Space_AreWeAlone_NASA_Sep23.JPG

 

Robotics missions such as Voyager, which continues to go beyond our solar system, missions to Mars and other planets, exploring the stars and galaxies for astrophysics missions, exploring and answering the question, “are we alone in this universe?” has been the driving force for NASA scientists for more than six decades.  


We are addressing The Question from the technical perspective by bringing you a webinar that will present the latest research carried out at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, entitled "Are We Alone? NASA Technologies to Find Life Beyond Earth and Answers to Other Science Questions", by Prof. Goutam Chattopadhyay, PhD, a Senior Scientist at the NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology and a Visiting Professor at the Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy at the California Institute of Technology.

The webinar is starting on 23 September at 16:10 UTC as part of IEEE Young Professionals track at IEEE Region 8 Virtual Student and Young Professional Congress 2020 and will be streamed on our Facebook page. The talk is co-organized with IEEE Microwaves Theory and Techniques Society Young Professionals.

If you wish to take an active participation in this session and the whole Congress, please register herehttps://forms.gle/pj6mN3NiBwCxzvPcA.

You can check the full Congress schedule at https://www.r8syp.com/vsyp-program.

WHERE: Prague, Czech Republic
WHEN: 13-17 July 2020

 

Following the great success of Summer Schools in Singapore, 2016 and in Prague, 2019, the MRS RAS technical committee is organizing 2020 IEEE RAS Summer School on Multi-Robot Systems http://mrs.felk.cvut.cz/summer-school/ which will be held again at the campus of Czech Technical University located at the heart of the historic city of Prague.


The Summer School aims to promote the newest achievements in multi-robot systems and swarm robotics to students, academic researchers, and industrial practitioners to enable putting systems of cooperating robots into practice. The content of the Summer School will be focused but not limited to systems of cooperating aerial vehicles. The topics addressed by well-recognized experts in the field of Multi-Robot Systems are composed to provide the participants necessary knowledge for understanding the available theory and for realization real-world experiments with a fleet of autonomous micro aerial vehicles in the last day of the Summer School.


WHO SHOULD ATTEND: Graduate students (master or PhD) and students (Bc.) at an advanced stage of their university courses. R&D professionals.

LECTURERS:
Marco Dorigo, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Research director for the Belgian Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique, Inventor of the Ant Colony Optimization metaheuristic
Marco Pavone, Stanford University, Director of the Autonomous Systems Laboratory
Shaojie Shen, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Director of HKUST-DJI Joint Innovation Laboratory
Alcherio Martinoli, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, Scientific leader at the Distributed Intelligent Systems and Algorithms Laboratory
Lorenzo Sabattini, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Professor at DISMI, IEEE RAS TC on Multi-Robot Systems
Paolo Robuffo Giordano, Inria/IRISA, Scientific leader of the Rainbow Team at Inria/IRISA
More lecturers will come

Right now we are in the process of inviting speakers, so wait for new updates! We target to have 8 invited speakers from the best universities all around the world.

WEB PAGE: http://mrs.felk.cvut.cz/summer-school/

CONTACT: mrs@fel.cvut.cz

*Event organized by IEEE RAS TC on Multi-Robot Systems*

13-17 September 2021
Intur Bonaire Hotel, Benicassim, Spain

 

Organized by IEEE-RAS TC on Performance Evaluation & Benchmarking of Robotic and Automation Systems (TC PEBRAS)

 

Summarizing, the topics to be addressed in the program during the summer school are the following:
• Design of Experiments in Robotics
• Execution of Experiments in Robotics
• Experimental scenarios to evaluate performance, demonstrate
generality, and measure robustness
• Well-grounded experimental methods
• Replication of Experiments in Robotics
• Relationship between benchmarking and replication of experiments
with robots
• Reporting experiments in Robotics
• The R-Article process on the IEEE Robotics and Automation
Magazine
• Examples of Good Experimental Practice
• Evaluation of Experimental Robotics Work
• Evaluation and Benchmarking in HRI
• Comparison of experimental methodology in neurosciences and in
Robotics
• Comparison of experimental methodology in Biology and in
Robotics
• Benchmark standardization
• Benchmarking autonomy, cognition and intelligence
• Scalable autonomy measurements
• Metrics for sensory motor coordination and visual servoing
effectiveness and efficiency
• Performance metrics based on Shannon entropy related measures
• Performance metrics based on dynamical systems methods
• Performance modeling of the relationship between a task and the
environment where it is performed
• Performance Metrics for Response Robotics
• Success metrics in bio-inspired Robotics
• Design of Robotics competitions
• Design of Robotics challenges
• Integration of experimental methods, benchmarking, challenges
and competitions for a better evaluation of results
• Epistemological issues

