Tutorials and Workshops

Hyper Bio Assembler for 3D Cellular Innovation

• Prof. Tatsuo Arai, Osaka University, Japan (arai@sys.es.osaka-u.ac.jp)
• Prof. Toshio Fukuda, Meijo University, Japan (tofukuda@meijo-u.ac.jp)
• Prof. Fumihito Arai, Nagoya University, Japan (arai@mech.nagoya-u.ac.jp)
• Prof. Masayuki Yamato, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Japan (myamato@abmes.twmu.ac.jp)
• Prof. Makoto Kaneko, Osaka University, Japan (mk@mech.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp)

Abstract. The main purpose of this workshop is to discuss a new and innovative methodology: Bio Assembler. This methodology is intended for creating 3D cellular systems such as functional tissue in vitro environments, in which active functional cells selected from a living organism are used to create the 3D cellular system. This new methodology will bring innovation to the next generation of tissue engineering and will become the world’s first creation of 3D cellular system in vitro environments. This innovation will be achieved by developing a methodology of hyper micro-nano measurement and control. The outcome of this innovation will bring great technological advancements to both engineering and life science field.

The research consists of three areas: (1) Hyper measurement and separation of useful active cells, (2) Hyper assembling of 3D cellular system from selected active cells, and (3) Analysis and evaluation of 3D cellular systems. The technical development and theory in these fields will bring progress and systematization to biological science as well as micro-nano engineering science.

The workshop consists of invited talks relating to the 3D cellular system assembling and its characteristics measurement based on micro-nano robotics. And, some bioscience and medical researchers will be invited to present their latest research topics related to micro-nano robotics. It will discuss the topics in the deep wide aspects through this workshop.

List of Topics

• High speed cell and tissue characteristics measurement
• High speed cell and tissue separation
• High speed cell and tissue manipulation
• High speed cellular system assemble
• Analysis and evaluation of cellular system

• Prof. Tatsuo Arai, Osaka University, Japan
• Prof. Fumihito Arai, Nagoya University, Japan
• Prof. Toshio Fukuda, Meijo University, Japan
• Prof. Masayuki Yamato, Tokyo Women’s Medical University, Japan
• Prof. Makoto Kaneko, Osaka University, Japan
• Prof. Shoji Takeuchi, University of Tokyo, Japan

From Remotely-Controlled to Autonomous-Collaborative Robots

• Dr. Matteo Fumagalli, University of Twente, Netherlands (m.fumagalli@utwente.nl)
• Abeje Y. Mersha, University of Twente, Netherlands (a.y.mersha@utwente.nl)
• Dr. Fredrik Heintz, Linköping University, Sweden (fredrik.heintz@liu.se)

Abstract. The use of unmanned vehicles has been investigated mostly as single autonomous and/or remotely piloted system. New developments are shifting the line of research towards the cooperation of multiple heterogeneous vehicles. The capabilities of heterogeneous robotic agents performing collaborative tasks, by means of physical interaction, information sharing and/or dynamic action planning, drastically increase the application spectrum that these robotic vehicles can be considered for. As a consequent advantage of their increasing autonomy, the human becomes capable to manage and direct a larger number of robots. Nevertheless, to effectively utilize their real potentials in realistic scenarios, deep understanding of the dynamic behaviors, technological and morphological limitations, but also of the capabilities and skills of both the individual agents and the collaborative group, is fundamental.

This workshop aims at unifying and advancing the current research on agile and dexterous unmanned vehicles, for their future development and effective use as teams of collaborative robots in real applications. The workshop wants to draw new research lines leading to the exploitation of teams of intelligent swarms of heterogeneous robots capable of achieving collaborative tasks. The role of the human as a remote supervisor or active player in the scene will also be extensively discussed.

List of Topics

• Collaborative human robot scenarios,
• Heterogeneity as a key feature for collaboration,
• Dynamic planning of multi-agent cooperation,
• From data sharing to physical interaction,
• Human in the loop, Teleoperation and Autonomous Control

• Prof. Lorenzo Marconi, University of Bologna, Italy
• Prof. Stefano Stramigioli, University of Twente, Netherlands
• Prof. Vijay Kumar, University of Pennsylvania, US
• Prof. Alexander Kleiner, Linköping University, Sweden
• Prof. Lynne E. Parker, University of Tennessee, US
• Dr. Paul Furgale, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
• Prof. Paul E.I. Pounds, University of Queensland, US

Towards Social Humanoid Robots: How to Make Interaction Human-like?

• Dr. Lorenzo Jamone, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Portugal (ljamone@isr.ist.utl.pt)
• Dr. Alessandra Sciutti, Italian Institute of Technology (alessandra.sciutti@iit.it)
• Dr. Francesco Nori, Italian Institute of Technology (francesco.nori@iit.it)
• Prof. Alexandre Bernardino, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Portugal (alex@isr.ist.utl.pt)
• Prof. Giulio Sandini, Italian Institute of Technology (giulio.sandini@iit.it)

Abstract. The goal of this full-day workshop is to depict the current state of the art concerning the development of social interaction skills in humanoid robots, standing from a multi-disciplinary point of view, and to sketch the main challenges and future directions of the field. In particular, we will try to answer the following questions:

• what is human-likeness in humanoid robots?
• which are the aspects of human-likeness that are more relevant for interaction?
• should robots develop and learn in the same way as humans do in order to be perceived as human-like?
• which aspects of the Uncanny Valley beyond the mere appearance should be taken into consideration? Motor control? Cognitive abilities? Communication skills?
• what are the aspects of human-human interaction that can/should be implemented in the human-robot context?

List of Topics

• Social development in humans and primates
• Analysis of human movements and behaviors
• Mechanisms of imitation, cooperation and learning
• Humanoid robotics
• Cognitive developmental robotics
• Social robotics
• Human-robot interaction
• Emotion expression and communication
• Joint attention
• Motor learning and control

• Masako Myowa-Yamakoshi. Development and evolutionary foundation of human mind: new perspectives on cognitive development in humans from the prenatal period.
• Nadia Berthouze. What does your body tell me... Oh …and what does it tell you?
• Thierry Chaminade. Using social cognitive neuroscience tools to understand human-robot interactions (...and viceversa).
• Atsuo Takanishi. Some aspects of humanoid robot design.
• Giulio Sandini. Human-robot interaction: the role of imagination.
• Takayuki Kanda. Interacting with humanoid robots: field observations.
• Yukie Nagai. Designing teachable robots: how to take multidimensionality of mind perception into account.
• Francesco Nori. Passive compliance as a mean to get human-like physical interaction in humanoid robots.

Cloud Robotics: Online Knowledge Bases, Web Services, and Cloud Computing for Robots

• Markus Waibel, ETH Zurich, Switzerland (mwaibel@ethz.ch)
• Ken Goldberg, UC Berkeley, USA (goldberg@berkeley.edu)
• Javier Civera, Uni. Zaragoza, Spain (jcivera@unizar.es)
• Alper Aydemir, NASA JPL
• Matei Ciocarlie, Willow Garage, USA (matei@willowgarage.com)
• Mohanarajah Gajamohan, ETH Zurich, Switzerland (gajan@ethz.ch)

Abstract. Cloud Robotics is an emerging field of robotics rooted in cloud computing, cloud storage, and other Internet technologies centered around the benefits of converged infrastructure and shared services. Driven by the rapid progress of wireless technology and availability of data centers, recent years have seen the rapid development of software frameworks and services that allow robots to leverage the powerful computational, storage, and communications infrastructure of modern data centers – the giant server farms behind the likes of Google, Facebook, and Amazon – for robotics tasks and robot learning. The same technological advances also beg for a new family of algorithms to process, plan, and learn from the immense amounts to data gathered by today’s robots.

This two-part workshop will provide an overview of the state-of-the-art, provide a platform for discussion and exchange of ideas, and allow researchers to gain hands-on experience with Cloud Robotics tools.

