We are pleased to announce that a new batch of IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L) papers is now available on IEEE Xplore. Check it out!

We are pleased to announce that Volume 20, Issue 2 of IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering (T-ASE) is now available on IEEE Xplore. Click here for the table of contents and check out the issue now on Xplore!

Thanks to an increase in support from the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society leadership, there will be a second round of travel awards to attend ICRA 2023 in London! Apply by 21 April 2023 23:59 PT for consideration. Click here for more information.

We are pleased to announce a new special issue for IEEE Transactions on Haptics (ToH): Towards a transdisciplinary approach to the development and control of haptic devices for human-in-the-loop applications.

Check out the website for more details on submission instructions or the special issue aims and scope.

Key Dates and Deadlines

  • Submission deadline: 20 July 2023
  • First decision sent to authors: approximately 3 months after submission
  • Final decision sent to authors: approximately 6 months after submission
  • Final publication material due from authors: approximately 7 months after submission

We are pleased to announce a new special issue for IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine (RA-M) on Marine Robots.

Check out the website for more details the special issue aims and scope.

Key Dates and Deadlines

  • Submission deadline: 15 July 2023
  • First decision to authors: 15 September 2023
  • Resubmission: 30 October 2023
  • Final decision: 1 December 2023
  • Final manuscripts upload: 15 December 2023
  • Guest editorial due: 20 December 2023
  • Publication: March 2024

We are pleased to announce that Volume 39, Issue 2 of IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO) is now available on IEEE Xplore. Click here for the table of contents and check out the issue now on Xplore!

The IEEE RAS Women in Engineering Committee (WiE) has launched a new travel support program to encourage inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA) in our community. The IDEA grants aim to make the major IEEE RAS conferences more accessible for underrepresented groups.

The RAS WiE is now accepting IDEA grant applications for the IEEE International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering (CASE) 2023, to be held in Auckland, New Zealand from 26–30 August 2023. Each awardee will receive a maximum of $3,300 to cover the travel costs of the trip. Please note that awards will be distributed as travel reimbursements. The award will focus on supporting:

  • Secondary/undergraduate/graduate students interested in robotics or automation topics
  • Underrepresented groups
  • People with disabilities
  • People who have stepped down from the field for some time and want to return (e.g., due to illness or parental leave)

The Call for Applications is now open with the following schedule.

  • Application submission deadline: 5 May 2023 (11:59 PT)
  • Decisions: 26 May 2023

To apply for IDEA travel support, please follow the steps in the application form. The IDEA committee will select three applicants to attend CASE 2023.

This year, the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2023, which will take place in London from 29 May–2 June 2023, will host 12 exciting robotics competitions across a wide range of areas of expertise. Many competition registrations close in April; check out the website for more info.

ICRA2023 competitions

We are pleased to announce that the March 2023 issue of IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine on homecare robots (Volume 30, Issue 1) is now available on IEEE Xplore. Click here for the table of contents, and check out the issue now on Xplore!

Front Cover March2023RAM

Congratulations and welcome to the following newly organized RAS Chapters:

 

Region 8

Hungary

  • Obuda University Robotics and Automation Society Student Branch Chapter

Tunisia

  • Higher Institute of Informatics and Mathematics of Monastir (ISIMM), Robotics and Automation Society Student Branch Chapter

Region 9

Costa Rica

  • Costa Rica Institute of Technology, Robotics and Automation Society Student Branch Chapter

Region 10

India

  • Basaveshwar Engineering College, Robotics and Automation Society Student Branch Chapter
  • BVRIT Hyderabad, Robotics and Automation Society Student Branch Chapter
  • JSS Academy of Technical Education-Bangalore Robotics and Automation Society Student Branch Chapter
  • Kumaraguru College of Tech, Robotics and Automation Society Student Branch Chapter
  • Manav Rachna College of Engineering, Robotics and Automation Society Student Branch Chapter
  • Manipal University Jaipur, Robotics and Automation Society Student Branch Chapter
  • The Oxford College Of Engineering, Robotics and Automation Society Student Branch Chapter
  • Rajeev Gandhi Memorial College of Eng and Tech Robotics and Automation Society Student Branch Chapter

The IEEE Standards Association (IEEE SA) invites you to participate in the Working Group for IEEE P7017™: Recommended Practice for Design-Centered Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) and Governance.