The IEEE Robotics and Automation Society is interested in encouraging students to play an active role in existing robotics standardization efforts. IEEE RAS has multiple standardization efforts, which can be found at https://www.ieee-ras.org/industry-government/standards. To help encourage student participation, funds have been set aside to provide partial travel support to students interested in attending the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) (https://www.icra2020.org/) in Paris, France on 31 May – 4 June, where numerous IEEE robotics standardization meetings will be held. We expect to award 3 - 4 travel grants for $1,000 each. While this will likely only support a fraction of the students’ travel expenses, it is hoped that this will make it a little easier for students to attend. Priority will be given to students that would not have otherwise attended ICRA (e.g., do not have a paper accepted), and priority will also be given to undergraduate students. You do not need to be an IEEE member to apply.

Travel awards will cover conference and/or workshop registration and partial reimbursement for lodging and travel. Reimbursements will be processed after attendance at ICRA 2020. Selected students will be expected to participate in the full-day standards terminology harmonization meeting to be held the day before ICRA (30 May), as well as participate in at least one standards working group meeting, to be held on either 13 May or 4 June. They will also be required to write a 2 - 3 page report, submitted to IEEE RAS, describing their experiences at the conference and how they expect to use what they learned in the future.

To apply for the travel grant, email the following to Dr. Craig Schlenoff (Associate Vice President of Standardization in the Robotics and Automation Society Industrial Activities Board) at ras@ieee.org in a Word or PDF document.

  • Name
  • Contact Information (university, address, phone, email)
  • No more than a 1000 essay words describing the following:

                - Your overall interest in robotic standards

                - Which IEEE Robotics Standards efforts most interest you and why

                -Plans and expectations for how you will incorporate robotic standards in your continued education and your future career

                -Plans for continuing participation in robotics standardization efforts

Applications are due 1 April 2020 which notification of acceptance expected on or around 15 April 2020.

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DEADLINE EXTENSION ends 22-January-2020

 

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 (2020 – 2021), and the co‐chairs for a one‐year term in 2020 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 Member 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)
  • Fun, informal social events at RAS sponsored conferences
  • Educational webinars
  • Membership development
  • SAC Website and social media content
  • Coordination with student branch chapter chairs
  • SAC column in IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine (quarterly publication)

If you wish to be considered, please complete an Application Form by 10 January 2020 22 January 2020 and indicate whether you are applying for the Chair or Co-Chair position (please specify one or more co-chair positions):  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, click here.

The RAS chapter of the IEEE University Student Branch El Bosque focuses on learning projects, is constantly innovating and seeking activities to transmit knowledge about technology and robotics. This chapter currently has 7 active members and a counselor who contribute to see the chapter grow. As we move into 2020, we reflect on some of the projects this RAS student branch chapter has been involved with over the past year. 

  • Organized sample of academic works #29 of the Electronic Engineering program.
  • Won 3rd place logo contest at the 2nd IEEE Colombian Summit- Pereira 2019
  • Participated in Secretary's Day
  • Contributed in a social projection activity and was responsible for leadership activities with children. 
  • Lead organizers on IV INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP on ELECTRONIC ENGENEERING and APPLICATIONS IWEA 2019
  • Celebrated IEEE DAY 2019

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IEEE RAS has more than 220 Local and Regional Chapters active around the world. Among these activities, local RAS chapters sponsor or cosponsor minisymposia, student competitions, and continuing education workshops. Local RAS chapters also provide valuable professional contacts, especially for engineers who may have few co-workers who are robotics or automation professionals.

To find your local student branch chapter, click here. If your school is not listed, consider starting your own RAS Student Branch Chapter. For more details on organizing your own student chapter, click here.

SAC logo square.fw

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 (2020 – 2021), and the co‐chairs for a one‐year term in 2020 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 Member 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)
  • Fun, informal social events at RAS sponsored conferences
  • Educational webinars
  • Membership development
  • SAC Website and social media content
  • Coordination with student branch chapter chairs
  • SAC column in IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine (quarterly publication)

Description of Roles:


Chair: The Chair will be responsible for managing the SAC and its efforts. The Chair of the SAC will be one of 23 voting members on the RAS Administrative Committee (AdCom). The Chair is expected to attend semi-annual Administrative Committee meetings, held in conjunction with ICRA and IROS conferences. Travel support of up to $2500 USD is provided by the Society to attend these meetings. The Chair shall also serve on and report to the Member Activities Board.


