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On 1 June 2023, at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in London, RAS and ICRA honored recipients and finalists for RAS and ICRA Awards. Check out the full list of honorees, including finalists, here; RAS extends its hearty congratulations to all those honored, and we thank everyone who helped organize this wonderful celebration.
Note also that the nominations deadline for 2024 RAS Awards is fast approaching! Details for each award, including eligibility and nomination requirements and lists of previous recipients, may be found here. The deadline is midnight (ET) (1 August) 2023.
Below is the list of ICRA Award winners.
ICRA 2023 Outstanding Paper
Winner: “Distributed Data-Driven Predictive Control for Multi-Agent Collaborative Legged Locomotion”
Authors: Fawcett, Randall; Amanzadeh, Leila; Kim, Jeeseop; Ames, Aaron; Akbari Hamed, Kaveh
ICRA 2023 Outstanding Automation Paper
Winner: “Target-Aware Implicit Mapping for Agricultural Crop Inspection”
Authors: Kelly, Shane; Riccardi, Alessandro; Marks, Elias Ariel; Magistri, Federico; Guadagnino, Tiziano; Chli, Margarita; Stachniss, Cyrill
ICRA 2023 Outstanding Student Paper
WINNER: “Robust Locomotion on Legged Robots through Planning on Motion Primitive Graphs”
Authors: Ubellacker, Wyatt; Ames, Aaron
ICRA 2023 Outstanding Deployed Systems Paper
WINNER: “GUTS: Generalized Uncertainty-Aware Thompson Sampling for Multi-Agent Active Search”
Authors: Bakshi, Nikhil Angad; Gupta, Tejus; Ghods, Ramina; Schneider, Jeff
ICRA 2023 Outstanding Dynamics and Control Paper
WINNER: “Nonlinear Model Predictive Control of a 3D Hopping Robot: Leveraging Lie Group Integrators for Dynamically Stable Behaviors”
Authors: Csomay-Shanklin, Noel; Dorobantu, Victor; Ames, Aaron
ICRA 2023 Outstanding Healthcare and Medical Robotics Paper
WINNER: “Real-Time Constrained 6D Object-Pose Tracking of an In-Hand Suture Needle for Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery”
Authors: Chiu, Zih-Yun; Richter, Florian; Yip, Michael C.
ICRA 2023 Outstanding Locomotion Paper
WINNER: “Multi-Segmented, Adaptive Feet for Versatile Legged Locomotion in Natural Terrain”
Authors: Chatterjee, Abhishek; Mo, An; Kiss, Bernadett; Gönen, Emre Cemal; Badri-Spröwitz, Alexander
ICRA 2023 Outstanding Manipulation Paper
WINNER: “In-Hand Manipulation in Power Grasp: Design of an Adaptive Robot Hand with Active Surfaces”
Authors: Cai, Yilin; Yuan, Shenli
ICRA 2023 Outstanding Mechanisms and Design Paper
WINNER: “Contact Force Control with Continuously Compliant Robotic Legs”
Authors: Bendfeld, Robin; Remy, C. David
ICRA 2023 Outstanding Multi-Robot Systems Paper
WINNER: “Graph Neural Networks for Multi-Robot Active Information Acquisition”
Authors: Tzes, Mariliza; Bousias, Nikolaos; Chatzipantazis, Evangelos; Pappas, George J.
ICRA 2023 Outstanding Navigation Paper
WINNER: “SmartRainNet: Uncertainty Estimation for Laser Measurement in Rain”
Authors: Zhang, Chen; Huang, Zefan; Tung, Beatrix; Ang Jr, Marcelo H; Rus, Daniela
ICRA 2023 Outstanding Physical Human-Robot Interaction Paper
WINNER: “Learning from Physical Human Feedback: An Object-Centric One-Shot Adaptation Method”
Authors: Shek, Alvin; Su, Bo Ying; Chn Rui; Liu, Changliu
ICRA 2023 Outstanding Planning Paper
WINNER: “Learning-Based Initialization of Trajectory Optimization for Path-Following Problems of Redundant Manipulators”
Authors: Yoon, Minsung; Kang, Mincheul; Park, Daehyung; Yoon, Sung-eui
ICRA 2023 Outstanding Robot Learning Paper
WINNER: “Code As Policies: Language Model Programs for Embodied Control”
Authors: Liang, Jacky; Huang, Wenlong; Xia, Fei; Xu, Peng; Hausman, Karol; Ichter, Brian; Florence, Peter; Zeng, Andy
ICRA 2023 Outstanding Sensors and Perception Paper
WINNER: “Occlusion Reasoning for Skeleton Extraction of Self-Occluded Tree Canopies”
Authors: Kim, Chung Hee; Kantor, George
Daniela Rus accepts the 2023 Robotics and Automation Technical Field Award from RAS President Frank Park
Kevin Lynch, the outgoing Editor-in-Chief (EiC) of IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO), is honored by Frank Park, RAS President and past T-RO EiC, and Wolfram Burgard, RAS Awards Chair and incoming T-RO EiC
Congratulations to all the honorees at the ICRA 2023 Awards Ceremony
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 the June 2023 issue of IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine on Machine Learning for Industry 4.0 (Volume 30, Issue 2) is now available on IEEE Xplore. Click here for the table of contents, and check out the issue now on Xplore!
