Journal of Social Robotics.

 

SPECIAL SESSIONS

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Participants can submit proposals for invited sessions that consist of a collection of invited papers with a common theme. Proposals for invited sessions consist of (1) a proposed title for the session; (2) a brief 2-3 paragraph summary for the session explaining the goal of the session and the overarching themes of the invited papers; and (3) a list of papers with contributing authors and tentative abstracts for the papers.

 

EXHIBITIONS

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Participants who would like to exhibit their interactive demonstrations at the conference site please prepare 1 page summary about the demonstration and email sec.icsr@gmail.com. Exhibition booth will be allocated to demonstrations approved by the ICSR2012 organizing committee.

 

ROBOT DESIGN COMPETITION

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There will be a competition to draw creative ideas on industrial designs in social or service robotics. Prizes will be awarded to the shortlisted designs.

 

Information about the submission of proposals, templates and arrangement information are available at the conference’s website www.icsoro.org.

 

We look forward to meeting you at ICSR 2012 in Chengdu.

 

Sincerely,

Shuzhi Sam Ge and Oussama Khatib, General Chairs

John-John Cabibihan, Reid Simmons and Mary-Anne Williams, Program Chairs