Why Get Involved?

This recommended practice describes the methodology and application of “compliance by design” in the area of human-robot interaction (HRI) with regard to socially assistive robots. Six topics are included:

  1. Metrics on behaviors for stakeholders in HRI
  2. Metrics of different design practices and their impacts to HRI governance
  3. Risk assessment of using compliance by design for socially assistive robots
  4. Use cases in compliance by design for socially assistive robots
  5. Recommended methods for compliance by design for socially assistive robots
  6. A conceptual framework of compliance by design for HRI governance, to enable robot developers to efficiently apply ethical behaviors into the design process for socially assistive robots and to help stakeholders reduce legal conflicts between existing laws and emerging technologies regarding the use of socially assistive robots in human spaces.

The purpose of this recommended practice is to provide stakeholders engaged in the use and design of socially assistive robots with means of design-centered approaches to realize safe and trustworthy human-robot interactions that comply with legal rules in (semi) public environments. The core of this project is to explore the potential of AI (Artificial Intelligence) ethics standards in the governance of human-robot interactions through compliance by design for socially assistive robots.

Learn more here.

Please indicate your interest in this working group to receive ballot invitations and other notifications about the project, including the date/time of the working group kick-off meeting in May. For additional information, contact the IEEE P7017™ Working Group Chair, Yueh-Hsuan Weng, at weng.yuehhsuan@gmail.com or the IEEE SA Program Manager, Christy Bahn, at c.bahn@ieee.org.

We are pleased to announce that a new batch of IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (RA-L) papers is now available on IEEE Xplore. Check it out!

We are pleased to announce that Volume 16, Issue 1 of IEEE Transactions on Haptics (ToH) is now available on IEEE Xplore. Click here for the table of contents and check out the issue now on Xplore!

TerenceRAS is pleased to announce the hiring of Terence Martinez as its new Executive Director. Martinez has worked in the technology sector for more than 25 years and has spent the past 12 years at IEEE. Prior to joining RAS, Martinez was a Program Director for IEEE Future Directions, where he led initiatives on Quantum, Blockchain, Rebooting Computing, and Smart Cities. In this role, Martinez helped launch the IEEE International Conference on Quantum Computing and Engineering (QCE), and he worked with academia, government, and industry partners (including Duke University, Perdue University, Google, and Facebook) on various projects. Prior to that, Martinez worked as a Product Manager for IEEE Online Platforms, where he helped develop online products including IEEE.tv, myIEEE, as well as IEEE Collabratec™, an industry-first professional networking and collaborative authoring platform. Prior to joining IEEE, Martinez worked as an E-Business Product Manager at Siemens and a Senior Systems Analyst at Merck.

An IEEE Senior Member himself, with degrees in Information Systems, Chemical Engineering, and Economics, Martinez has also volunteered in IEEE’s TryEngineering program for the past five years, where he has mentored primary school students interested in STEM.

Martinez is thrilled to be joining the robotics and automation community at such an exciting time for the field. We are delighted to welcome him aboard as the new Executive Director for RAS.

The paper submission deadline for the IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO) Special Issue (SI) on Impact-Aware Robotics has been extended to 1 May 2023.

Check out the website for more details on submission instructions or the SI aims and scope.

Key Dates and Deadlines

  • Submission deadline: 1 May 2023
  • Projected publication date: 2024

Please reach out to the Guest Editors with any questions.

Kavraki invented algorithms that improve the efficiency and capabilities of robots, enable scientists to simulate the interactions of proteins, and reveal how to make search efficient for problems arising in the physical world.

The IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) is most pleased to announce that RAS Member Lydia Kavraki has been selected as the recipient of the prestigious 2023 IEEE Frances E. Allen Medal. Professor Kavraki was selected “for foundational probabilistic algorithms and randomized search methods that have broad impact in robotic motion planning and computational biology.”