List of Topics

• Cloud Computing for Robots.
• Online Knowledge Bases.
• Reuse of knowledge.
• Massive data for robots.
• Web Services for robots.
• Cloud Robotics design choices.

• Michael Beetz, TU Bremen, Germany
• Johnny Lee, Google Inc., USA
• Larry Matthies, NASA – JPL, USA
• Matei Ciocarlie/Kaijen Hsiao, Willow Garage, USA
• Sarah Osentoski, Bosch, USA/Germany

Part 2 (Hands-on): Hands-on session, live demonstrations, and discussions.
This part will provide an opportunity to try out and experiment with a state-of-the-art Cloud Computing Platforms and services. It will also include live demonstrations of Cloud Robotics services.

Biologically Inspired Based Strategies for Hybrid and Multi-Modal Locomotion

• Kin Huat LOW, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (mkhlow@ntu.edu.sg)
• Tianjiang HU, National University of Defense Technology (NUDT), China (t.j.hu@nudt.edu.cn)
• Mirko KOVAC, Imperial College London, UK (m.kovac@imperial.ac.uk)
• Samer MOHAMMED, University of Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC), France (samer.mohammed@u-pec.fr)
• James TANGORRA, Drexel University, USA (tangorra@coe.drexel.edu)

Abstract. This workshop intends to deal with the challenges of applying biologically based concepts to improve the capabilities of robots with a particular focus on hybrid and multi-modal locomotion in air, water and on ground. Indeed, recent advances in biorobotics have reduced the gap between robotists and biologists, as mechatronic systems and robots are controlled in a way that reflects better understanding of the complex living organisms. Nevertheless, the gap remains huge. These challenges must be overcome if we are to significantly reduce the performance gap that exists between biological and robotic systems. In addition to low-power systems and portability, which are vital challenges that limit substantially any successful biorobotic based application the proposed paradigms should also take into account issues related to scalability and security.

The proposed workshop will gather scientist and engineer researchers from different backgrounds to discuss and learn about this highly interdisciplinary field. The workshop will be divided into five sessions with four keynote speakers, thirteen invited speakers and about ten posters.

List of Topics

• Multi-modal ground robots
• Multi-modal locomotion dynamics
• Swimming and amphibian robots
• Multi-modal aerial robots

• Bionspiration locomotion dynamics: an overview, Frédéric BOYER, Ecole des Mines de Nantes, France (Frederic.Boyer@irccyn.ec-nantes.fr)
• Multimodal locomotion in the salamander: from biology to robotics, Auke IJSPEERT, EPFL, Switzerland (auke.ijspeert@epfl.ch)
• Unraveling the biofluidynamics of flight as an inspiration for design, David LENTINK, Stanford University, USA (dlentink@stanford.edu)
• Jumping-gliding based bio-Inspired multi-locomotion robots, Metin SITTI, Carnegie Mellon University, USA (msitti@andrew.cmu.edu)

• Hilary Bart-Smith, Univ. of Virginia, USA
• Kyu Jin Cho, Seoul National Univ., Korea
• Jonathan Clark, FAMU/FSU, USA
• Dario Floreano, EPFL, Switzerland
• Fumiya Iida, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
• Sangbae Kim, MIT, USA
• Kyoungchul Kong, Sogang Univ., Korea
• Mirko Kovac, Imperial College London, UK
• Kin Huat Low, Nanyang Tech. Univ., Singapore
• Matt Spenko, Illinois Institute of Technology, USA Hiroto Tanaka, Chiba Univ., Japan
• James Tangorra, Drexel Univ., USA
• Florentin Wörgötter, Univ. of Göttingen, Germany
• Tianjiang Hu, NUDT, China
• Samer Mohammed, UPEC, France

Towards a Robot-enabled, Neuroscience-guided Healthy Society

• Dr. Emre Ugur, University of Innsbruck, Austria (emre.ugur@uibk.ac.at)
• Prof. Erhan Oztop, Ozyegin University, Turkey (erhan.oztop@ozyegin.edu.tr)
• Dr. Jun Morimoto, ATR, Japan (xmorimoto@atr.jp)
• Prof. Shin Ishii, Kyoto University, Japan (ishii@i.kyoto-u.ac.jp)

Abstract. We are experiencing fast paced developments in robotics and neural sciences. Robots are becoming more and more part of our daily lives; in the near future they will be with us as companions, caregivers, and smart prosthetics. The progress in neural sciences is accelerated by brain imaging, clever behavioral experimentation and technical advancements such as multi-electrode recordings and better neuroinformatics tools. Now the neuroscientific knowledge is more easily accessible and available for building robotic systems that can exhibit the robustness, adaptability and intelligence of humans. Reciprocally, significant developments in robotics and machine learning put robotics in the service of neuroscience as experimental platforms or test-beds of brain models. We are witnessing the growth of a solid interdisciplinary research frontier, which on one hand uses neuroscience for better robotics and intelligent systems, and on the other hand, uses robotics to better understand human cognition and intelligence. With this workshop, we aim to bring in the pioneers in this frontier for further fostering this interdisciplinary effort by facilitating the exchange of ideas among researchers from diverse fields

List of Topics

• Brain like adaptation
• Brain robot interfaces (BRI)
• Assistive systems
• Experimental platforms for investigating brain functions
• Feed-forward and feedback interfaces
• Novel actuation and sensory systems
• Companion Robots
• Brain like cognition
• Models of sensorimotor learning
• Motor control

• Prof. Minoru Asada, Osaka University, Japan
• Dr. Jan Babic, Jozef Stefan Institute, Slovenia
• Dr. Daniel Callan, NICT, Japan
• Prof. Auke Ijspeert, EPFL, Switzerland
• Dr. Motoaki Kawanabe, ATR,
• Prof. Abderrahmane Kheddar, AIST, Japan
• Prof. Thomas Mergner, Neurologische Klinik, Germany
• Prof. Akira Murata, Kinki University, Japan
• Dr. Tomoyuki Noda, ATR, Japan
• Prof. Helge Ritter, Bielefeld University, Germany
• Joern Vogel, DLR, Germany
• Prof. Florentin Worgotter, Univ. of Goettingen, Germany

RAS-IARP Joint Workshop on Technical Challenges for Dependable Robots in Human Environments

• Kohtaro Ohba, AIST, Japan (k.ohba@aist.go.jp)
• Kiyoshi Fujiwara, AIST, Japan (k-fujiwara@aist.go.jp)
• Geoffrey Biggs, AIST, Japan (geoffrey.biggs@aist.go.jp)
• Kazuhito Yokoi, AIST, Japan (kazuhito.yokoi@aist.go.jp)

Abstract. The safety of robots is a topic of increasing prominence in the robotics community. As robots move into closer proximity to humans, so too does the need for a more flexible approach to safety than isolation. The IARP and RAS have held a regular workshop on robot safety since 2001. The focus of this workshop will be on evaluation of robot safety. The objective of the workshop will be to inform researchers interested in robot safety of the state of the art in evaluating the performance of robot safety features (``functional safety''), and provide a forum for discussing valid evaluation techniques, the exchange of empirical evaluation data, and future research directions. The workshop is targeted at both academic researchers working on safety evaluation techniques, and at commercial parties interested in how to demonstrate the safety of their products.

