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Published: 13 March 2018

The IEEE-RAS Technical Committee on Mobile Manipulation and PAL Robotics are organizing the first Mobile Manipulation Hackathon, to take place at IROS 2018 in Madrid, Spain.

Mobile manipulation is gaining traction in recent years, with potential applications in diverse areas including manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare. These applications typically require complex manipulation tasks in both structured and unstructured environments, possibly in cooperation or close interaction with humans. Different fields are involved: perception, navigation, task and path planning, control, error recovery, and human-robot interaction. Nowadays, mobile manipulators are commercial products, ready to open new application fields in academia, research and industry. For instance, PAL Robotics offers TIAGo (http://tiago.pal-robotics.com), a mobile robot platform endowed with a 7 DoF arm, a liftable torso and a pan-tilt head. The Mobile Manipulation Hackathon is an opportunity to showcase your abilities in mobile manipulation tasks at IROS 2018 using this highly capable robotic platform!

Scope

The competition is open to contributions from any domain as long as they can be integrated into a mobile manipulation system. Do you have a software component, e.g. a new planner, a new controller, a new object detection system, we are interested! Or do you have a hardware component, e.g. a new tactile sensor, a new camera, a new gripper, we are interested! Our goal is to help you demonstrate your research live! It is difficult to carry your own robot to a conference, and less and less people are impressed by systems "working" in videos. Therefore, we provide you with a robot, an associated complete ROS-based simulation stack to which you can integrate your software, and one week hands-on support at PAL headquarters before IROS to help you polish your integration into a robust demonstration.

Participation

The Hackathon is open to any academic, research or industrial organization interested in mobile manipulation. Teams of max. 5 people can participate either by proposing and implementing a use case for mobile robotics, or by expanding the capabilities of the robotic platform with hardware modifications (e.g. integrating a new camera, tactile sensor or gripper). Selected teams will get the chance to:
-Get free entrance to IROS 2018 for student members of the team
-Receive up to one week of intensive training and integration support for the Hackathon project in Barcelona (travel/accommodation expenses not included)
-Access to the Tiago mobile robot, and presentation of the developments at the Hackathon area in IROS 2018

Timeline for the Hackathon

Expression of interest: until 30 March 2018
Feedback to the teams: 10 April 2018
Entry submission: 15 June 2018
Announcement of six finalist teams: 1 July 2018 
Support in Barcelona: September
IROS competition: 1-4 October 2018

More details can be found on the webpage of the event at http://iros18-mmh.pal-robotics.com

For additional inquiries, please contact the organizers at mobile-manipulation-hackathon-organizers@googlegroups.com

A public forum on the hackathon will be maintained at https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/mobile-manipulation-hackathon

Here is an opportunity to demonstrate that your research does not only work in video, but in real life as well!

Organizers

IEEE-RAS TC of Mobile Manipulation:
Maximo A. Roa (German Aerospace Center - DLR)
Mehmet Dogar (University of Leeds)
Nikolaus Correll (University of Colorado at Boulder)
PAL Robotics: Francesco Ferro, Carlos Vivas, Jordi Pages
Local Committee: Antonio Morales (Universidad Jaume I)

Details

Published: 10 March 2018

The IEEE Robotics and Automation Society - Special Interest Group on Humanitarian Technology (RAS-SIGHT) is engaging the academic and non-academic community to propose viable solutions in R&A to address relevant world problems through several initiatives that include competitions, funding impactful projects, and establishment of collaboration networks with academia, industry, and governments. The mission of RAS-SIGHT is the application of robotics and automation technologies for promoting humanitarian causes around the globe, and to leverage existing and emerging technologies for the benefit of humanity in under-served, under-developed areas in collaboration with existing global communities and organizations.

RAS-SIGHT’s activities broadly fall under Challenges and Projects. While Challenges are intended to advance the state-of-the-art in robotics and automation and provide a platform for researchers and developers to participate in a group setting working towards addressing problems with a humanitarian slant, Projects facilitate communities and associated organizations to work closely with robotics and automation researchers to elevate the quality of life for the residents of communities across the globe. RAS-SIGHT envisions Humanitarian Robotics and Automation Technology Challenges (HRATCs) as an unprecedented opportunity for technologists from around the world to collaborate using their skills and education to benefit humanity. The problems (challenges) are framed with the environmental, cultural, structural, political, socio-economic, and resource constraints so that solutions can be developed, deployed, and sustained.

In this vein, RAS-SIGHT is soliciting proposals that when implemented would improve the quality of life for the beneficiaries. A listing of previously completed and currently running projects are available from http://ieee-ras.org/ras-sight/projects.