allen Lydia Kavraki

Lydia E. Kavraki revolutionized the field of algorithmic robotics and searching in continuous domains. Her contributions have had a broad impact in both robotic motion planning and computational biology. Twenty-five years ago, Lydia introduced the world to the simple yet effective methodology of sampling-based planning (SBP), which at the time was a departure from the predominantly discouraging results in the field of robot motion planning. Her early work on the Probabilistic Roadmap Method (PRM) and subsequent completeness analysis marked the dawn of a new era in which previously unsolvable problems in robotics and other domains, such as assembly and maintenance, digital animation, and biotechnology, were suddenly efficiently solvable with only moderate programming effort. Kavraki’s influence extends beyond motion planning, as her methodology has been applied to a wide range of problems and settings, including kinodynamic systems. She has also made significant contributions to the field of bioinformatics, where her techniques have been successfully adapted to the challenging spaces of structural molecular biology and drug design. In addition to her research, Kavraki has been a dedicated mentor and educator, guiding numerous students and postdocs throughout her career. She also co-created the Open Motion Planning Library (OMPL) with Mark Moll, which disseminates SBP algorithms via a meticulously crafted open-source software library. The OMPL has made it easier for a vast audience to access the tools and solutions developed by Lydia and her team without the need for developing their own software or understanding the algorithmic intricacies. Kavraki is now working with NASA to advance the capabilities of robots designed for space missions, including the Space Gateway, humanity’s first space station in lunar orbit and the portal for NASA’s ambitious deep-space exploration plans. With applications from the molecular level to the stars, Kavraki’s work is a shining example of great talent and total devotion.

An IEEE Fellow, Kavraki is the Noah Harding Professor of Computer Science at Rice University in Houston, Texas, USA.

About the IEEE Frances E. Allen Medal

Sponsored by IBM and named in honor of computing pioneer Frances E. Allen, the IEEE Frances E. Allen Medal was established by the IEEE Board of Directors in 2020; it honors “innovative work in computing leading to lasting impact on other aspects of engineering, science, technology, or society.” More information on the Medal and its history can be found here; a list of past winners is available here.

Register now for Cybosium, the first ever RAS Technical Education Program in India. Cybosium is a mutual initiative of the students of IEEE RAS SBC MACE and IEEE MACE SB. The seasonal school is organized in collaboration with companies and organizations in the industry. The school has three tracks:

  • Aerial Robotics and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Autonomous Ground Vehicles and Intelligent Transportation Systems
  • Energy, Environment, and Safety Issues in Robotics and Automation.

The school includes an appealing combination of events, such as interactive talk sessions, industrial visits, cultural events, expos, and much more.

Venue

Four Points by Sheraton, Infopark, Kochi, India

Dates:

  • Online phase: 19 March 2023 - 21 April
  • Offline phase: 29 April - 01 May, 2023

Check out the website for more details on Cybosium as well as registration instructions. Please reach out to Deva Darsan at devwayne@ieee.org with any questions.

The IEEE Robotics & Automation Society recognizes and congratulates the following individuals for their outstanding accomplishments and service to RAS and the robotics and automation community. They will be honored during an award ceremony, to be held during the IEEE International Conference on Robotics & Automation (ICRA 2023) in May. Please join us in congratulating these outstanding recipients!

RAS Pioneer Award 

Tsuneo Yoshikawa Tsuneo Yoshikawa Kyoto University & Ritsumeikan University, Japan
"For pioneering contributions to the understanding of the kinematics, dynamics, and control of complex robotic systems, including haptics and teleoperations"
Asada hero Haruhiko Harry Asada - MIT (MA), US

"For pioneering contributions to robotics and automation in grasp stability and fixturing, direct-drive, skill transfer, and wearable systems"

 

RAS George Saridis Leadership Award in Robotics and Automation 

Satoshi Tadokoro Casual Photo Satoshi Tadokoro - Tohoku University, Japan
"For inclusive leadership as RAS President and for the visionary and strategic leadership of the rescue robotics research community"

 

IEEE RAS Distinguished Service Award

Fumihito Arai Univ. Tokyo photo Fumihito AraiUniversity of Tokyo, Japan
"For his leadership as Vice President for Technical Activities and his continued service in support of in RAS committees conferences"
0 asfour tamim Tamim Asfour – Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany
"For outstanding contributions in support of RAS conferences and committees and as Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters"
KWON DONG SOO

Dong-Soo Kwon– Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), South Korea

"For his scientific leadership and continued outstanding activities in support of RAS committees and conferences"

Early Academic Career Award in Robotics and Automation

driggs campbell Katherine Driggs-Campbell - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (IL), USA
"For contributions to the design of autonomous systems that operate in the real-world and interact safely with people"
Abhinav Valada