List of Topics

• Performance evaluation of safety features
• Theoretical foundations of robot dependability
• Actuators and sensors for dependable robots
• Algorithms for fault detection, identification, and recovery
• Human factors for robotics & human-centered robot design
• Human-robot safe physical interaction
• Dependable, autonomous and mixed-initiative, decision making
• Case-studies on robot dependability in emerging application domains
• Ethical and social implications of the introduction of Robotics in Human Environments

• Sami Haddadin, DLR, Germany
• Yoji Yamada, Nagoya University, Japan
• Ryo Hanai, National Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, Japan
• Geoffrey Biggs, National Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, Japan
• Makoto Oguchi, Japan Automobile Research Institute, Japan
• Hiroyasu Ikeda, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Japan
• Masahiro Kato, MSTC, Japan

5th Workshop on Planning, Perception and Navigation for Intelligent Vehicles

• Prof. Philippe Martinet, Ecole Centrale de Nantes, France (Philippe.Martinet@irccyn.ec-nantes.fr)
• Research Director Christian Laugier, INRIA, France (Christian.Laugier@inrialpes.fr)
• Prof. Urbano Nunes, University of Coimbra, Portugal (urbano@deec.uc.pt)
• Prof. Christoph Stiller, Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Germany (stiller@lit.edu)
• Prof. Philippe Bonnifait, University of Technology of Compiègne, France (philippe.bonnifait@hds.utc.fr)

Abstract. The purpose of this workshop is to discuss topics related to the challenging problems of autonomous navigation and of driving assistance in open and dynamic environments. Technologies related to application fields such as unmanned outdoor vehicles or intelligent road vehicles will be considered from both the theoretical and technological point of views. Several research questions located on the cutting edge of the state of the art will be addressed. Among the many application areas that robotics is addressing, transportation of people and goods seem to be a domain that will dramatically benefit from intelligent automation. Fully automatic driving is emerging as the approach to dramatically improve efficiency while at the same time leading to the goal of zero fatalities. This workshop will address robotics technologies, which are at the very core of this major shift in the automobile paradigm. Technologies related to this area, such as autonomous outdoor vehicles, achievements, challenges and open questions would be presented.

List of Topics

• Road scene understanding, Lane detection and lane keeping,
• Pedestrian and vehicle detection,
• Detection, tracking and classification,
• Feature extraction and feature selection,
• Cooperative techniques,
• Collision prediction and avoidance,
• Advanced driver assistance systems ,
• Environment perception, vehicle localization and autonomous navigation,
• Real-time perception and sensor fusion,
• SLAM in dynamic environments,
• Mapping and maps for navigation,
• Real-time motion planning in dynamic environments,
• 3D Modeling and reconstruction ,
• Human-Robot Interaction ,
• Behavior modeling and learning,
• Robust sensor-based 3D reconstruction,
• Modeling and Control of mobile robot,
• Multi-agent based architectures,
• Cooperative unmanned vehicles (not restricted to ground transportation),
• Multi autonomous vehicles studies, models, techniques and simulations

• New Concepts in Robotic Mapping: PHD Filter SLAM, Prof. Martin Adams (Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile)
• Vision-Controlled Micro Aerial Vehicles: from "calm" navigation to "aggressive" maneuvers, Prof. Davide Scaramuzza (ETHZ, Zurich, Switzerland)
• Intention Aware Planning for Autonomous Vehicles, Prof. Tirthankar Bandyopadhyay (SMART (MIT), Singapore)
• Road Scenes Understanding and Risk Assessment using Embedded Bayesian Perception, Prof. Christian Laugier (INRIA, Grenoble, France)

Physical Assistive Devices: Model-based Simulation and Optimization

• Prof. Katja Mombaur, University of Heidelberg, Germany (kmombaur@uni-hd.de)
• Dr. Angelika Peer, Technische Universität München, Germany (angelika.peer@tum.de)
• Prof. Tamim Asfour, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany (asfour@kit.edu)

Abstract. Physical assistive devices such as mobility aids, exoskeletons or orthoses form an important field of robotics and have received a growing attention over the past years. The design and control of such systems is a challenging task since physical assistive devices stay in close contact with humans and have to adapt their behavior to the current user state and user needs. This requires fundamental understanding of human motor control and coordination mechanisms under normal and pathological conditions as well as online observation and identification of the current user state and intention to reliably adjust the assistive device behavior and to provide appropriate support. Model-based simulation and optimization can be very powerful tools in this context and will be the main topic of this workshop. We will focus on computational tools and the underlying mathematical methods as well as modeling approaches with the main aim of giving an overview of the state of the art in this field and of highlighting future directions. The workshop particularly aims at joining experts for different physical assistive devices, i.e. mobility aids, exoskeletons and orthoses to share common problems and approaches between these fields.

List of Topics

• Dynamic modeling of physical assistive devices
• Human biomechanics models and models of human motor control
• Model parameter identification and optimal experimental design
• Model-based control of physical assistive devices
• Design optimization of physical assistive devices
• Efficient simulation and optimization methods for online use
• Efficient modeling and optimization tools

• Neville Hogan, MIT, USA
• Massimo Sartori, University of Göttingen, Germany
• Kin Huat Low, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
• Tim Bretl, University of Illinois, USA
• Dirk Lefeber, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
• Kazuhiro Kosuge (or co-worker), Tohoku University, Japan
• Andre Seyfarth (or co-worker), TU Darmstadt, Germany
• Katja Mombaur, University of Heidelberg, Germany
• Angelika Peer, TU München, Germany
• Tamim Asfour, KIT, Germany

Healthcare Robotics and Wearable Systems

• Prof. Jun Ueda, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA (jun.ueda@me.gatech.edu)
• Prof. Ashish D. Deshpande, The University of Texas at Austin, USA (ashish@austin.utexas.edu)
• Prof. H. Harry Asada, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA (asada@mit.edu)

Abstract. Recent developments in human assistive systems and wearable robots have led to a number of exciting ideas and innovations toward improvements in quality of life and rehabilitation services for the human subjects. Wearable robots including powered lifting devices that aid human operators in manipulating heavy loads and rehabilitation exoskeletons result in a physical contact between the operator and machine, thus creating a coupled dynamic system. The successful integration of such devices requires sound understanding of the coupled dynamic, estimation of human intention, and control of the coupled system. Challenges also span areas such as physiology, psychology, neuroscience, and medicine. The primary objectives of this invited session are to identify challenges and opportunities in the design and control of human assistive systems and wearable robots, and to promote a discussion among participants. The workshop will explore the long-term perspective of robotics research in the area of health care, biological systems, and rehabilitation, and at the same time will consider mid-term applications. Speakers who are actively working in this area will discuss potentials of the field, and the new opportunities and challenges.

List of Topics

• Exoskeleton robots and power-assisting devices
• Robot-assisted diagnostic and therapeutic procedures
• Haptic device design, control, and stability analysis
• Physiological and psychological analysis of human-robot interaction
• Sensors and actuators for wearable devices
• Human safety mechanisms
• Augmentation of motor and sensory functions
• Rehabilitation robotics

• Prof. Sunil Agrawal, Columbia University
• Profs. Toshio Tsuji and Yuichi Kurita, Hiroshima University
• Dr. Arash Ajoudani, Italian Institute of Technology
• Prof. Robert Riener, ETH Zurich
• Prof. Jun Ueda, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Prof. Harry Asada, MIT
• Prof. Ashish Deshpande, University of Texas at Austin

Robotics and Automation in Nuclear Facilities

• Prof. Yoshihiko Nakamura, University of Tokyo, Japan (nakamura@ynl.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp)
• Prof. William Hamel, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA (whamel@utk.edu)
• Prof. Raja Chatila, University Pierre and Marie Curie, Paris, France (Raja.Chatila@laas.fr)
• Prof. Hajime Asama, University of Tokyo, Japan (asama@robot.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp)

Abstract. This is the first workshop formally organized by RAS Technical Committee on Robotics and Automation in Nuclear Facilities. The objectives of this workshop is to bring together the experts who work on the decommissioning of nuclear facilities at TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, and the researchers, engineers, and graduate students who study in the relevant fields in robotics and intelligent systems, share the update of decommission and discuss on technology developments, cooperation in international community, social ICT for emergency advising, co-developments, and archiving. Decommissioning of TEPCO Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant is reported to take three or four decades. In order to decommission the facility and process the nuclear fuel, debris, and contaminant by minimizing the human exposure to the radioactive environments, the mid-to-long-term research and development are asked to the community of robotics and automation technology. Not only for the decommissioning, it is also asked whether the technology of our age can make the nuclear power safe and affordable energy source for the human society. The readiness of robotics and automation technology would be an indispensable condition when the question is answered in a positive way.