Some important points worth noting:
* The problem that you propose to solve should utilize robotics and/or automation technologies
* It is strongly encouraged that the solution be developed and deployed with active involvement from the community or the end-users that it is intended to benefit
* Sustainability beyond the completion of the project will be a key consideration

If you are interested, please submit a 4 page (max.) proposal in the standard IEEE conference format outlining:
- the problem,
- the solution,
- related work, similar initiatives, and how the proposed project will achieve new results than what is currently available,
- proposed partnerships with existing initiatives,
- number of people who would be impacted,
- previous experiences, both in terms of applied research and deployment,
- project development timeline,
- breakdown of anticipated costs, and how the funds would be used to support the project, and
- short biographies of project members (with URLs of respective websites)

We anticipate to fund proposals in the US$2500-$5000 range from all Regions of IEEE. Please note that the awarded funds cannot be used to support wages or salaries of personnel or for supporting theoretical research.

All submissions should be sent to Raj Madhavan, Chair, RAS-SIGHT at <raj.madhavan@ieee.org>.

IMPORTANT DATES

Submission Deadline: 20 April 20 2018
Acceptance Notifications: 5 May 2018

Additional information is available from:
* RAS-SIGHT: http://www.ieee-ras.org/ras-sight
* RAS-SIGHT Publications: http://www.ieee-ras.org/ras-sight/publicationshttp://www.ieee-ras.org/ras-sight/publications
* RAS-SIGHT Projects: http://ieee-ras.org/ras-sight/projectshttp://ieee-ras.org/ras-sight/projects
* IEEE Conference Template: https://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/publishing/templates.htmlhttps://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/publishing/templates.html

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Published: 01 March 2018

To include the broader robotics and industrial community, ICRA 2018 will include an Abstract-Only Poster Session (in previous ICRAs called Late Breaking Results). This is an opportunity to describe industrial robotics projects, new robotic technology, or recent research results. One-page abstracts, with a streamlined decision process, will be presented at the conference as posters.

Accepted abstracts will be included in the conference proceedings, but as non-peer-reviewed publication they will not be uploaded to IEEE Xplore. Prospective poster presenters should submit a 1-page extended abstract by 10 March 2018 through the PaperPlaza system.

More details can be found here under the Contribute tab:  http://icra2018.org/

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Published: 21 February 2018

You're invited to the IEEE Vision, Innovation, and Challenges Summit and Honors Ceremony
11 May 2018 at The Palace Hotel in San Francisco, CA, USA.

The IEEE Vision, Innovation, and Challenges Summit brings together leading innovators, visionaries, and disruptors in technology to discuss, explore, and uncover what is imminent, what is possible – and what these emerging technologies mean for our future.

The Summit culminates with the IEEE Honors Ceremony, where IEEE's highest awards are presented. These awards are an expression of recognition for outstanding contributions to the advancement of the theory and practice of electrical, electronics, communications, environmental and safety technologies, computer science and engineering, engineering education, as well as the allied branches of engineering and the related arts and sciences and technologies and their application.

AGENDA SPOTLIGHT
Robots on the Rise: The Future of Robotics and AI

Robots have long captured our imagination, but for decades they’ve been confined to factories and research labs. Now robots are finally making their way into our homes, offices, warehouses, hospitals, and streets. Agile humanoids, social robots, and autonomous vehicles are becoming a reality thanks to recent advances in robotics and AI.

These machines promise to improve our daily lives, but they also raise questions. What jobs should we automate? Can self-driving cars help save lives? Should we be build AI-powered weapons? Where's Rosie the Robot? This panel of robot luminaries will tackle these and other pressing questions on the future of robotics and artificial intelligence.

Moderator: Oussama Khatib, Stanford University
Speakers (L-R): Marc Raibert, co-founder and President of Boston Dynamics Inc.; Cynthia Breazeal, MIT; Dr. Eric Krotkov, Toyota Research Institute

IEEE Awards is happy to provide a 10% discount code to the IEEE Robotics & Automation Society Members! Enter discount code VICSRobotics on the payment screen (in the discount code box) during the registration process.

This event will sell out, so secure the early bird discount by registering now!

Register Now

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Published: 20 February 2018

Congratulations to the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society members recently elevated (October & November 2017) to Senior Member status by the IEEE Admission and Advancement (A&A) 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 ten years (with some credit for certain degrees)
• Show significant performance over a period of at least five of their years in professional practice

Nominees for IEEE Fellow must hold the grade of Senior Member or Life Senior Member in order to qualify for elevation to Fellow status.

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Published: 13 February 2018

Looking for a job in robotics? Looking to hire top robotics job candidates?

After previous successes at ICRA and IROS, the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society will again be organizing an official Access to Talent Program in conjunction with ICRA 2018. This program is targeted at job seekers and robotics companies of all sizes. It provides an outstanding opportunity for potential employers and potential employees to connect at one of the top robotics conferences in the world.

