Workshops

PLEASE NOTE: Workshops W1 and W2 have been cancelled since they did not reach the minimum registration numbers. Full refunds will be issued to the registered participants.

This is the list of workshops. All tutorials and workshops will take place on Tuesday, June 26. The deadline for contributions has been EXTENDED to May 30th, 2007.

A summary and a call for contributions for each workshop given below.

 

Workshop W1: [cancelled]
BIOROBOTICS: BIOLOGICAL MODELS AND MEDICAL APPLICATIONS
Alfredo Weitzenfeld, ITAM, Mexico and Univ. of South Florida, USA
Rajiv Dubey, University of South Florida, USA

Abstract:
Biorobotics often refers to the study of biological organisms as basis for the design of artificial robotic systems. Biorobotics has served as a way to provide linkage between biology and robotics in trying to understand scientific and engineering principles guiding the design and fabrication of novel devices in areas such as medicine that include diagnosis, surgery, rehabilitation and prosthetics. Other developments include models and applications taking inspiration from animal biomechanics, behavior and underlying brain structures leading to new approaches to learning and adaptation.

Workshop format:
We expect to have a number of oral presentations from submitted papers and possibly invited speakers as well.

Call for Contributions:
We invite researchers to submit papers describing novel biorobotics models and application devices. Accepted papers will be published in the workshop proceedings and speakers will be invited to present their work during the workshop. Interested participants should send a PDF file to Alfredo Weitzenfeld [alfredo@itam.mx] or Rajiv Dubey [dubey@eng.usf.edu]. Selected papers will be considered for invitation to a special issue of the Journal of Intelligent and Robotics Systems.

Audience:
The workshop provides an opportunity for researchers in different subareas of biorobotics to discuss common interests and developments.

Organizers:
Alfredo Weitzenfeld is the director of the Robotics and Biorobotics (CANNES) laboratories at ITAM in Mexico. Prof. Weitzenfeld is the main designer of the Neural Simulation Language NSL, the Abstract Schema Language ASL and the MIRO robotics architecture. He has been involved in the design of a number of robotic architectures inspired in biological studies of Frogs and Toads, Praying Mantis, Rats and Monkeys. He is the main author of “The Neural Simulation Language: A System for Brain Modeling” (co-authors M. Arbib and A. Alexander) published by MIT Press in 2002. He is currently on sabbatical at USF.
Rajiv Dubey is Professor and Chair of Department of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Center for Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology at University of South Florida. He has served as Associate Editor for the IEEE Transactions on Robotics and Automation and as Chair of the Video Proceedings for the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (several times). His current research is focused on rehabilitation robotics and telemanipulation systems; haptic interfaces and assistive devices for persons with disabilities; and prosthetics and orthotics.

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Workshop W2: [cancelled]
RoboCup: INTRODUCTION AND SCIENTIFIC CHALLENGES
Alfredo Weitzenfeld, ITAM, Mexico and Univ. of South Florida, USA
Nikos Vlassis, Technical University of Crete, Greece

Abstract:
For the past few years RoboCup has been a popular arena for testing collaboration and competition skills among multiple autonomous robots. These competitions provide a common ground where scientific advances can be studied and evaluated under real-time conditions in both real robots and simulated leagues. The workshop provides an overview of RoboCup different leagues and presents the technical and scientific challenges involved in RoboCup soccer. The speakers are researchers experienced in directing RoboCup teams. The workshop gives several insights into what it takes to compete at RoboCup, the major robotic contest in the world while discussing the scientific challenges.

Workshop format:
We expect to have a number of invited speakers, and depending on the number of submissions, a few oral presentations.

Call for Contributions:
We invite experienced RoboCup participants to submit a short paper, maximum 5 pages, describing your prior RoboCup participations, giving an introduction and overview of scientific challenges in your particular RoboCup league. Use same paper format as for MED2007. Accepted papers will published in the workshop proceedings and speakers will be invited to present their work during the workshop. Interested participants should send a PDF file to Alfredo Weitzenfeld [alfredo@itam.mx] or Nikos Vlassis [nikos.vlassis@gmail.com] by May 30th, 2007.

Audience:
The workshop provides an opportunity for students and faculty to familiarize with RoboCup and familiarize both with the competitions and scientific challenges involved in them presented by experienced RoboCup participants.

Organizers:
Alfredo Weitzenfeld is the director of Eagle Knights team from ITAM in Mexico and RoboBulls from USF. The Eagle Knights team competes since 2003 in the small-size (SSL) and since 2004 in the four-legged (4L) league with participations in several World Cup, US Opens and Latin American Opens. The Eagle Knights are the current SSL and 4L Latin American champions. Alfredo Weitzenfeld co-directs the EK-Lyon team in the @Home league at RoboCup. Alfredo Weitzenfeld is the RoboCup SSL Organizing Committee Chair for Atlanta 2007. He is a Professor at ITAM and currently in sabbatical at USF.
Nikos Vlassis has been the research coordinator of the UvATrilearn team (2d simulation league) of the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from 2001 until 2006. The UvATrilearn team has won the World Championship once (2003), the German Open three times (2002, 2003, 2004), and the American Open once (2003). Nikos Vlassis is currently with the Technical University of Crete.

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