Connectionists: Living Machines - Extended deadline March 29th for submissions

[Nathan F Lepora]

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Extended deadline for Papers, Exhibits, Satellite Events and Sponsors
The 2nd International Conference on Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems.
A Convergent Science Network Event
29th July to 2nd August 2013
Natural History Museum, London
http://csnetwork.eu/livingmachines/conf2013
Paper deadline: now March 29th, 2013 (was 22nd March)
Deadline for Satellite Event proposals, March 29th, 2013
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ABOUT LIVING MACHINES 2013
The development of future real-world technologies will depend strongly
on our understanding and harnessing of the principles underlying
living systems and the flow of communication signals between living
and artificial systems.

Biomimetics is the development of novel technologies through the
distillation of principles from the study of biological systems. The
investigation of biomimetic systems can serve two complementary goals.
First, a suitably designed and configured biomimetic artefact can be
used to test theories about the natural system of interest. Second,
biomimetic technologies can provide useful, elegant and efficient
solutions to unsolved challenges in science and engineering. Biohybrid
systems are formed by combining at least one biological component—an
existing living system—and at least one artificial, newly-engineered
component. By passing information in one or both directions, such a
system forms a new hybrid bio-artificial entity.

The development of either biomimetic or biohybrid systems requires a
deep understanding of the operation of living systems, and the two
fields are united under the theme of “living machines”—the idea that
we can construct artefacts, such as robots, that not only mimic life
but share the same fundamental principles; or build technologies that
can be combined with a living body to restore or extend its functional
capabilities.

Biomimetic and biohybrid technologies, from nano- to macro-scale, are
expected to produce major societal and economical impacts in quality
of life and health, information and communication technologies,
robotics, prosthetics, brain-machine interfacing and nanotechnology.
Such systems should also lead to significant advances in the
biological and brain sciences that will help us to better understand
ourselves and the natural world. The following are some examples:
• 	Biomimetic robots and their component technologies (sensors,
actuators, processors) that can intelligently interact with their
environments.
• 	Active biomimetic materials and structures that self-organize and
self-repair.
• 	Biomimetic computers—neuromimetic emulations of the physiological
basis for intelligent behaviour.
• 	Biohybrid brain-machine interfaces and neural implants.
• 	Artificial organs and body-parts including sensory organ-chip
hybrids and intelligent prostheses.
•	Organism-level biohybrids such as robot-animal or robot-human systems.

ACTIVITIES
The main conference will take the form of a three-day single-track
oral and poster presentation programme, 30th July to 1st August 2013,
that will include five plenary lectures from leading international
researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems.  Agreed speakers are:
Mark Cutkosky, Stanford University (Biomimetics and Dextrous Manipulation);
Terrence Deacon, University of California, Berkeley (Natural and
Artificial Selves);
Ferdinando Rodriguez y Baena, Imperial College London (Biomimetics for
medical devices);
Robert Full, University of California, Berkeley (Locomotion);
Andrew Pickering, University of Exeter (History of living machines).

Submissions will be in the form of full papers or extended abstracts.
The proceedings will be published in the Springer-Verlag LNAI Series.
Submissions are also invited for a one-day exhibition to feature
working biomimetic or biohybrid systems and biomimetic/biohybrid art.
The exhibition, will take place on the afternoon and evening of
Thursday 1st August with the evening event including a press reception
and buffet dinner.
Active researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems are also
invited to propose topics for 1-day tutorials or workshops on related
themes.

ABOUT THE VENUE
The organisers are delighted to have secured the Flett Theatre at the
Natural History Museum in London as the main venue for our conference.
 The NHM is an international centre for the study of the natural world
featuring many important biological collections. The exhibition and
poster session on Thursday 1st will be hosted at the nearby Science
Museum, and the satellite events at Imperial College London.  All
three venues are conveniently located within a short walking distance
of each other in South Kensington, the Museum district of the UK
capital, and close to many of London’s tourist sights.

SUBMITTING TO LIVING MACHINES 2013
Oral and poster programme
We invite both full papers (12 pages, LNCS format) and extended
abstracts (3 pages, LNCS format). All contributions will be refereed.
Full papers are invited from researchers at any stage in their career
but should present significant findings and advances in biomimetic or
biohybid research; more preliminary work would be better suited to
extended abstract submission. Full papers will be accepted for either
oral presentation (single track) or poster presentation. Extended
abstracts will be accepted for poster presentation only.
All submissions must be formatted according to Springer LNCS
guidelines.  Papers should be submitted via the Living Machines
web-site by midnight on March 29th 2013.
http://senldogo0039.springer-sbm.com/ocs/home/LM2013
Exhibition
The Living Machines 2013 Exhibition is intended to feature working
biomimetic or biohybrid systems and biomimetic/biohybrid art.  It will
take place in the London Science Museum Level 1 Galleries on Thursday
1st August 2013. The exhibition is expected to include intelligent
artefacts such as biomimetic robotics; however, we are open to
proposals for display of biomimetic or biohybrid systems of any kind.
The exhibition will be in two sessions.
In the afternoon session exhibits will be displayed alongside
conference posters. This session will be open to conference delegates
and sponsors only.
The evening session will be alongside the LM2013 buffet dinner and
reception. This session will be open to invited representatives of the
press, VIPs, and conference delegates and members of the public who
have registered for the evening event.
For registered conference participants there is no additional charge
to participate in the exhibition but you must register your exhibit
using the proforma available through the LM2013 web-site. Note that,
if you wish to continue to display your exhibit during the evening
session, you must also register for the buffet dinner and reception in
addition to the main conference.