The program will be of interest to:

(1) Those Seeking Employment Opportunities
Conference attendees (primarily students) interested in robotics-related employment opportunities can upload their contact information, interests and resumé to a database that will be made available to company recruiters. Interested companies will then have the opportunity to review this database and conduct on-site interviews at ICRA. Instructions for uploading your information to the Access To Talent Program database will be included in the registration confirmation for ICRA 2018.

(2) Recruiting Companies
Companies interested in recruiting at ICRA 2018 will have access to the following resources:
- A searchable resume database of conference attendees interested in robotics-related employment.
- Space for conducting on-site interviews.
- Poster space during the exhibition to advertise the company and its available positions.

More information is available at https://icra2018.org/access-to-talent-program-at-icra2018/.
Email inquires may be directed to: accesstalent@ieee.org

Organizing Committee

Jonathan Kelly, University of Toronto, Canada
Matthew Walter, Toyota Technological Institute, USA
Henny Admoni, Carnegie Mellon University, USA

Details

Published: 12 February 2018

The IEEE Robotics & Automation Society (RAS) and IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (EMBS) seek candidates for the position of Editor-in-Chief of the NEW journal IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics (T-MRB).

IEEE T-MRB is the new quarterly, multi-disciplinary journal jointly sponsored by IEEE RA and IEEE EMB Societies, publishing papers reporting high-quality research in the fields of robotics and of bionics applied to medicine. The IEEE T-MRB publishes articles on theoretical, methodological, experimental advancements focusing on healthcare applications of robotic and\or of bionic components and systems able to support prevention, diagnosis or treatment of human diseases.

Candidates should be dedicated volunteers with outstanding research profiles in medical robotics and bionics, strong leadership qualities, intellectual vision, organizational abilities and extensive editorial experience. The official term will start on 15 March 2018, and continue for five years, non-renewable.
The primary responsibility of the IEEE T-MRB Editor-in-Chief is to assure the journal’s quality, reputation, and scholarship. The Editor-in-Chief should be prepared to strengthen the journal’s competitive position over the next years, and develop editorial initiatives which could generate contents representative of the full spectrum of high-quality work carried out worldwide in medical robotics and bionics. The Editor-in-Chief should also assure that the journal’s activities are carried out in a fiscally responsible manner.
The Editor-in-Chief oversees the IEEE T-MRB manuscript submission and review process and is responsible for the content, quality, and timeliness of each issue of IEEE T-MRB. The Editor-in-Chief recommends to IEEE RAS and IEEE EMBS a team of editors and associate editors to help administer the peer review process, promote excellence in content, and advance editorial initiatives.
The IEEE T-MRB Editor-in-Chief will serve as ex-officio non voting member of the T-MRB Steering Committee and also reports to the IEEE RAS and IEEE EMBS through the Publications Activities Boards\Committees of the two societies.

Applications

Applications (PDF) should be submitted by e-mail to the RAS and EMBS Vice-Presidents for Publication Activities, at the following addresses: e.guglielmelli@unicampus.it and rbutera@gatech.edu.
The application must be received by 5 March 2018.
Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed (remotely) by the IEEE T-MRB Steering Committee. After the interviews, the Steering Committee will convene to determine its final recommendation and provide that recommendation to the IEEE RAS and EMBS Presidents for consideration.

The application package must include:
• a complete curriculum vitae;
• a separate description on each of the following items (max 150 words/item): Vision Statement; Editorial Experience; Summary of publishing experience in IEEE journals/magazines; IEEE Volunteer Experience; Institutional Support; Current service and administrative commitments (if any); Networking with the Community; Why does the candidate consider herself/ himself fit for this position?
• tentative list of proposed Editors and Associate Editors.

For any information and clarifications please contact k.colabaugh@ieee.org or l.wolf@ieee.org

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Published: 08 February 2018

IEEE Fellow is a distinction reserved for select IEEE members. The honor is conferred by the Board of Directors upon a person with an extraordinary record of accomplishments in any of the IEEE fields of interest.

If you know of an IEEE colleague who is a Senior Member or Life Senior Member in good standing, has completed five years of service in any grade of IEEE Membership and who has made an outstanding contribution to the electronic or electrical engineering profession, you can nominate this person in one of four categories:

• Application Engineer/Practitioner
• Educator
• Research Engineer/Scientist
• Technical Leader

Nominations for the Fellow Class of 2019 are now being accepted. To learn more about the Fellow program and the nomination process, visit the Steps to Become an IEEE Fellow page.

NOMINATION DEADLINE: 1 March 2018

Additional information about the IEEE Fellow program, and a list of RAS Fellows is available HERE.

Details

Published: 08 February 2018

Submit your application today!

