Connectionists: [meetings] Living Machines V: First Call for Papers, Satellite Events and Sponsors

[Nathan Lepora]

First Call for Papers, Satellite Events and Sponsors
Living Machines V: The 5th International Conference on Biomimetic and
Biohybrid Systems
18th to 22nd July 2015
http://csnetwork.eu/livingmachines

To be hosted at the:
Dynamic Earth
Edinburgh, Scotland
In association with the Heriot-Watt University and University of Edinburgh

Accepted papers will be published in:
Springer Lecturer Notes in Artificial Intelligence
Submission deadline March 11th, 2016
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ABOUT LIVING MACHINES 2016

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 theme of the
conference also encompasses biomimetic methods for manufacture, repair
and recycling inspired by natural processes such as reproduction,
digestion, morphogenesis and metamorphosis.

The following are some examples of “Living Machines” as featured at
past conferences:

•      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.
•      Nature-inspired designs and manufacturing processes.
•      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, 20th to 22nd July 2016, hosted
at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh, Scotland.

The conference programme will include five plenary lectures from
leading international researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems,
and the demonstrations of state-of-the-art living machine technologies

The full conference will  be preceded by up to two days of Satellite
Events hosted by the School of Informatics at the University of
Edinburgh.

SUBMITTING TO LIVING MACHINES 2016

We invite both full papers and extended abstracts in areas related to
the conference themes.  All contributions will be refereed and
accepted papers will appear in the Living Machines 2016 proceedings
which we expect to be published in the Springer-Verlag LNAI Series.

Full papers (minimum 8 pages, up to 12 pages) are invited from
researchers at any stage in their career and should present
significant findings and advances in biomimetic or biohybid research.
More preliminary work would be better suited for short papers
submission (minimum 4 pages, with a maximum of ten references and no
more than three self-citations). Full papers will be accepted for
either oral presentation (single track) or poster presentation.
Extended abstracts will be accepted for poster presentation only.

Authors of the best full papers will be invited to submitted extended
versions of their paper for publication in a special issue of the
Taylor & Francis journal Connection Science.

SATELLITE EVENTS

Active researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems are invited to
propose topics for 1-day or 2-day tutorials, symposia or workshops on
related themes to be held 18-19th July at the School of Informatics,
University of Edinburgh. Events can be scheduled on either the 18th or
the 19th or across both days. 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.  Please contact us if you are interested in
organising a satellite event!

EXPECTED DEADLINES

March 11th, 2016 Paper submission deadline
April 29th, 2016 Notification of acceptance
May 16th, 2016 Camera ready copy
July 18-22 2016 Conference

SPONSORSHIP

Living Machines 2016 is part-sponsored by the Convergent Science
Network (CSN) for Biomimetics and Neurotechnology. CSN is an EU FP7
Future Emerging Technologies Co-ordination Activity that also
organises two highly successful workshop series: the Barcelona Summer
School on Brain, Technology and Cognition
(https://bcbt.upf.edu/bcbt15) and the Capocaccia Neuromorphic
Cognitive Engineering Workshop
(https://capocaccia.ethz.ch/capo/wiki/2015).

The 2016 Living Machines conference will also be hosted and
co-sponsored by Heriot-Watt University.

Call for Sponsors.  Other organisations wishing to sponsor the
conference in any way and gain the corresponding benefits by promoting
themselves and their products to 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.

ABOUT THE VENUE

Living Machines 2016 will be hosted at Dynamic Earth
(http://www.dynamicearth.co.uk), a 5 star visitor attraction in the
heart of Edinburgh’s historic old town, next door the Scottish
Parliament and Holyrood Palace.

Dynamic Earth is a visitor experience that invites you to take a
journey through time to witness the story of planet Earth. Through a
series of interactive exhibits, state of the art technology and even a
4D encounter you will feel the heat of a bubbling volcano, face the
chill of polar ice, fly across the globe before crash landing in a
tropical rainforest.  Attendees at the conference will receive a
discount voucher to visit the Dynamic Earth exhibit.  Workshops will
be held at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics in
George Square, a short walk from Edinburgh city centre.

Organising Committee:

Mark Desmulliez, Heriot Watt University (Co-chair)
Tony Prescott, University of Sheffield (Co-chair)
Nathan Lepora, University of Bristol (Programme Chair)
Michael Mangar, University of Edinburgh (Satellite Events Chair)
Anna Mura, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Communications)
Paul Verschure, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (International Steering Committee)


-- 
Dr N Lepora                                    Dept of Engineering Maths
Phone: +44 (0) 117 331 5169            Merchant Venturers Building
Website: http://www.lepora.com         University of Bristol BS8 1UB

Lecturer in Engineering Mathematics
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/engineering/people/nathan-f-lepora

Program Director (UoB) for the MSc in Robotics
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/engineering/interdisciplinary/robotics/