We strongly encourage authors of accepted papers and extended
abstracts to bring their working biomimetic or biohybrid artefacts to
include in the exhibition. A prize will be awarded for the best
exhibit.

The conference organisers would also be interested in performance type
material for the evening session.  Please contact us if you have a
proposal.

Satellite events
LM2013 will support satellite events, such as symposia, workshops or
tutorials, in any of the areas listed below, which can be scheduled
for either the 29th July or 2nd August.  Attendance at satellite
events will attract a small fee intended to cover the costs of the
meeting.  There is a lot of flexibility about the content,
organisation, and budgeting for these events.  We have reserved
meeting rooms at Imperial College London to host the satellites each
with capacity for up to 40 people (though larger rooms could be
arranged if needed) and will have projection equipment with technical
support.

Proposals for satellites should be submitted using the proforma
available from the LM2013 web-page by March 29th, 2013 but please
contact us sooner if you are thinking of organising an event.
Confirmation of accepted proposals will be provided be early April at
the latest.

SCOPE OF CONTRIBUTIONS
Submissions of papers, exhibits and satellite events are invited in,
but not limited to, the following topics and related areas.
Biomimetics can, in principle, extend to all fields of biological
research from physiology and molecular biology to ecology, and from
zoology to botany. Promising research areas include system design and
structure, self-organization and co-operativity, new biologically
active materials, self-assembly and self-repair, learning, memory,
control architectures and self-regulation, movement and locomotion,
sensory systems, perception, and communication. Biomimetic research,
particularly at the nano-scale, should also lead to important advances
in component miniaturisation, self-configuration, and
energy-efficiency.  A key focus of the conference will be on complete
behaving systems in the form of biomimetic robots that can operate on
different substrates on sea, on land, or in the air. A further central
theme will be the physiological basis for intelligent behaviour as
explored through neuromimetics—the modelling of neural systems.
Exciting emerging topics within this field include the embodiment of
neuromimetic controllers in hardware, termed neuromorphics, and within
the control architectures of robots, sometimes termed neurorobotics.
Biohybrid systems usually involve structures from the nano-scale
(molecular) through to the macro-scale (entire organs or body parts).
Important implementation examples are: Bio-machine hybrids where, for
instance, biological muscle is used to actuate a synthetic device.
Brain-machine interfaces where neurons and their molecular machineries
are connected to microscopic sensors and actuators by means of
electrical or chemical communication, either in vitro or in the living
organism. Intelligent prostheses such as artificial limbs, wearable
exoskeletons, or sensory organ-chip hybrids (such cochlear implants
and artificial retina devices) designed to assist the disabled or
elderly, or to aid rehabilitation from illness. Implantable or
portable devices that have been fabricated for monitoring health care
or for therapeutic purposes such as artificial implants to control
insulin release. Biohybrid systems at the organism level such as
robot-animal or robot-human communities.  Biohybrid systems may take
advantage of progress in the field of synthetic biology.
Contributions from biologists, neuroscientists, and theoreticians,
that are of direct relevance to the development of future biomimetic
or biohybrid devices are also welcome, as are papers considering
ethical issues and/or societal impacts arising from the advances made
in this field.

ACCOMODATION
West London has many excellent hotels that are suitable for conference
delegates. We are also organizing the provision of reasonably-priced
accommodation for LM2013 events in the Imperial College Halls of
Residence.

KEY DATES
March 29th, 2013 Paper submission deadline
March 29th, 2013 Satellite Event proposal deadline
Early April, notification of accepted satellites
April 29th, 2013 Notification of acceptance of papers
May 20th, 2013 Camera ready copy
May 31st, Early registration deadline
July 29-August 2nd 2013 Conference

SPONSORSHIP
Living Machines 2013 is sponsored by the Convergent Science Network
(CSN) for Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems which is an EU FP7 Future
Emerging Technologies Co-ordination Activity. CSN also organises two
highly successful workshop series: the Barcelona Summer School on
Brain, Technology and Cognition and the Capoccaccia Neuromorphic
Cognitive Engineering Workshop.
Living Machines 2013 is supported by the IOP Physics Journal
Biomimetics & Bio-inspiration, who this year will publish a special
issue of articles based on last years’ LM2012 best papers.  A review
of the state of the art in biomimetics, by the conference chairs, and
reporting strong recent growth in the field, has just been published
in the journal (http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1748-3182/8/1/013001).
Other organisations wishing to sponsor the conference in any way and
gain the corresponding benefits by promoting themselves and their
products through conference publications, the conference web-site, and
conference publicity are encouraged to contact the conference
organisers to discuss the terms of sponsorship and necessary
arrangements. We offer a number of attractive and good-value packages
to potential sponsors.

We are looking forwards to seeing you in London.

Organising Committee:
Tony Prescott (co-chair)
Paul Verschure (co-chair)
Nathan Lepora (programme chair)
Holger Krapp (workshops & symposia)
Anna Mura (web-site)

Conference Secretariat:
living-machines at sheffield.ac.uk
c/o Gill Ryder,
Sheffield Centre for Robotics
Department of Psychology
University of Sheffield
Western Bank
Sheffield, S10 2TN
United Kingdom