Abhinav Valada - University of Freiburg, Germany 

"For contributions to learning and perception for robot navigation"

Cosimo Della Santina

Cosimo Della Santina - Technical University of Delft, The Netherlands

"For fundamental contributions to modeling, design, and control of soft and elastic robots"

Nikolay Atanasov

Nikolay Atanasov - University of California San Diego (CA), USA

"For contributions to the advancement of autonomous navigation, simultaneous localization and mapping, and active robot perception"

 

Early Government or Industry Career Award in Robotics and Automation

Karol Hausman Karol Hausman - Google
"For major contributions to scalable robot learning algorithms"

 

 

IEEE Inaba Technical Award for Innovation Leading to Production

Award not Presented

 

IEEE Robotics and Automation Award for Product Innovation

Energy Robotics GmbH
"Energy Robotics‘ robot and cloud brain software provide autonomous inspection of industrial sites by fleets of heterogeneous mobile robots"

 

RAS Most Active Technical Committee Award

Technical Committee on Robotic Hands, Grasping and Manipulation
Chairs: Matteo Bianchi; Hyungpil Moon; Rich Walker; Robert Platt; Jeannette Bohg

 

RAS Chapter of the Year Award

Award not Presented

 

RAS Student Chapter of the Year Award

IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Student Branch Chapter Mar Athanasius College of Engineering

Chair: Deva Darsan, Co-chair: Praseeda P Kartha

The RAS AdCom passed a set of Bylaws revisions on 24 February 2023. In accordance with the RAS Constitution, these changes shall take effect after approval from the IEEE VP of Technical Activities (in process) and 30 days after publication in the RAS eNewsletter.

Bylaws revisions include:

  • Add Bylaw describing Financial Activities Board, for consistency with other major RAS Board bylaws
  • Clarify composition of boards/committees where necessary
  • Removed Robotics and Automation Research and Practice Ethics Committee. This committee is to be transitioned to a RAS Technical Community.
  • Editorial changes to correct for minor grammatical corrections and reformatting due to addition/removal of sections

Congratulations to the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society members recently elevated to Senior Member status by the IEEE Admission and Advancement Senior Member Review Panel.

To be eligible for application or nomination, candidates must

  • be engineers, scientists, educators, technical executives, or originators in IEEE-designated fields
  • have experience reflecting professional maturity
  • have been in professional practice for at least 10 years (with some credit for certain degrees).

In addition, candidates for Senior Member grade must supply three references from current IEEE Members holding the grade of Fellow, Senior Member, or Honorary Member. For more information, visit https://www.ieee.org/membership/senior/ or email senior-member@ieee.org. The names and affiliations of the new Senior Members are as follows, listed alphabetically by Region:

 

Region 1

Eric Gallimore

Providence Section

Diego Romeres

Boston Section

Region 2

Satyanarayana Manyam

Dayton Section

Region 3

Jeff Holmes

East Tennessee Section

Ryan Integlia

Coastal South Carolina Section

Region 4

Ratheesh Ravindran

Southeastern Michigan Section

Ramanarayan Vasudevan

Southeastern Michigan Section

Region 5

Adedeji Ogunbela

Houston Section

Alessandro Roncone

Denver Section

Region 6

Soshi Iba

Santa Clara Valley Section

Hannah Stuart

Oakland-East Bay Section

Region 7

Soulaimane Berkane

Ottawa Section

Christos Bergeles

United Kingdom and Ireland Section

Ghazi Bouzid

Tunisia Section

Hedvig Kjellstrom

Sweden Section

Agostino Mangini

Italy Section

Chioma Oleka

Nigeria Section

Massimiliano Pirani

Italy Section

Anatolijs Zabasta

Latvia Section

Daniel Carbonel

Peru Section

Cairo Nascimento

South Brazil Section

Region 10

Guanjun Bao

Nanjing Section

Neeraj Bhardwaj

Bangalore Section

Wei Feng

Guangzhou Section

Jiajie Guo

Wuhan Section

Vijaykumar Jatti

Bombay Section

Narendra Khatri

Bangalore Section

Hyun-Jung Kim

Daejeon Section

Tianliang Li

Wuhan Section

Olatunji Omisore

Guangzhou Section

Stalin Yanneboina

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