Social Media Co-Chair: This co-Chair is responsible for managing electronic communications as they pertain to SAC-organized activities. This will include maintaining an online presence as well as making announcements on social media platforms to promote the Society and the activities of the SAC.


RSR Coordinator Co-Chair: This co-Chair will be the primary channel of communication between the Regional Student Representatives (RSRs) and the SAC, as well as various Student Chapters directly as required. They are also expected to promote communication between various Chapters in the Society and assist RSRs when necessary. The co-Chair is also expected to work with the RSRs to highlight student chapter activities for the IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine (RA-M) Chapter and International Activities column.


RA-M Co-Chair: The Society publishes the IEEE Robots and Automation Magazine every quarter, and the RA-M co-Chair is expected to contribute, collect or solicit reports or articles for RA-M to write the Student’s Corner column. Topics are open-ended but typically focus on current and relevant issues in robotics and robotics education.


Conference Event Co-Chair: This is a more fluid role that exists to help coordinate or organize events or volunteers during ICRA, IROS, or CASE. This individual will likely be expected to work closely with conference Organizing Committees to accomplish various tasks, e.g., organizing student-led Tutorial sessions.


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. 


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.


Interested applicants should be:

  • Self-motivated
  • Organized
  • Responsive to email 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 10 January 2020 and indicate whether you are applying for the Chair or Co-Chair position (please specify one or more co-chair positions):  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 SAC webpage.


* Upcoming IEEE RAS Flagship Conference dates and locations are as follows:


  • ICRA 2020: Paris, France, 31 May - 4 June
  • IROS 2020: Las Vegas, USA, 24 -29 October
  • CASE 2020: Hong Kong, China, 20 - 24 August
  • ICRA 2021: Xi’an, China, 16 - 22 May
  • IROS 2021: Prague, Czech Republic, 27 September  - 1 October
  • CASE 2021:  Lyon, France, August 

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RAS-UEL is an IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Student Branch Chapter formed by students of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the State University of Londrina, Brazil.

The chapter held a barbecue for all members, to network, celebrate, and present all the activities performed by the chapter throughout the year.

One project that was recognized at RasDay-UEL 2019 was The OttoBots Project which seeks, through use of child-friendly robots, to bring joy to sick children in hospitals. This year, 9 Ottos were developed that range from simple (armless models made in laser cutting machine) to more complex models (OttoAranha made in 3D printer). In addition, the project impacted more than 9,000 people, from education professionals, children diagnosed with cancer, and students from various schools in Londrina.

RAS-UEL appreciates all the help provided by the sponsors and the volunteers' willingness and commitment to the project.

IEEE RAS has more than 220 Local and Regional Chapters active around the world. Among activities like RasDay-UEL 2019, local RAS chapters sponsor or cosponsor minisymposia, student competitions, and continuing education workshops. Local RAS chapters also provide valuable professional contacts, especially for engineers who may have few co-workers who are robotics or automation professionals.

To find your local student branch chapter, click here. If your school is not on the list, consider starting your own RAS Student Branch Chapter. For more details on organizing your own student chapter, click here.

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Thank you for participating in IROS 2019's Scavenger Hunt! We hope you had a lot of fun---it sure looks like it! The results are in, and here
they are:

1st place: Purple Rice Yogurt

Surabhi Verma

Julie Stephany Berrio


2nd place: Flying Giraffe

Philippe Ludivig

Jan Mrázek

Vishnu Sashank Dorbala

3rd place: IROSofties

Erin Nolan

Jan Peters

Juanma Gandarias

Mats Wiese

4th place: Autobots

Takuto Takahashi

Juan José Quiroz Omaña

Rahul Kumar

 

Conference Challenges:

Check out the welcome reception: #iros2019welcome

pry welcome reception 2 Flying giraffe welcome reception  IROSofties welcome reception Autobots welcome reception2

Shake hands with a keynote speaker: #iros2019keynote

PRY keynote IROSofties keynote 2 IROSofties keynote 3 PRY keynote 2

Get the RAS president's autograph: #iros2019president

PRY president PRY president 3 


Say hi to a fellow student you've never met before: #iros2019newfriend

PRY new friend PRY new friend 3 PRY new friend 2 IROSofties new friend4 IROSofties new friend IROSofties new friend2 IROSofties new friend3 Flying Giraffe new friend Autobots new friend