List of Topics

1. Update of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant
2. Robotics and technology for decommissioning
   • mobility and mechanisms
   • grasp and manipulation
   • multimodal measurements
   • mapping and geometric reasoning
   • planning and simulation
   • teleoperation and communication
3. Social networking for engineers and experts

Researchers, engineers, graduate students who study, develop, and work in the fields of robotics and intelligent systems and are interested in applications to nuclear decommissioning.

Cognitive Robotics and Systems (CRS13) - Replicating Human Actions and Activities

• Gabriele Bleser, German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, Germany (bleser@dfki.uni-kl.de)
• Maya Cakmak, Willow Garage, USA (maya@cc.gatech.edu)
• Dima Damen, University of Bristol, UK (dima.damen@bristol.ac.uk)
• Renaud Detry, University of Liege, Belgium (renaud.detry@ulg.ac.be)
• Lazaros Nalpantidis, Aalborg University Copenhagen, Denmark (lanalpa@m-tech.aau.dk)
• Mustafa Suphi Erden, Ecole Polytechnique de Lausanne, Switzerland (mustafasuphi.erden@epfl.ch)

Abstract. While current robotic systems are getting closer to repeating a carefully-coded action, they are still far from human’s versatility and adaptability. Future robotic systems are expected to exhibit a level of cognition whereby they can replicate human activities, taking into consideration their own capabilities and limitations. In essence, robots are expected to be capable of understanding, generalizing, empathizing and replicating human behavior.

List of Topics

• Robot imitation and learning by demonstration,
• Symbiotic interaction between robots and humans,
• Motion and activity capture,
• Robot grasping and object manipulation,
• Motion planning and motion generation,
• Unsupervised and adaptive activity learning,
• Workflow monitoring and activity recognition

	Skills for Conquering the Real World: Perception, Action, Exploration, and Learning Prof. Oliver Brock TU of Berlin, Germany
	Adaptive Systems through Human Sensorimotor Learning Prof. Erhan Oztop Ozyegin University, Turkey
	Robots: Acting, Interacting Prof. Danica Kragic KTH, Sweden
	Robot Skill Learning. Prof. Jan Peters TU Darmstadt, Germany
	Contingency as a key for cognitive development: From self-other recognition to joint attention Prof. Yukie Nagai Osaka University, Japan
	A Look at the Attentive Needs of Robot versus Human Perception Prof. John Tsotsos York University, Canada

Robotics-based Methods for the Identification, Recognition, and Synthesis of Human Motions

• Dr. Emel Demircan, Stanford University, USA (emeld@stanford.edu)
• Prof. Gentiane Venture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan (venture@cc.tuat.ac.jp)

Abstract. Robotics has made tremendous advances in the field of computational dynamics and is now offering a panel of formalisms and computational tools that can not only apply to robots and mechanical structures, but also to the utmost complex structure: the human body. Thanks to these formalisms it is now possible to understand the synergy of muscles when achieving complex tasks, to predict behavior and to synthesize human-like motions. This tutorial aims at introducing these formalisms and computational tools, speculating on possible new techniques that are now possible and expanding their possible field of applications.

List of Topics

• Human body dynamics modeling,
• Neuromuscular control,
• Musculoskeletal dynamics,
• Motion recognition,
• Rehabilitation robotics,
• Motion reconstruction techniques,
• Human motion analysis,
• Robotics-based motion synthesis,
• Sports medicine,
• Ergonomics.

• Prof. Thor Besier, Auckland Bioengineering Institute, New Zealand
• Dr. Emel Demircan, Stanford University, USA
• Prof. Dana Kulic, Waterloo University, Canada
• Dr. Francesco Nori, Italian Institute of Technology, Italy
• Prof. Denny Oetomo, University of Melbourne, Australia
• Prof. Jan Peters, Technische Universitaet Darmstadt, Germany
• Prof. Gentiane Venture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Japan
• Prof. Katsu Yamane, Disney Research, USA

• Prof. Tamim Asfour, Institute for Anthropomatics, Karlsruhe, Germany
• Prof. Thor Besier, Auckland Bioengineering Institute, New Zealand
• Prof. Rudiger Dillman, Karlsruhe University, Germany
• Prof. Oussama Khatib, Stanford University, USA
• Prof. Giulio Sandini, Italian Institute of Technology, Italy

Caging and Its Applications in Grasping/Multi-agent Cooperation

• Dr. Weiwei Wan, The University of Tokyo, Japan (wanweiwei07@gmail.com)
• Dr. Albertor Rodriguez, Carnegie Mellon University, USA (albertor@cmu.edu)
• Prof. David J. Cappelleri, Purdue University, USA (david.cappelleri@gmail.com)
• Prof. Jianhua Su, Chinese Academy of Science, China (jianhua.su@ia.ac.cn)
• Prof. Satoshi Makita, Sasebo National College of Technology, Japan (makita@sasebo.ac.jp)

Abstract. Caging has attracted great attention in recent years owing to its robustness in control uncertainty and perception uncertainty. The robustness not only improves the performance of robots in unstructured or unknown environments but also offers access to low-cost devices and simple mechanisms. Caging is pure geometric which saves us from explicit force analysis. However, like many research fields in robotics, significant gaps exist between caging theories and real-world applications. We in this workshop aim at bridging these gaps, especially in the research field of grasping and multi-agent cooperation. On the one hand, this workshop will discuss basic theories of caging, its relationship to immobilization, force/form closure grasping and its advantages comparing with other geometric algorithms. On the other hand, it will also bring participants to various applications of caging in robotics, ranging from designing and creating low-cost robot platforms to writing robust robot softwares.

List of Topics

• Caging theories,
• Caging with two/three-finger one-actuator grippers,
• Caging from the viewpoint of computational geometry,
• Caging from the viewpoint of configuration spaces,
• Caging as a pre-grasping procedure,
• 3D caging,
• From grasping to caging,
• General caging-like algorithms (Enveloping, etc),
• Applications of caging,
• Distributed multi-agent cooperation,
• Grasping by caging -- Integrated planning and grasping,
• Designing robotic hands based on caging,
• Caging based micro/nano manipulation,
• General applications that use related algorithms

• Optically Controlled Microrobots for the Microassembly of Living Cells by Prof. Aaron Ohta, University of Hawaii, USA
• Using Grasp Affordances to Compensate for Uncertainty by Prof. Bereson Dmitry, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, USA
• Postural Synergies for Caging and Topological Synergies for Grasping by Prof. Danica Kragic, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden
• Caging Strategies of 3D Objects based on “Attractive Region in Environment” by Prof. Hong Qiao, Chinese Academy of Science, China
• Computation of Caging by Combining Squeezing and Stretching by Prof. Nattee Niparnan, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
• Robot Mechanism Design to Take the Advantage of Caging by Prof. Fukui Rui, The University of Tokyo, Japan
• Dynamic Object Caging with Multiple Mobile Robots by Prof. Zhidong Wang, Chiba Institute of Technology, Japan

International Workshop on Developmental Social Robotics (DevSoR): Reasoning about Human, Perspective, Affordances and Effort for Socially Situated Robots

• Dr. Amit Kumar Pandey, LAAS-CNRS, Toulouse, France (akpandey@laas.fr)
• Dr. Rachid Alami, LAAS-CNRS, Toulouse, France (Rachid.Alami@laas.fr)
• Prof. Alessandro Saffiotti, AASS, Örebro University, Sweden (asaffio@aass.oru.se)
• Dr. Peter Ford Dominey, INSERM, Bron, France (peter.dominey@inserm.fr)
• Prof. Kazuhiko Kawamura, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA (kaz.kawamura@vanderbilt.edu)

Abstract. For robots to coexist with us in complete harmony, they should be able to explicitly reason about humans and should develop socially expected and accepted behaviors. The heart of the workshop lies in the concept of bottom up development of such socially intelligent robots. Hence, this first edition of the workshop, focusing on some of the basic blocks and their potential applications: ability to distinguish between self and others, and then reasoning about perspective, affordance, effort, social signal, etc.