Registration for the 2023 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) is now open. IROS 2023 will take place 1–5 October 2023 in Detroit, Michigan, USA; the theme is The Next Generation of Robotics.
The author registration deadline is 31 July 2023; the early bird registration deadline is 15 August 2023.
Check out the website for details on registration, accommodation, and more!
We are pleased to announce that Volume 39, Issue 3 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!
We are pleased to announce a new special issue for IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering (T-ASE) on Smart Coordination for Logistics Operational Control in Manufacturing under the Evolution Trend of the Digital Economy.
Check out the flyer for more details on the Special Issue aims and scope.
Key Dates and Deadlines
- Submission deadline: 1 January 2024
- Tentative publication date: 30 October 2024
Formal educational programs in robotics have been proliferating; there is excitement from students who have been doing robotics since high school. RAS Volunteers Dawn Tilbury and Jing Xiao are conducting a survey on existing efforts to learn more about the current status of these programs and to identify opportunities for the future. The results will be presented in a Forum on 5 October 2023 at IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) in Detroit, MI, USA.
You can find the survey and more details about the forum here. Please also share this survey with any who might have information to add.
Contacts
Dawn Tilbury
tilbury@umich.edu
Ronald D. and Regina C. McNeil Department Chair of Robotics, University of Michigan
Jing Xiao
jxiao2@wpi.edu
Deans' Excellence Professor and Head of Robotics Engineering Department, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
The IEEE Robots Guide has relaunched with a fast, fun, and sleek new site. Check out robotsguide.com. On the site, you can:
- Explore nearly 250 robots
- Make robots move and spin 360º
- View over 1,000 amazing photos
- Watch 900 videos of robots in action
- Play the Sci-Fi Robots Face-Off Game
We are pleased to announce the call for papers for the 2023 IEEE RAS International Conference on Humanoid Robots (Humanoids), which will be held 12-14 December 2023 in Austin, Texas, USA.
The theme of Humanoids 2023 is Research Outcomes for a Growing Application Landscape. The submission deadline is 22 July 2023 (11:59pm PDT). Check out the website and flyer for more details.
We are pleased to announce that Volume 5, Issue 2 of IEEE Transactions on Medical Robotics and Bionics (T-MRB) is now available on IEEE Xplore. Click here for the table of contents and check out the issue now on Xplore!
We are pleased to announce the call for papers for the 19th Annual ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), which will be held 11-14 March 2024 in Boulder, Colorado, USA.
The theme of HRI 2024 is HRI in the Real World; it will focus on key HRI theories, designs, studies, systems, and technical advances that aim to bring HRI out of the lab and into everyday life.
The full paper submission deadline is 29 September 2023 (11:59pm AoE). Check out the website for more details.
Social Hour hosted by RAS Student Activities Committee (SAC)
Sunday, 28 May, 18:00 - 20:00
Docklands Suite
Crowne Plaza London Docklands
Royal Victoria Dock, Western Gateway, London
https://www.cpdocklands.co.uk/
Join the RAS Student Activities Committee’s Social Hour to meet fellow student attendees, grab a snack and beverage, and make networking easier at the conference. Attending a conference as a student can be overwhelming, particularly if you are without an advisor, lab mates, or colleagues. Attending the SAC Social Hour before the conference starts will give you the opportunity to connect with others, which makes it easier to engage in thoughtful conversations on the future of robotics and automation during the remainder of the conference.
There is NO CHARGE for this event, however space is limited. Please REGISTER in advance.
IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) Town Hall
Monday, 29 May, 16:00 – 17:30
(Directly AFTER the conclusion of the first day of Workshops/Tutorials and IMMEDIATELY BEFORE the Welcome Reception)
ExCel ICC Theatre
Calling all Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) members, and those interested in learning more about the RAS! We want to connect with YOU at the upcoming RAS Town Hall. RAS leaders will be present to discuss current initiatives and future programs, and to hear your voice on what you think should be the priorities of RAS and our community.
