AISB-95 Workshop on Mobile robotics

Workshop on Mobile robotics

1 day: April 4, 1995

This one-day Workshop will focus on current progress in research on autonomous mobile robots.

The approach of 'situated' or 'behaviour-based' robotics has had considerable success in building robots that operate using relatively unprocessed sensor data and largely reactive skills to negotiate cluttered laboratory environments. This approach contrasts with other ongoing research in mobile robotics that exploits more conventional AI methods including the analysis of sensor data to provide a description of the local scene, the construction of world models, and the use of planning. There are many outstanding problem areas for the situated approach (for instance, the task of efficiently navigating between distant locations) and it is currently an open question as to whether further significant advances will be made without incorporating at least some of the methods used in conventional robotics. At the same time, however, it could be argued that the principles of situated robotics are so fundamentally different that it should seek its own solutions to unresolved problems.

The aims of the workshop are:

to consider the future development of mobile robotics and provide a forum for constructive debate on key issues;
to consider how situated robotics should advance to solve outstanding problems; and
to ask whether any rapprochement between situated and conventional approaches in mobile robotics is either possible or desirable.

Participants

The workshop is intended for researchers currently active in mobile robotics and related fields.

Format

The workshop will commence with a number of position papers from invited speakers followed by contributed half-hour presentations. At least 15 minutes will be allowed for discussion at the end of each presentation. Short videos of mobile robot systems may be included in presentations. Proposals for robot demonstrations are also welcome, please contact the workshop organisers if you are considering bringing a robot Sheffield as some local assistance can be arranged. This format may change once the number of accepted papers is known.

Participation

Contributions are sought from researchers in any field of mobile robotics with an interest in the issues outlined above. Topics to be covered can include any of the following: position papers on approaches to mobile robotics; robot architecture and design; sensory processing and sensor fusion; representing world knowledge; action-selection and the role of planning; navigation; the development of robot control systems through learning and/or evolution.

Papers for presentation at the workshop should be sent to the workshop chair (address above) by 30th January, 1995. All papers will be refereed by the Workshop Committee and other specialists. Authors of accepted papers will be notified by 24th February. Final versions of accepted papers must be submitted by 10th March, 1995. A collated set of workshop papers will be distributed to workshop attenders only. Authors will retain copyright.

Attendance at the Workshop will be restricted to 30 to encourage discussion. There will be a separate fee (about ? pounds) for Workshop attenders (more information will be supplied later). The planned date for the Workshop is April 4th, 1995.

Further information can be obtained from the principal organiser.

Deadlines

    Indication of interest:     30th January 1995
    Notification of acceptance: 24th February 1995
    Final papers:               10th March 1995

Principal organiser

    Tony Prescott <T.Prescott@aivru.sheffield.ac.uk>
    Artificial Intelligence Vision Research Unit
    Department of Psychology
    University of Sheffield
    Sheffield S10 2UR
    ENGLAND
    
    vox: (+44) 114 282 6547

Programme Committee

Tony Prescott Principal organiser (University of Sheffield)
John Hallam (University of Edinburgh)
John Mayhew (University of Sheffield)
Stuart Cornell (University of Sheffield)

Last modified: Feb 2 1995

Malcolm Crawford <m.crawford@dcs.shef.ac.uk>

Institute for Language Speech and Hearing, University of Sheffield