The purpose of this award is to highlight and honor the achievements of the inventors with value creating ideas and entrepreneurs who propel those ideas into world-class products. This is a key element to the continuing success of robotics and automation today. Active infusion of innovation and entrepreneurship into technological advancement is regarded critical at this juncture to strengthen a healthy balance between research and practice as well as a healthy growth of industrial and commercial sectors in robotics and automation.

These achievements will be recognized in a specially organized IEEE/IFR Joint Forum on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Robotics and Automation, which will be held on 20 June 2018 in conjunction with the International Symposium on Robotics in Munich, Germany. The selected finalists will have the opportunity to present their story of the genesis of a successful innovative product in robotics and automation from its very inception to the final state of commercialization in a series of plenary lectures. The ultimate winner will be chosen by an evaluation board consisting of distinguished individuals from industry and academia. A prestigious plaque will be awarded to each finalist and a US$ 2,000 prize will be awarded to the winner.

Applications should describe the original work that has been translated into a commercial success. The application must include statements regarding:
- description of the innovation/product/application
- stages of the product genesis
- novelty/uniqueness of the product
- market analysis, economic viability and pathway for commercialization
- sustained competitive advantage
- current and future impact on and relevance to industry

DON'T MISS THE DEADLINE! Applications for the IERA Award must be submitted no later than 15 March 2018.
See more here: https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/iera-award-2018-apply-now

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

Applications should not exceed a maximum length of 5 pages. Product descriptions and public relation material will not be accepted as an application. References and links to online material are permitted.

SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

Please send as PDF document (< 6 MB) no later than 15 March 2018 (any time zone) to IFR Secretariat – secretariat@ifr.org

For additional information see: Call for Applications

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Published: 07 February 2018

The IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) is seeking applications for the Member Activities Board’s Student Activities Committee (SAC). There are openings for one Chair and one or more co‐Chairs. These positions offer great opportunities to learn more about the Society, have an international impact, and expand one’s professional network. The chair will serve for two calendar years (2018–19), and the co‐chairs for a one‐year term in 2018 and renewable for a second year.

The IEEE‐RAS Student Activities Committee promotes student participation in the Society activities in co‐operation with all Society Boards, Committees and Working Groups, under the supervision of the Membership Activities Board. The mission of the committee includes working on issues of interest to student members and interacting with student members and student chapter branches. Current areas of focus include:

• Lunch with Leaders held at flagship conferences (ICRA, CASE, IROS)
• Informal social events at RAS sponsored conferences
• Educational webinars
• Membership development
• SAC Website content
• Coordination with student branch chapter chairs
• SAC column in IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine (quarterly publication)
• IEEE RAS Facebook group management

The chairs of the RAS SAC are appointed by the RAS President from a slate of candidates approved by the Membership Activities Board. Candidates may be undergraduate or graduate students, but must be student members of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society in good standing. The ideal candidate has strong social, professional, and communication skills, is willing to take part in ongoing activities and propose new initiatives. Past participation in SAC is requested but not required. There is no geographical preference.

The Chair of the SAC shall be an ex‐officio Administrative Committee member with a vote. The chair is expected to attend the semiannual Administrative Committee meetings, adjoin to the ICRA and IROS conferences. * Partial travel support (depending on the distance) is provided by the Society (up to $2000, for the chair, and $500 for co‐chairs). The Student Activities Chair shall also be an active member of the RAS Member Activities Board.

Currently, the SAC has several initiatives to promote active networking, interdisciplinary dialogues, and robotics education. Some initiatives require weekly SAC involvement while other activities are conference specific (currently developed around the RAS flagship conferences: IROS, ICRA, and CASE). More information about current activities can be found at the RAS webpage <http://www.ieee-ras.org/students/about-sac>

Interested applicants should be:

• Self-motivated
• Organized
• Responsive to e-mail discussions
• Able to commit 5+ hours a week to SAC material, potentially more when required for specific activities (e.g. reviewing volunteer proposals, organizing conference activities, etc.)

If you wish to be considered, please complete an Application Form by 1 March 2018 and indicate whether you are applying for the Chair or Co-Chair position, and include the following information:
1. A letter indicating applicant’s interest in serving on the SAC and relevant experience (2 pages maximum)
2. A CV or résumé (2 pages maximum)
3. A letter of support from a faculty member at your college or university (preferably a current member of IEEE and RAS).

For more information on the SAC and current activities, refer to the IEEE RAS webpage.

* Upcoming IEEE RAS Flagship Conference dates and locations are as follows:
ICRA 2018: Brisbane, Australia, 21-25 May
IROS 2018: Madrid, Spain, 1-5 October
CASE 2018: Munich, Germany, 20-24 August
ICRA 2019: Montreal, Canada, 20-24 May
IROS 2019: Macau, China, 3-8 November
CASE 2019: Vancouver, Canada, 25-28 August