Researchers across the world are working on one or the other such aspects. However, what would really elevate the robot's socio-cognitive capabilities is the combination of such abilities, prompting new research challenges. This workshop aims at provoking some common brainstorming in this direction too.

List of Topics

• Human Robot Interaction,
• Socially Intelligent Robots,
• Developmental Robotics,
• Perspective Taking,
• Affordance Analysis,
• Effort Analysis,
• Theory of Mind,
• Social Learning,
• Human Centered Reasoning,
• Reasoning about Spaces around Human,
• Social Signal Processing,
• Gaze and Pointing,
• Safety and Comfort Analyses,
• Human Models for HRI,
• Situation Assessment in Human Environment,
• Interaction Grounding,
• Proactive Robot,
• Personal Robot,
• Cooperative Robot

• Embodied Language Learning with the Humanoid Robot iCub by Prof. Angelo Cangelosi, University of Plymouth, UK
• Learning interpersonal synchrony by Prof. Mohamed Chetouani, Institute for Intelligent Systems and Robotics (ISIR), Paris, France
• Affordances and Word Categories by Prof. Sinan Kalkan, Middle East Technical University, Turkey
• Can we design a social robot that will understand others’ intention by observing their movements? by Prof. Kazuhiko Kawamura, Vanderbilt University, USA

Robotic Assistance Technologies in Industrial Settings

• Dr. Mustafa Suphi Erden, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland (mustafasuphi.erden@epfl.ch)
• Prof. Aude Billard, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland (aude.billard@epfl.ch)
• Prof. Etienne Burdet, Imperial College London, UK (e.burdet@imperial.ac.uk)

Abstract. Various robotic assistance schemes have been developed in recent years such as power assist robots, workspace guidance robots, haptic interfaces providing both feedback and control, virtual reality trainers, interactive control schemes, learning by demonstration techniques, workspace monitoring techniques, workflow identification schemes, knowledge storage and retrieval systems, augmented reality systems, and user friendly robot control interfaces. However these technologies are not yet widely integrated to actual industrial practices. This workshop thus aims at establishing links between such assistance techniques and practice in industry. We will focus on the following questions:

1. Where is robotic assistance advantageous relative to pure manual work and full automation?
2. Which assistance techniques are readily applicable in industry?
3. What are the requirements for an assistance scheme to be usable in industry?
4. What are the example tasks from industry that such assistive schemes can be applied to?

List of Topics

• Assistive robotics,
• Physical human-robot interaction,
• Compliant control of robots,
• Skill acquisition and skill assistance,
• Human centered mechatronic design,
• Safety in human-robot collaboration,
• Safe interactive robotics design,
• Light weight robots,
• Cooperative assembly in manufacturing,
• Flexible assembly and automation systems

	Human-Robot Cooperation with Torque-Controlled Light- Weight Robots in the Context of the Industry 4.0 Concept Prof. Alin Albu-Schäffer, Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics (DLR) Wessling, Munich, Germany
	Human Adaptive Mechatronics and Human-System Modeling Dr. Satoshi Suzuki Tokyo Denki University, Japan
	Human-Robot Collaboration in Assembly Manufacturing Dr. Julie Shah Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA
	Dr. Rainer Bischoff KUKA Robotics, Augsburg, Germany
	Collaborative Robots as Advanced Handling Systems for Efficient Assembly Applications Dr. Dragoljub T. Surdilovic Fraunhofer IPK Berlin, Germany

Search-Based Planning: Toward High Dimensionality and Differential Constraints

• Mihail Pivtoraiko, University of Pennsylvania, USA (mihailp@seas.upenn.edu)
• Prof. Maxim Likhachev, Carnegie Mellon University, USA (maxim@cs.cmu.edu)
• Prof. Sven Koenig, University of Southern California, USA (skoenig@usc.edu)

Abstract. Many planning problems in robotics push the limits of traditional solutions. Competent robots must make split-second decisions, while facing considerable challenges in their environment. This tutorial aims to review planning algorithms that borrow certain key features from the systematic search paradigm, yet scale to much harder problems than traditional search-based methods. The tutorial will begin with a discussion of effective representations for search and will proceed with an overview of recent search algorithms that manage the complexity of many real-world problems. Both types of advances – in search and in problem representation – are synergistic and allow for efficient solutions to a gamut of relevant problems, including those featuring high dimensionality and differential constraints.

List of Topics

• Introduction:
  • Motivation for search-based planning for problems with high dimensionality and differential constraints,
  • Search-based planning overview;
• Modeling strategies for search-based planning:
  • Improving models via efficient sampling,
    • Graphs induced by control and state space sampling,
    • Trade-offs in control and state space sampling in terms of sampling quality (dispersion, discrepancy and diversity),
    • Adaptive, multi-resolution representations,
    • Action models based on incremental sampling;
  • Motion primitives and systematic approaches to their design,
    • Trajectory diversity and survivability,
    • Trajectory decompositions,
    • Pre-computed trajectory variations embedded in graphs;
• Planning strategies:
  • Any-angle search-based planning,
  • Search-based planning for high-dimensionality problems,
  • Planning for robust control via trajectory equivalence classes,
  • Bi-directional and parallelized search.

AI-based Robotics

• Dr. Moritz Tenorth, University of Bremen, Germany (tenorth@cs.uni-bremen.de)
• Prof. Odest Chadwicke Jenkins, Brown University, USA (cjenkins@cs.brown.edu)
• Prof. Alessandro Saffiotti, Örebro University, Sweden (asaffio@aass.oru.se)
• Prof. Michael Beetz, University of Bremen, Germany (beetz@cs.uni-bremen.de)

Abstract. There has been a strong trend towards using semantic information in robotics: Perception and mapping systems extract semantic information about types and properties of objects and relations between them, and more and more robots use semantic knowledge for planning their tasks and interacting with humans. Especially when interacting with objects, robots need much knowledge about the properties of these objects, actions they can be used for, and the environments they are working in order to competently take decisions and to appropriately handle the objects. We thus believe that semantics and AI methods will become a more and more important topic in robotics. While the AAAI Spring Symposia on ``Designing Intelligent Robots: Re-integrating AI'' provided a venue for AI researchers interested in robotics, we would like to build the complementary community of robotics researchers interested in AI, and to foster collaboration between the two.

