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[gaussier@ensea.fr]

>From Perception to Action - PerAc'94 Lausanne
Lausanne, Switzerland, 7-9 september 1994
 

 A State of the Art Conference on Autonomous Robots and Artificial Life
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PerAc is an international conference intended to promote the study of autonomous
systems interacting with an unknown world. This means that their control systems
should not rely on an "a priori" modelization of the environment or on the 
intervention of an external operator during exploration. The general theme of
the conference is the study of how actions can help to modify perception in an 
interesting manner. Emphasis is put on "technological transfer" from biology
(ethology, neurobiology...) and psychology to engineering. The conference
will address theorical aspects and applications to the design of an autonomous
robot. Presentations will deal with simple behavioral robots but also with the
interest of collective intelligence and genetic algoritms. Attention will be
also focused on Neural Networks and  building blocks, and on how to use
them to realize complex architectures and "Intelligent Systems". At last, 
cognitive implications of our approach will be discussed.


	
---  Ask for the detailed programme booklet including
---  registrationand hotel reservation forms 
---  (please provide your complete post address)
+++  PerAc'94, LAMI-EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne
+++  Fax ++41 21 693-5263, E-mail perac at di.epfl.ch
	
-----------------------------
|    Short final programme  |   See the Call for Poster and Contest
-----------------------------   near the end of this message
	
Monday 5, Tuesday 6: Tutorials and Contest
	
----------  Wednesday 7

*** 1 - Opening session

R. Pfeifer, University Zurich, Switzerland
"From Perception to Action: The Right Direction?"

*** 2 - Collective Intelligence

J.L. Deneubourg, ULB Bruxelles, Belgium
   "Trams, Ants and Matches - Decentralization of Transportation Systems"
T. Fukuda et al., University Nagoya, Japan
   "Self-Organizing Robotic Systems - Organization 
    and Evolution of Group Behavior in Cellular Robotic"
H. Asama, Riken Wako, Japan
   "Operation of Cooperative Multiple Robots using 
   Communication in a Decentralized Robotic System"

*** 3 - Simple Behavioral Robots

D. McFarland, Balliol College Oxford, GB
   "Animal Robotics - From Self-Sufficient to Autonomy"
H. Cruse, University Bielefeld, Germany
   "Simple Neural Nets for Controlling a 6-legged Walking System"
C. Ferrel, MIT Cambridge, USA
   "Robust and Adaptive Locomotion of an Autonomous Hexapod"
T. Shibata et al., MEL Tsukuba, Japan
   "Adaptation and Learning for Lasso Robot"
L. Steels, University Bruxelles, Belgium
  "Mathematical Analysis of Behavior Systems"

*** Poster and demo session. Contest award, winner's demos

----------  Thursday, Sept 8

J.A. Meyer, ENS Paris, France
   "Development, Learning and Evolution in Animats"

*** 4 - Genetic Algorithms

P. Husband et al., University Brighton, UK
   "The Use of Genetic Algorithms for the Development 
    of Sensorimotor Control Systems"
D. Floreano, University Trieste & F. Mondada, EPFL
   "Active Perception and Grasping - An Autonomous Perspective."
M.A. Bedau, Reed College Portland, USA
   "The Evolution of Sensory Motor Loops"
S. Nolfi et al., CNR Roma, Italy
   "Phenotipic Plasticity in Evolving Neural Networks
P. Bessiere, E. Dedieu & E. Mazer, CNRS Grenoble, France
   "Representing Robot - Environment Interactions 
    Using Probabilities"

*** 5 - Active Perception

N. Franceschini, CNRS Marseille, France
   "Mobile Robots with Insect Eyes"
X. Arreguit & E.A. Vittoz, CSEM Neuchbtel, Swizerland
    "Perception Systems implemented in Analog VLSI 
     for Real-Time Applications"
P. Dario, ARTS Lab Pisa, Italy
   "Micro Sensors and Microactuators for Robots"
F. Heitger, R. von der Heydt, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
   "A Computational Model of Neural Contour Processings - 
    Figure-Ground Segregation and Illusory Contours"
T. Pun et al., University of Geneva, Switzerland
   "Exploiting Dynamic Aspect of Visual Perception for 
    Object Recognition"

