Connectionists: [meetings] Friendly Reminder: Call for Contributions: ICRA'17 Full-Day Workshop on The Robotic Sense of Touch: From Sensing to Understanding

[Sophon SOMLOR]

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Dear Colleagues,


We are calling for contributions on our ICRA 2017 workshop on "The Robotic
Sense of Touch: From Sensing to Understanding"



This workshop aims to bring together experts in the fields of tactile
sensor design, tactile data analysis, machine learning and cognitive
modeling to share their knowledge, through a mix of oral presentations,
round-table discussions, poster sessions and live demonstrations.



***Call for contributions***

We are soliciting the submission of extended abstracts **(1-3 pages PDF,
IEEE template, optional videos)* to *rsot.icra2017 at gmail.com*
<rsot.icra2017 at gmail.com>*. **The submission deadline is 20 April 2017**.
Furthermore, we particularly call for live demonstrations to be presented
on the workshop day. We encourage researchers as well as companies (both
hardware and software companies) to contribute to the workshop.



Accepted submissions will be presented during the “Demonstrations and
poster session” of the workshop. Selected submissions will be given time
for oral presentations (15 minutes including Q&A). Please indicate in your
email if you want to present as a poster, oral, and/or live demonstration.



****Important Dates****:

Paper submission deadline: 20 April 2017

Notification of acceptance: 25 April 2017

Workshop day: 29 May 2017



Abstract:

This workshop (https://roboticsenseoftouchws.wordpress.com) focuses on the
development of novel tactile sensors (i.e. the bodyware) and how they can
contribute to robot intelligence (i.e. the mindware). Robots need touch to
interact with the surroundings (humans and/or objects) safely and
effectively, to learn about the outside world and to develop
self-awareness. To achieve these goals, the artificial skin of the next
generation should measure temperature, vibration, proximity and the
complete force vectors on multiple contact points; also, it should be both
soft and robust to facilitate long-term interactions. Still, major
challenges are posed by the need to analyze and interpret massive amounts
of data in a fast and accurate way, and to combine such sensing information
with other cognitive and perceptual processes to achieve real
understanding. While advanced computational techniques (e.g. deep learning,
Bayesian inference) can critically improve data representations,
bio-inspired strategies for multimodal integration, prediction and
reasoning seem to be necessary as well to revolutionize the robotic sense
of touch. Therefore, the goal of this workshop is to discuss if and how the
recent advancements in tactile technology and data analysis have been
accompanied by an increased understanding of the ways in which tactile
perception can support robot autonomy and cognition.



Content:

Part of human intelligence comes from using the sense of touch to explore
the own-body and learn about the world. Similarly, a humanoid robot can use
tactile sensing to learn about itself and its surroundings, and to improve
its ability in interacting with humans and objects. Indeed, there has been
a remarkable progress in tactile sensors for robotics. Several robotic
platforms and hands are equipped with sensors which allow measuring
pressure, proximity and temperature; also, novel technologies (soft, small,
distributed, stretchable sensors) can be used to cover the entire body of a
humanoid. These sensors can allow robots to actively explore objects and
extract information which is hidden or difficult to extract from vision,
like texture, material and weight; however, this requires the development
of appropriate learning strategies which incorporate explorative behaviors,
signal processing and machine learning.



Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

- Multimodal distributed skin sensors;

- Modular skin sensors;

- Force sensing;

- Soft/flexible/stretchable sensors;

- Large-scale data processing of tactile information;

- Use of tactile data for interaction control, tactile servoing, tactile
feature recognition, object handling;

- Integration of touch with other sensing modalities (e.g. vision, inertial
sensing);

- Whole-body multiple contact behaviors of humanoid robots;

- Predictive models for touch perception;

- Slip prediction, detection and control;

- Tactile sensing for self-contact, self-perception and self-calibration in
humanoid robots;

- Haptic representations of objects and their affordances.



Organizers:

Sophon Somlor (contact person), Waseda University

Alexander Schmitz, Waseda University

Lorenzo Jamone, The Queen Mary University of London

Lorenzo Natale, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia

Gordon Cheng, Technical University of Munich



***URL***

https://roboticsenseoftouchws.wordpress.com/


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Dr. Sophon Somlor
Junior Researcher
Top Global University Project
Unit for Frontier of Embodiment Informatics：ICT and Robotics
Faculty of Science and Engineering
Waseda University

早稲田大学 理工学術院
スーパーグローバル大学創生支援
ICT・ロボット工学拠点
次席研究員
ソムロア ソフォン
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