List of Topics

• Knowledge representation for robots
• Grounding and anchoring
• Hybrid reasoning
• Task- and motion planning and execution
• Experience-based learning
• Knowledge acquisition
• Semantic environment maps
• System-level AI for Robotics

• Minoru Asada, Osaka University, Japan
• Michael Beetz, Universität Bremen, Germany
• Chad Jenkins, Brown University, USA
• Leslie Kaelbling, MIT, USA
• Kurt Konolige, Industrial Perception & Stanford University, USA
• Kei Okada, University of Tokyo, Japan
• Kanna Rajan, Monterey Bay Aquarium, USA
• Ashutosh Saxena, Cornell University, USA
• Alessandro Saffiotti, Örebro University, Sweden

Vision-based Closed-Loop Control and Navigation of Micro Helicopters in GPS-denied Environments

• Davide Scaramuzza, University of Zurich (davide.scaramuzza@ieee.org)
• Friedrich Fraundorfer, TU Munich, Germany (friedrich.fraundorfer@tum.de)
• Robert Mahony, The Australian National University, Australia (robert.mahony@anu.edu.au)
• Vijay Kumar, University of Pennsylvania, USA (kumar@seas.upenn.edu)

Abstract. As of today, perception and control are still often studied separately. Several research labs around the world have built flying-robot testbeds, where multiple quadrotors demonstrate impressive acrobatics and perform cooperative tasks. However, these systems work under the glowing eyes of motion-capture systems. They are robust, reliable, and allow researchers to focus on control strategies, ignoring the issues of perception. However, for truly autonomous navigation, onboard sensors are the only viable solution. Laser range finders are robust, accurate and reliable, regardless of most environment conditions, although they are still too heavy, cumbersome, and consume too much power. Kinect-like depth sensors are becoming more common in the aerial-robot community, although they are still limited to indoor environments and have restricted field of view. Passive vision sensors, such as monocular or stereo systems, have proved to be an ideal complement to range sensors and some autonomous-flight demonstrations have recently been achieved using just cameras. The goal of this workshop is to bring together state-of-the-art research in the area of closed-loop control and navigation of micro helicopters in indoor and outdoor GPS-denied environments using passive and active vision sensors (monocular, stereo, RGB-D) as the main sensory modality.

List of Topics

• Motion planning
• Modeling and benchmarking of performance for three-dimensional navigation
• Dynamic image-based visual servoing and control
• Cooperative estimation and control with multiple aerial vehicles.
• Control issues with vision sensors (e.g., low sampling rate, high-latency sensing, etc.)
• Visual odometry, structure from motion, and visual SLAM

• Marc Pollefeys, ETH Zurich
• Anibal Ollero, University of Seville, Spain
• Paolo Giordano, CNRS, France
• Roland Siegwart, ETH Zurich
• Peter Corke, Queensland University of Technology

Workshop on Soft Technologies for Wearable Robots

• Chair : Prof. Jamie Paik, EPFL, Switzerland (jamie.paik@epfl.ch)
• Prof. Fumiya Iida, ETH, Switzerland (fumiya.iida@mavt.ethz.ch)
• Prof. Robert Wood, Harvard, USA (rjwood@seas.harvard.edu)
• Dr. Liyu Wang, ETH, Switzerland (lwang@mavt.ethz.ch)

Abstract. Soft technologies with direct and potential applications toward robotics offer unique solutions to the efforts that are geared toward inherently safe and adaptive systems. This workshop will cover the latest research in soft technologies specifically in the areas of wearable robots. This would be the first workshop on Soft Robotics at IEEE-RAS conference since Soft Robotics technical committee was approved last year. This new paradigm of robotics not only necessitates defining design criteria and functional parameters but also exploring novel solutions to actuation, electronics, modeling of soft continuum body, control of large (or infinite) Degrees of Freedom, simulation techniques for soft robots, fabrication and manipulation of soft body. This workshop will encourage discussion among communities of a diverse field of engineering while defining the main challenges and goals of the field that will bring new outlook to robot and human interactions both in software and in hardware. Selected submissions will be promoted to IEEE journals for publication.

List of Topics

• Artificial skin / stretchable electronics
• Bio-inspired / biomimetic soft robots
• Compliant / soft actuators
• Physical human-robot interactions
• Soft materials in robotics
• Soft manipulation
• Soft-bodied robots
• Wearable robotics
• Robotic Origamis
• Modeling and simulation of soft systems/ robots
• Programmable matters, (selective / smart)
• Compliant mechanisms
• Exoskeletons / prosthetic technologies
• Rehabilitation engineering/robotics
• Variable stiffness/damping/ impedance control

• Prof. Oliver Brock (Technische Universität Berlin, Germany)
• Prof. Kyu-Jin Cho (Seoul National University, Korea)
• Prof. Dario Floreano (EPFL, Switzerland)
• Prof. Fumiya Iida (ETH, Switzerland)
• Prof. Rebecca Kramer (Purdue University, USA)
• Prof. Cecilia Laschi (Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna)
• Prof. Carmel Majidi (Carnegie Mellon University, USA)
• Prof. Taro Nakamura (Chuo University, Japan)
• Prof. Jamie Paik (EPFL, Switzerland)
• Prof. Barry Trimmer (Tufts University, USA)
• Prof. Conor Walsh (Harvard University, USA)

Co-SuR 2013 - Cognitive Surgical Robotics: From Virtual Fixtures to Advanced Cooperative Control

• Dr Valentina Vitiello, The Hamlyn Centre, Imperial College London, UK (v.vitiello07@imperial.ac.uk)
• Prof. Guang-Zhong Yang, The Hamlyn Centre, Imperial College London, UK (g.z.yang@imperial.ac.uk)
• Prof. Paolo Fiorini, Department of Computer Science, University of Verona, Italy (paolo.fiorini@univr.it)

Abstract. Current advances in medical robotics have enabled the performance of complex procedures through the development of surgical platforms with enhanced dexterity. However, the complexity of these systems increases the cognitive burden on the operator. For seamlessly interfacing the robot with the human, is therefore fundamental to improve the ergonomics and reduce the control dimensionality by automating the performance of simple tasks and integrating intelligent features in novel surgical robots. The robot must be able to sense changes in the dynamic surgical environment and adapt its actions accordingly, always keeping the human in the control loop. This is critical for overcoming the potential legal and ethical issues and promoting the wider uptake of robotic surgery. The aim of this workshop is to bring together researchers from relevant disciplines to discuss novel techniques for cognitive surgical robotics and to establish its role in promoting the effective and safe integration of robotic technology in surgery.

List of Topics

• Virtual fixtures and dynamic active constraints,
• Haptic, tactile and other perceptual feedback mechanisms,
• Cooperative robotic control through perceptual docking,
• Real-time surgical workflow monitoring and learning from demonstration,
• Visual servoing and gaze contingent control,
• Cognitive factors influencing human-robot interaction,
• Augmented reality techniques for surgical navigation,
• Image-constrained biomechanical modeling and prediction of tissue deformation.

• Apprenticeship Learning in Surgical Robotics - Dr Pieter Abbeel, UC Berkeley, USA
• Designing new mechanism in surgical robotics - Dr Jumpei Arata, Kyushu University, Japan
• Cognition in planning for robotic systems in neurosurgery - Prof Giancarlo Ferrigno, Politecnico di Milano, Italy
• Robot-Human Cooperation in Robotic Surgery: Automation or Cognition? - Prof Paolo Fiorini, Universita' di Verona, Italy
• da Vinci and the human factor - Anthony Jarc, Intuitive Surgical, USA
• Intelligent Medical Robots based on Physical Model of Human Tissue - Dr Yo Kobayashi, Waseda University, Japan
• Toward 3D Modeling of a Surgical Site with 3D Endoscopes for Robotic MIS – Prof Sukhan Lee, Sungkyunkwan University, Korea
• Cognitive concepts for surgical robotics included in the OP:Sense platform - Dr Joerg Raczkowsky, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
• Virtual Fixtures for Vision-Based Control of an Active Handheld Surgical Micro- manipulator - Dr Cameron Riviere, Carnegie Mellon University, USA
• Cooperative robotic control through perceptual docking - Prof Guang-Zhong Yang, Imperial College London, UK

Assistance and Service Robotics in a Human Environment

• Dr. David Daney, INRIA Sophia Antipolis, France (david.daney@inria.fr)
• Prof. Yacine Amirat, UPEC University, France (amirat@u-pec.fr)
• Dr. Anne Spalanzani, INRIA Rhone-Alpes, France (anne.spalanzani@inria.fr)
• Dr. Samer Mohammed, UPEC University, France (samer.mohammed@u-pec.fr)
• Dr. Abdelghani Chibani, UPEC University, France (chibani@u-pec.fr)
• Prof. Olivier Simonin, CITI - INSA de Lyon, France (olivier.simonin@inria.fr)

Abstract. Assistive Robotics covers currently a broad spectrum of research axis, from intelligent robots acting as a servant, secretary, or companion to intelligent robotic functions such as autonomous wheelchair navigation, embedded robotics, ambient intelligence, or intelligent spaces. The proposed workshop focuses on Robotics for people assistance with a particular focus on frail people. This major research issue will affect our lives in the near future. The purpose of this workshop is to gather researchers from various fields to discuss topics related to the challenging problems of assisting people in their everyday life. Topics related to social interaction, intelligent habitat, mobility assistance, healthcare and wellbeing will be covered. Fundamental and technological research particularly related to autonomous indoor vehicles, sensor and actuators networks, wearable and ubiquitous technologies, and human robot interaction, will be presented. The objective of the workshop is to provide a review and challenges of the relevant applications in Assistance and Service Robotics in a Human Environment.

