CFP: session on Biologically Inspired Robotics (Boston 3-8 Nov.)

[Auke Ijspeert]

[Apologies for multiple postings.  Please note that this call for
papers is sent at a short notice: the deadline for the abstract is in
3 weeks already, but the abstract need only to be 250-words long.]

CFP: session on BIOLOGICALLY INSPIRED ROBOTICS

3-8 November 2000, Boston, Massachusetts 
(the exact days of the session have still to be defined)
  
Special session of 
Sensor Fusion and Decentralized Control in Robotic Systems III (RB06)
http://www.spie.org/web/meetings/calls/pe00/confs/RB06.html


Chairs: Auke Jan Ijspeert (USC, Los Angeles), Nicolas Franceshini (CNRS, 
France)

This session addresses biological inspiration in robotics at several
levels: from sensory systems to biomimetic structures and muscle-like
actuation, via biologically inspired control mechanisms. It will look
in particular at 1) what are the benefits of biological inspiration in
current robotics, and 2) what insights can a robotic implementation
give, in return, into the functioning of biological systems. Although
this session is primarily interested in robotics, work involving
realistic physically-based simulations will also be considered.


Participants are invited to submit a 250-word abstract before the
---27th of MARCH 2000---. Please submit both through the conference web
page at http://www.spie.org/web/meetings/calls/pe00/confs/RB06.html AND
by sending an electronic copy to ijspeert at rana.usc.edu and
enfranceschini at LNB.cnrs-mrs.fr . Please specify at the beginning of the
abstract that it is submitted to "Biologically-Inspired Robotics session,
Sensor Fusion and Decentralized Control in Robotic Systems III (RB06)".

Participants whose abstract has been accepted after review will also
be invited to contribute to the conference proceedings by submitting a
manuscript by the 14th of August 2000 (details to be given).





GENERAL CALL FOR PAPERS:

SPIE Photonices East
3-8 November 2000, Boston, Massachusetts

Sensor Fusion and Decentralized Control in Robotic Systems III (RB06)
http://www.spie.org/web/meetings/calls/pe00/confs/RB06.html

On-site Proceedings.  Abstracts for this conference are due by 27 March
2000. Manuscripts are due by 14 August 2000.

Conference Chairs: Gerard T. McKee, Univ. of Reading (UK); Paul S.
Schenker, Jet Propulsion Lab.

Program Committee: Mongi A. Abidi, Univ. of Tennessee/Knoxville; Dimi
Apostolopoulos, Carnegie Mellon Univ.; Eric T. Baumgartner, Jet Propulsion
Lab.; George A. Bekey, Univ. of Southern California; Henrik I.
Christensen, Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden); Steven Dubowsky,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology; John T. Feddema, Sandia National
Labs.; Nicolas H. Franceschini, Ctr. National de la Recherche Scientifique
(France); Terrance L. Huntsberger, Jet Propulsion Lab.; Pradeep K. Khosla,
Carnegie Mellon Univ.; Maja J. Mataric, Univ. of Southern California;
Robin R. Murphy, Univ. of South Florida; Francois G. Pin, Oak Ridge
National Lab.; J=FCrgen Rossmann, Univ. of Dortmund (Germany); Arthur C.
Sanderson, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Tzyh-Jong Tarn, Washington
Univ.

This conference addresses multi-sensor fusion and distributed control in
robotic systems. The theme is intelligent automation through enriched
perception and action skills, at all levels of robot tasking, including
cooperative interactions of multiple robots. We welcome multi-disciplinary
submissions based in both technological and biological models. The primary
focus of the meeting is algorithmic: submissions should clearly state a
robotic sensing or control objective, outline a physical or behavioral
model, reduce it to computational definition, and present experimental
and/or analytical results. Describe what distinguishes your problem as a
robotic sensor fusion or distributed control problem; contrast your
approach with alternative methods. Papers that report working robotic
systems and specific task applications are particularly desirable. In all
submissions authors should relate their objectives to mainstream problems
in robot navigation, manipulation, surveillance, planning, assembly,
learning, etc.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

    *modeling, registration, and calibration of multiple sensors
    *3D object estimation from multiple features and views
    *visual integration of structural and motion information
    *robust fusion of active and passive sensors & databases
    *estimation, recognition and error models for data fusion
    *task driven planning and sequencing of robotic sensors
    *integration of vision and touch in dexterous robotic tasks
    *sensor based human-machine interaction (voice/gesture/etc.)
    *learning strategies for multi-sensor object recognition
    *decentralized control of multiple-armed and legged robots
    *task planning for reconfigurable & modular robotic systems
    *motion coordination and control in multiple robot tasks
    *cooperative, emergent behaviors in multiple agents
    *task based mapping and learning of sensor-based behaviors
    *biologically inspired sensing, controls, and behaviors

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    Dr Auke Jan Ijspeert                                              
    Brain Simulation Lab & Computational Learning and Motor Control Lab 
    Dept. of Computer Science, Hedco Neurosciences bldg, 3614 Watt way      
    U. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2520, USA             
    Web:   http://rana.usc.edu:8376/~ijspeert/                        
    Tel:   +1 213 7401922 or 7406995 (work) +1 310 8238087 (home)     
    Fax:   +1 213 7405687                                                  
    Email: ijspeert at rana.usc.edu                                      
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