*** Poster and demo session. Banquet

----------  Friday, Sept 9

*** 6 - Building Blocks and Architectures for Designing Intelligent Systems

Y. Burnod, CREARE Paris, France
   "Computational Properties of the Cerebral Cortex to Learn 
    Sensorimotor Programs"
J.S. Albus, W. Rippey, NIST Gaithersburg, USA
   "An architecture and Methodology for Designing Intelligent Machine Systems"
S. Grossberg, University Boston, USA
   "Neural Models for Real Time Learning and Adaptation"
Ph. Gaussier, ENSEA Paris, S. Zrehen, EPF Lausanne
   "Why Topological Maps are Useful for Learning in an Autonomous System"
C. Engels and G. Schvner, Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany
   "Dynamic Field Architecture for Autonomous Systems"
P.F.M.J.Verschure, NeuroScience, La Jolla, USA
   "Value-based Learning in Real World Artifact"

*** 7 - Complex Architecture to Control Autonomous Robots

R. Chatilla, LAAS-CNRS Toulouse, France
   "Control Architectures for Autonomous Mobile Robots"
Y.A. Bachelder & A.M. Waxman, MIT Lexington, USA
   "A Neural System for Qualitative Mapping and Navigation in 
    Visual Environments"
Ph. Gaussier, ENSEA Paris, S. Zrehen, EPF Lausanne, Switzerland
   "Complex Neural Architecture for Emerging Cognition Abilities
    in an Autonomous System"

*** 8 - Cognition

K. Dautenhahn, GMD Sankt Augustin, Germany
   "Trying to Imitate - A Step Towards Releasing Robots from Social Isolation"
J. Taylor, King's College London, UK
   "The Relational Mind"
J. Stewart, Inst. Pasteur Paris, France
   "The Implications for Understanding High-Level Cognition of a Grounding 
    in Elementary Adaptive Systems"
	
------------------------------------------------------
|      PerAc'94  Registration fees                   |
|  Before July 1  350 Swiss Francs  Students 170 CHF |
|  After  July 1  400 Swiss Francs  Students 200 CHF |
------------------------------------------------------
	
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
|  PerAc'94   Call for Posters,              |
|  Call for Demonstrations, Call for Videos  |
|  Contest, Tutorials                        |
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
	
-- Posters --  4-page short papers that will be published in the proceedings 
and presented as posters are due for June 1, 1994, the latest.
Posters will be displayed during the whole Conference and enough 
time will be provided to promote interaction with the authors. 
Posters will be refereed; authors will be informed before July 1.
Due to the tight printing schedule, late posters will not be accepted
	
-- Demonstrations --  Robotic demonstrations are considered as posters. 
In addition to the 4-page abstract describing the scientific interest of 
the demonstration, the submission should include a 1-page requirement for 
demonstration space and support. Last minute informal demonstrations will 
be accepted if they fall within the range of the conference
	
-- Videos --  5 minute video clips have to be submitted in Super-VHS or VHS 
(preferably PAL, NTSC leads to a poorer quality). Tapes together with 
a 2-page description should be submitted before July 15, 1994
	
-- Contest -- A robotic contest will be organized the day before the conference.
Teams participating to the contest must be announced before July 15, 
and will be able to follow the conference freely.
	
-- Tutorials -- Three tutorials will be organized in parallel
on Monday 5 and Tuesday 6.
Neural Networks (in french), organized by C. Lehmann, Mantra-EPFL
VLSI for Perception, organized by X. Arreguit, CSEM, Neuchbtel
Artificial Life, organized by E.Sanchez, EPFL
	
For further information:
PerAc'94, LAMI-EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne
Fax ++41 21 693-5263, E-mail perac at di.epfl.ch