List of Topics

• Elderly care assistive robots,
• Mobility aids for locomotion or navigation,
• Robot companion,
• Social interaction,
• Multi-modal human-machine interfaces for assistive robotics,
• Interaction control of assistive robots,
• Human Behavioral modeling,
• Human locomotion,
• Activity monitoring systems and recognition,
• Rehabilitation system,
• Wearable robots: Exoskeletons and prostheses,
• Sensor and actuator networks, Domotics, Distributive robotics,
• Multi-modal perception,
• Cognitive ubirobots,
• Context and Intention awareness,
• Ambient Intelligence and smart spaces,
• Middleware and networked robots,
• Cloud robotics.

• Session 1: Behavioral modeling and Human/Robot Interaction Analysis
  Prof. Jesse HOEY, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
  Title: Artificial Intelligence for Cognitive Assistive Technologies
• Session 2: Navigation and manipulation in human populated environments
  Prof. Kai O. ARRAS, University of Freiburg, Germany
  Title: Short-term and long-term planning problems for social robots
• Session 3: From Sensors/Actuators networks to cloud robotics
  Prof. Norihiro HAGITA, ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Labs, Japan
  Title: Cloud Networked Robotics for Ambient Assisted Living
• Session 4: Robotics for elderly and frail people
  Prof.Takashi YAMAMOTO, Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan
  Title: Toyota Partner Robot to assist the elderly and frail

Understanding Robotics and Public Opinion: Best Practices in Public Science Communication and Online Dissemination

• Dr. Sabine Hauert, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA (shauert@mit.edu)
• Prof. Bruno Siciliano, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy (siciliano@unina.it)
• Dr. Markus Waibel, ETH Zurich, Switzerland (mwaibel@ethz.ch)

Abstract. Robotics is widely discussed in mainstream media, with headlines that play to both the public's fascination of robots and its fears. As robotics researchers, we have a deep vested interest to be part of this dialogue. We are ideally positioned to demystify robotic technologies, spur innovation, and raise ethical and legal questions that require discussion. In recent years, researchers and the public have started to engage in direct communication through events such as the European Robotics Week and online media. Unfortunately, many of us researchers do not know how to best use modern online tools to directly share our research and join the public discourse on robotics.
During this half-day workshop, attendees will:
1) Learn the basics in science communication, 2) Overview robotics coverage in mainstream media, 3) Identify key topics in robotics that should be highlighted in the public discourse and determine how to best drive the discussion.

List of Topics

• Science communication,
• Social media,
• Robots in the news,
• Public perception,
• Future trends

• Online tools to stay informed and expand your reach (Sabine Hauert, MIT, USA)
• Talking to journalists (Evan Ackerman, IEEE Spectrum, USA)
• Talking to industry and investors (Andra Keay, Robot LaunchPad & Silicon Valley Robotics, USA)

• Overview of robotics in the public discourse: healthcare, drones, quality of life, jobs, killer robots, exploration and roboethics (call for contributions)

Panelists

• Peter Asaro*, The New School in NYC & The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, USA
• Ryan Calo*, University of Washington, USA
• Cécile Huet, European Commission, EU
• Chris Mailey, Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, USA
• AJung Moon*, University of British Columbia & Roboethics Info Database, Canada
• Bruno Siciliano, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy

Metrics of Embodied Learning Processes in Robots and Animals

• Prof. Fabio Bonsignorio, University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain and Heron Robots, Italy (fabio.bonsignorio@uc3m.es, fabio.bonsignorio@heronrobots.com)
• Prof. Angel P. Del Pobil, University Jaume I, Spain (pobil@icc.uji.es)
• Elena Messina, NIST, USA (elena.messina@nist.gov)
• Prof. John Hallam, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark (john@mmmi.sdu.dk)

Abstract. A key feature of biological intelligent systems is their ability to adapt their behaviors to the changes of an open-ended environment. These capabilities have so far only partially been mimicked by robot systems. Learning processes are necessary to adapt to a stochastically-varying environment and even to manage the robot itself if the robot has a soft, rather than rigidly defined, structure. Moreover, in robotics (and in nature) learning algorithms execute within an embodied agent: how does this affect their performance? Should we explicitly consider the body morphology ‘inside’ the learning algorithms? How should one compare different implementations? How should we measure the benefits of ‘embodiment’? of soft structure implementation? Of bioinspiration? How can we compare our systems with biological examples? It is worth mentioning, once again, that experimental methods and methods to quantitatively evaluate the performance in similar classes of functions adopted in Robotics are sometimes coarser than those used by natural sciences such as neurophysiology/neurosciences and biology. The aim of this workshop is to discuss the fundamental issues raised by performance measurement of cognitive and intelligent systems in the context of a key class of problems: those raised by learning in embodied agents, artificial and natural. We think this will contribute to clarify and make progress in the robot learning domain. The best contributions will be invited to submit to a refereed edited book.

List of Topics

• Metrics of learning processes in robots and animals
• Replication of learning process experiments in robots and animals
• Metrics of embodiment
• Metrics in Soft Robotics
• Replication of Soft Robotics experiment
• Metrics of growing processes in robots and animals
• Replication of growing process experiments in robots
• Metrics for learning shared control effectiveness and efficiency
• Benchmarking autonomy and robustness to changes in the environment/task
• Scalable autonomy measurements
• Comparison of experimental methodology in neurosciences/neurophysiology and in Robotics
• Comparison of experimental methodology in neurosciences/neurophysiology and in AI
• Comparison of experimental methodology in Biology and in Robotics
• Proposals for benchmark standardization of learning processes

Presentation title and speakers: the final list of speakers will be published on the workshop website. Some will be invited from the list of the best contributors to previous workshop, and some will come from the open call.

Cognitive Neuroscience Robotics

• Dr. Kenichi Narioka, Osaka University, Japan (narioka@ist.osaka-u.ac.jp)
• Dr. Yukie Nagai, Osaka University, Japan (yukie@ams.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp)
• Prof. Minoru Asada, Osaka University, Japan (asada@ams.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp)
• Prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro, Osaka University, Japan (ishiguro@sys.es.osaka-u.ac.jp)

Abstract. While traditional technologies have made our society convenient, their effects on our cognitive functions have been disregarded. In order to reveal their effects and to establish a new design principle for safe and adaptable Information and Robot Technology (IRT) systems, the organizers have promoted the global center of excellence (GCOE) project supported by Japanese government, in which world-famous research groups in robotics, cognitive science, and brain science, working at Osaka University and ATR in Japan, are highly-integrated to establish an interdisciplinary research area called Human-friendly Robotics Based on Cognitive Neuroscience (Cognitive Neuroscience Robotics).

In this workshop, starting from the keynote talk by Prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro who is the leader of the GCOE, some members and international collaborators of the GCOE will give their talks about the most-advanced studies mainly on the fields of human-robot interaction (HRI), cognitive science, brain science, and the interdisciplinary area. Based on the talks, we will discuss the way to integrate these research fields for the establishment of a novel research area of human friendly IRT system.

