1st CALL FOR PAPERS

[Noel Sharkey]

                ****** ROBOT LEARNING: THE NEW WAVE ******

        
	Special Issue of the journal Robotics and Autonomous Systems

       
        Submission Deadline:  August, 1st, 1996
        Decisions to authors: October, 1st, 1996 
        Final papers back:    November, 7th, 1996


SPECIAL EDITOR 
Noel Sharkey (Sheffield)

SPECIAL EDITORIAL BOARD

Michael Arbib (USC)             Ronald Arkin  (GIT)            
George Bekey  (USC)             Randall Beer   (Case Western) 
Bartlett Mel  (USC)             Maja Mataric  (Brandeis)
Carme Torras  (Barcelona)       Lina Massone  (Northwestern)
Lisa Meeden   (Swarthmore)
         
INTERNATIONAL REVIEW PANEL 

S Perkins (UK)    T Ziemke (Sweden)  P Zhang (France)
S Wilson (USA)    P Bakker (Japan)   J Tani (Japan)
C Thornton (UK)   M Wilson (UK)      M Recce (UK)
D Cliff (UK)	  G Hayes (UK)       U Zimmer (Germany)
S Thrun (USA)     S Nolfi (Italy)    P van der Smagt (Germany)
C Touzet (France) U Nehmzow (UK)     R Salmon (Switzerland)
J Hallam (UK)     M Nilsson (Sweden) M Dorigo (Belgium)
A Prescott (UK)   C Holgate (UK)     E Celaya (Spain)
P Husbands (UK)   I Harvey (UK)
 
        
The objective of the Special Issue is to provide a focus for the new
wave of research on the use of learning techniques to train real
robots.   We are particularly interested in research using neural
computing techniques, but would also like submissions of work using
genetic algorithms or other novel techniques. The nature of the new
wave research is transdisciplinary bringing on board control
engineering, artificial intelligence, animal learning, neurophysiology,
embodied cognition, and ethology. We would like to encourage work
discussing replicability and quantification provided that the research
has been conducted or tested on real robots.

AREAS OF RESEARCH INCLUDE: Mobile autonomous robotics, Fixed Arm
robotics,  Dextrous robots, Walking Machines, High level robotics,
Behaviour-based robotics, Biologically inspired robots.

TOPICS OF INTEREST INCLUDE 

        * Reinforcement learning
        * Supervised learning
        * Self organisiation
        * Genetic algorithms
        * Learning brainstyle control systems
        * High level robot learning
        * Hybrid learning
        * Imitation Learning
        * The learning and use of representations
        * Adaptive approaches to dynamic planning
        * Place recognition

Send submissions to Ms Jill Martin, RAS Special, Department of Computer
Science, Regent Court, Portobello Rd., University of Sheffield,
Sheffield, S1 4DP, UK.

Updates will appear on the web page: 
http:\www.dcs.shef.ac.uk/research/groups/nn/RASspecial.html