Take a selfie with a member of the RAS staff: #iros2019rasstaff

RAS staff Flying giraffes RAS staff IROSofties


Buy someone a drink: #iros2019cheers

IROSofties Cheers  IROSofties Cheers3 IROSofties Cheers2 PRY Cheers PRY Cheers2 PRY Cheers 3

Say goodbye at the farewell reception: #iros2019solong

PRY So Long PRY So Long2 PRY So Long3 IROSofties So Long IROSofties So Long2


Take a picture of an interesting poster: #iros2019poster

 Flying Giraffe Posters2 IROSofties Posters2 PRY Posters  PRY Posters3

Take a picture of an interesting exhibition: #iros2019exhibition

PRY Exhibition PRY Exhibition2 IROSofties Exhibition Flying giraffe Exhibition

Local Challenges:

Macau attracts many international travelers. Seek out at least three cuisines from other Asian countries for breakfast/lunch/dinner. #iros2019eatlocale

IROSofties eat local PRY eat local  PRY eat local4 PRY eat local7


An international destination attracts those from outside of Asia (maybe even you!). Show us that you enjoyed at least three cuisines from non-Asian countries. #iros2019foodsunknown

PRY Foods Unkown3 Flying giraffe Foods Unkown


Everyone could use a little bit of luck; visit at least 1 Buddhist temple and 1 church. Bonus points for both in the same photo. #iros2019wishingwell

Flying giraffe wishing well Flying giraffe wishing well3 PRY wishing well6 PRY wishing well4


The Venetian itself is a famous attraction in Macau. Take a picture on a bridge in Venetian with a gondola in sight. #iros2019venetian

PRY venetian2 Autobots venetian PRY venetian IROSofties venetian 
Enjoy and share a night view of Macau (at Macau Tower). #iros2019nightview

Flying giraffe night view  PRY night view PRY night view2


Macau used to be owned by Portugal until 1999. Walk around Vila da Taipa and take a picture of either Portuguese building or Portuguese food. #iros2019VilaDaTaipa

PRY Vila da Taipa PRY Vila da Taipa2 PRY Vila da Taipa3 PRY Vila da Taipa4 IROSofties Vila da Taipa IROSofties Vila da Taipa2 IROSofties Vila da Taipa3 IROSofties Vila da Taipa4


Just a brisk walk away from the ferry terminal is the Fisherman's Wharf! But don't be fooled by the name---it's actually a theme park! Why not stop by? #iros2019wharf

PRY wharf PRY wharf2 PRY wharf3 

The Museum of Macau is the largest museum in the city, featuring over 3000 exhibits and priceless historical artifacts. Learn some history and check it out! #iros2019macaumuseum

PRY macau museum PRY macau museum2 PRY macau museum3


Macau is home to the Giant Panda Pavilion. How many pandas can you find during your visit? #iros2019pandas

PRY Pandas IROSofties Pandas Flying Giraffe Pandas 2 Flying giraffe Pandas


Fountains always seem to accompany resorts. Take a picture with a dramatic fountain you passed during your visit! #iros2019fountains

Flying giraffe Fountains Flying giraffe Fountains2 IROSofties Fountains PRY Fountains PRY Fountains2

Don't forget, we have scavenger hunts at both ICRA and IROS. So, if you're coming to Paris this Spring for ICRA, you'll have plenty of opportunities to become the next winning team.

Thanks everyone!

Calling ALL Students! The RAS Student Activities Committee seeks YOUR input

Wednesday, 6 November from 16:00-17:30

Room LG-R25, the Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, Macao, China

Interested in participating in student events at IROS, ICRA and/or CASE? Have a passion for volunteering or making new friends and connections? Or would you like to provide feedback on existing student activities? The RAS Student Activities Committee (SAC) will be hosting a meeting on Wednesday, November 9 from 16:00 to 17:30. During this time, you will learn about the SAC and its activities (such as Lunch with Leaders or the Photo Scavenger Hunt), different ways you can volunteer, and how to get in touch with other students from all around the world. What kind of activities and support would YOU like to see at future events, or provided by RAS? We WANT to hear from YOU! Feedback is more than welcome---if you have suggestions for new activities or ideas to improve existing ones, we would love to hear what you have to say. Hope to see you there!

Please register in advance to ensure adequate space is provided:

https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/70c8279956424d54b33874971fe6f06c

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