List of Topics

• Human-Robot Interaction
• Assistive system
• Brain science
• Neuroscience
• Brain-Machine Interface
• Cognitive psychology
• Cognitive developmental robotics

• Towards Constructive Developmental Science by Cognitive Neuroscience
  Prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro, Osaka University, Japan
• Institute for Academic Initiatives: Beyond CNR Global COE
  Prof. Minoru Asada, Osaka University, Japan
• Real time control of a robotic arm using human brain surface electrodes
  Dr. Masayuki Hirata, Osaka University, Japan
• (TBA)
  Dr. Kohei Ogawa, Osaka University, Japan
• Developmental Learning of Motor Skills in a Humanoid Robot
  Dr. Lorenzo Jamone, Instituto Superior Tecnico, Italy
• Object Feature Extraction and Tool Using for Robots with Recurrent Neural Network Model
  Dr. Shun Nishide, Kyoto University, Japan
• Design strategy for orthopedic devices with biomechanics dynamics simulation
  Dr. Ken Endo, Sony CSL, Japan

Third Workshop on Sensors and Robots Integration in Future Rescue Information System

• Prof. Fumitoshi Matsuno, Kyoto University, Japan (matsuno@me.kyoto-u.ac.jp)
• Prof. Congduc Pham, Pau University, France (Congduc.Pham@univ-pau.fr)
• Prof. Serge Stinckwich, UMI UMMISCO, France & Vietnam (Serge.Stinckwich@gmail.com)

Abstract. Future search&rescue systems will involve a complex mixture of humans performing high level decision-making, intelligent agents coordinating the response, sensing capabilities to provide real-time observations and possibly mobile robots undertaking physical tasks at difficult or risky remote places in order to provide an efficient disaster response on a large-scale environment. However, there are several challenges to address before such a scenario could take place because the considered environments are prone to uncertainty, ambiguity and incompleteness given their dynamic and evolving nature. First, in the robotic domain for search&rescue most of nowadays robots are operated by humans. While this is required by the harsh conditions commonly found in disaster sites (collapsed buildings, gaps, holes, flooding ...), there are many limitations in human operated robots where the dependency on well-trained operators obviously limits the deployment of such robots. In addition, due the very limited number of available robots and their very customized hardware (both in terms of mobility and actuation capabilities), it is necessary in a disaster recovery campaign to carefully and rapidly identify both the deployment location and the type of the robots to be deployed. Secondly, while the monitoring capability of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) make them very suitable for large scale surveillance systems random deployment can not guarantee coverage both for sensing and connectivity and concerns. Therefore the objective of this workshop is to bring together robotics and WSN (Wireless Sensor Networks) researchers to: present both state-of-the-art results and work in progress in the area of distributed sensing in the context of robotic and sensor networks integration for search&rescue systems and, to foster multi-disciplinary collaborations between researchers working on different topics: WSN (Wireless Sensors Network), robotic, disaster management, information systems.

List of Topics

• Distributed information gathering with heterogenous teams (UAS & UGV, UAS & USV, robots&sensors),
• Information systems for disaster management including Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDDS), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and participatory GIS, adaptive software for rescue robotics,
• Advanced data management with mobile robots and sensors, GIS spatial representation for robotic systems,
• Communication and control protocols for robot-sensor interaction including coverage and maintenance of network connectivity,
• Simulation of robots and sensors,
• Role of robots and sensors in disaster and emergency management processes

Online and Offline Optimization for Humanoid Robots

• Dr. Eiichi YOSHIDA, AIST, Japan (e.yoshida@aist.go.jp)
• Prof. Katja MOMBAUR, Heidelberg University, Germany (katja.mombaur@iwr.uni-heidelberg.de)
• Dr. Tom EREZ, Washington University in St. Louis, USA (etom@uw.edu)
• Dr. Yuval TASSA, University of Washington, USA (tassa@cs.washington.edu)

Abstract. Optimization or optimal control offers an interesting way to generate motions automatically based on elementary principles described by cost functions and constraints. The objective of this workshop is to gather researchers from humanoid robotics and optimization, and also from related research areas, in order to discuss latest algorithmic developments in offline and online optimization for humanoid robotics as well as current applications and future challenging application areas still waiting for appropriate methods.

List of Topics

• Dynamical models for offline and online optimization,
• Behavior optimization,
• Online motion control using model-based optimization and model-predictive control,
• Learning during optimization,
• Inverse optimal control techniques,
• Parameter Identification,
• Robust optimal control … for humanoid robots

• After QRIO: Toward Physically More Interactive Robots: Dr. Ken'ichiro Nagasaka, Sony, Japan
• Developing Locomotion Skills using Policy Search: Prof. Michiel van de Panne, UBC, Canada
• The geometry of human locomotion: Dr. Jean-Paul Laumond: LAAS-CNRS, France
• Optimal Whole Body Control of the iCub humanoid: Dr. Francesco Nori IIT, Italy
• Hierarchical least squares: principle and extension: Dr. Adrien Escande, CNRS-AIST JRL, Japan
• Learning and Executing Motion Primitive in Humanoid Robots: Prof. Tamim Asfour, KIT, Germany
• Optimization for Motion Retargeting: Dr. Eiichi Yoshida, CNRS-AIST JRL, Japan
• Optimization of dynamic locomotion system: Prof. Russ Tedrake, MIT, Boston, USA
• Real Time Motion Planning for High-DOF Robots: Prof. Dinesh Manosha, UNC, USA
• Optimization-based walking generation for humanoid robot: Prof. Katja Mombaur and Henning Koch, University of Heidelberg, Germany
• Synthesis and stabilization of complex behaviors through online trajectory optimization: Dr. Tom Erez and Dr. Yuval Tassa, University of Washington, USA

New Applications of Hydraulic Actuation for Fast, Powerful, Efficient, Compact, and Compliant Robots

• Prof. Sang-Ho Hyon, Ritsumeikan University, Japan (gen@fc.ritsumei.ac.jp)
• Dr. Claudio Semini, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Italy (claudio.semini@iit.it)
• Dr. Hiroshi Kaminaga, The University of Tokyo, Japan (kaminaga@ynl.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp)

Abstract. The purpose of this workshop is to discuss state-of-the-art hydraulic actuators and systems for practical robot application. Invited tutorials from hydraulic industry and academia are given to introduce new solutions that improve the control performance and energy efficiency while keeping the actuator's innate high power density, robustness, and long-life. Some leading robotics researchers in this field introduce their application to share their knowledge and ideas with the participants. The primary audiences are those researchers currently involved in, or wishing to learn more about, the state-of-the-art in design and control of fast and efficient hydraulic robots for medical, field, and space application. Researchers working on light-weight manipulators, legged robots, or wearable exoskeleton robots are also part of the intended audience. This workshop may also be of interest to researchers in the complementary fields of electric and pneumatic power systems.

List of Topics

• Solutions towards compact and light-weight hydraulic actuation,
• Solutions towards energy efficient hydraulic actuation,
• Advanced control of hydraulic actuators and power systems,
• Challenges in legged robots application,
• Challenges in medical/rehabilitation devices application,
• Challenges in construction machine / field robots / aerospace application

• Dr. Hiroshi Kaminaga, The University of Tokyo, Japan
• Dr. Claudio Semini, IIT, Italy
• Prof. Sang-Ho Hyon, Ritsumeikan University, Japan
• Dr. Kitak Ahn, KNR Systems Inc., Korea
• Dr. Samer Alfayad, TUM, Germany
• Prof. Jonas Buchli, ETHZ, Switzerland
• Dr. Ludovic Righetti, MPI, Germany
• Speaker from IHMC, USA (to be confirmed)
• Speaker from KYB, Japan (to be confirmed)
• Prof. Oomichi Takeo, Meijo University, Japan