Biologically inspired robotics - CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

[Noel Sharkey]

Sorry if you receive this more than once

          **** SELF-LEARNING ROBOTS II: BIO-ROBOTICS ****

An Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) Seminar
Savoy Place, London: February, 12th, 1998.

Co-sponsors:
Royal Institute of Navigation (RIN)  
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
British Computer Science Society (BCS) 
Society for the study of Artificial Intelligence and the Simulation of
Behaviour (AISB)

Biologically inspired robotics or bio-robotics is an exciting trend in
the integration of engineering and life sciences. Although this has a
long history dating back to the turn of the century, it is only within
the last few years that it has picked up momentum as many have realised
that life is still the best model we have for intelligent behavior.
This cross fertilisation is beginning to bear fruit in robotics within
specialist areas such as evolutionary methods, artificial life, neural
computing, and navigation. It is now time to bring these threads
together and ask the life scientists to assess the developments and
also to discuss how and what the life sciences could learn from
robotics. 

This one-day seminar aims to bring together some of Europe's
leading researchers within the areas of animal and robot behavior to
discuss the foundations and future directions of biologically inspired
robotics. Each Speaker will be followed by a Discussant who will follow
up on some of the issues raised by in the paper and make general points
about the field.

9.30-10.30 EMBODIED COGNITION

Francisco Varela (Speaker) Biologist and Neuroscientist, France.

Stevan Harnad (Discussant) Psychologist, UK.

10.30-10.45 COFFEE 

10.45-11.45 EVOLUTIONARY LEARNING 

Stefano Nolfi (Speaker) Roboticist and Psychologist, Italy.

Richard Dawkins (Discussant) Evolutionary Zoologist, UK.

11.45-12.45 CONDITIONED LEARNING. 

Marco Dorigo (Speaker) Computer Scientist and Roboticist, Belgium.

Tony Savage (Discussant) Animal Psychologist, N.Ireland.

12.45-2.00 LUNCH

2.00-3.00 NAVIGATION: THE INSECT MODEL 

Dimitrios Lambrinos (Speaker) Computer Scientist and Roboticist, Switzerland.

Tom Collett (Discussant) Neurobiologist, UK.

3.00-4.00 NAVIGATION: THE MAMMALIAN MODEL 

Neil Burgess (Speaker) Neuroscientist, UK.

Ariane Etienne (Discussant) Ethologist, Switzerland.

4.00-4.15 TEA

PANEL: THE FUTURE OF BIO-ROBOTICS 4.15-5.45 

Introduced and Chaired by Jean-Arcady Meyer, Computer Scientist and
Ethologist, France.

ORGANISERS

Noel Sharkey, Computer Scientist, Psychologist, and Roboticist, 
University of Sheffield, UK.

Tom Ziemke, Computer Scientist and Roboticist, 
Universities of Sheffield, UK and Skovde, Sweden. 

REGISTRATION.

I would be advisable to register as early as possible since places
will be limited. Please contact Jon Maddison jmaddison at iee.org.uk