RAS has many new initiatives in the works for our members:
- A significantly expanded member support program to provide travel and registration support to authors and contributors of our flagship conferences
- Expanded in-person and online career fairs and services to connect employers with members seeking careers in robotics and automation
- The launch of a new journal, Robotics and Automation Practice, to engage our growing community of practitioners
- Empowering our Technical Communities (TCs) with greater autonomy and financial support
- Restructuring our conference programs to better respond to the needs of our rapidly growing and evolving community
The second half of the Town Hall will be devoted to a conversation on new educational initiatives and feedback from our community on our current publications and paper review practices:
- Development of online educational content, from certified core curricula to advanced courses
- Improving our review process: reducing review loads, improving technical quality of the reviews, alternative review models
- Our journal-to-conference publication model as well as other publication models
Other topics for discussion are highly welcome; please submit them in advance HERE.
All in-person attendees of the Town Hall will be provided with newly designed RAS T-shirts!
The Robotics and Automation Society (RAS) oversees all activities related to the organisation of IEEE-RAS conferences and IEEE journals on robotics. The RAS Executive and Administrative Committee is composed of world leading scientists who devote some of their free time to keep our community striving.
WIE Luncheon: The Role of Culture in Building Diverse Robotics Teams
Tuesday, 30 May, 13:45 – 15:00
ExCel Room 17 (ICC Capital Suite)
Join us for an interactive panel discussion and networking. Expert panellists will share insights on the importance of culture in creating more diverse teams. Plus, network with other roboticists and explore potential collaborations. Take advantage of this exciting opportunity to connect with others and drive positive change. Panellists:
The goal for this event is to be more than a luncheon with women. All are encouraged to participate and enjoy the discussion. There is NO CHARGE for this event, however space is limited. Please REGISTER in advance. For questions, please contact: ieee-ras-wie@ieee.org |
Reviewers Happy Hour hosted by the RAS Young Reviewers Program (YRP)
Tuesday, 30 May, 18:30 - 19:30
ExCel London Room 27 (South Gallery)
- How often do you receive shallow and poorly written reviews for your papers?
- Have you ever doubted the right way to review somebody else's work?
- Do you really know everything about the review process of the conference/journal where you would like to submit your contribution?
If these questions sound familiar to you and you would like to gain deeper knowledge about related topics, join the Young Reviewers Program Reception!
The objective of the Young Reviewers Program is to assist and guide RAS members toward the best practices in peer review of scientific papers. This event is intended to provide the community with information about RAS's review process and suggest the best guidelines for reviewing a scientific paper.
Both Senior Reviewers who believe that we never stop learning and Young Reviewers willing to dive into the world of peer review are welcome to drop by, grab a drink, and join us!
There is NO CHARGE for this event, however space is limited. Please REGISTER in advance. More information about the event may be found here: https://www.iit.it/it/web/hrii/yrp-icra-2023.
RAS Lunch with Leaders (LwL) — for Students and Young Professionals
Wednesday, 31 May, 13:45 - 15:00
ExCel Room 17 (ICC Capital Suite)
As a student or young professional attendee, you will meet and interact with distinguished RAS leaders from academia and industry. The event will feature informal roundtable discussions over lunch, which allows participants to receive career advice, gain insight into the
future, or simply engage in general conversation to get to know pioneers in the field.
Don’t miss out on this chance to elevate your networking experience and make meaningful
connections with figures in the world of robotics and automation.
There is NO CHARGE for this luncheon, however space is limited. Please REGISTER in advance.
RA Society Awards Ceremony and ICRA 2023 Awards Ceremony
Thursday, 1st June, 13:45 – 15:00
ICC Auditorium
The Awards Ceremony is open to ALL conference attendees. Please come and celebrate with your friends and colleagues.
RAS Technical Committee (TC) Cluster Forums
Automation Cluster Forum
“How can automation contribute to a livable and sustainable society in the future?”
Tuesday, 30 May - 8:30 - 10:40
ExCel Rooms 25/26 (South Gallery)
Chairs
- Birgit Vogel-Heuseur, Technical University of Munich
- Angela Faragasso, University of Tokyo
Speakers
- Paolo Dario, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna
- Minwei Zhang, Huawei
- Georg von Wichert, Siemens
- Ken Goldberg, University of California Berkeley
- Maria Pia Fanti, Polytechnic of Bari
- Iain Darby, National Nuclear Laboratory
- Fabiana Fournier, IBM Research
- Nico Peper, SCHUNK
Robotics Foundation Cluster Forum
"Foundational Research in Robotics: Future Challenges and Opportunities"
Tuesday, 30 May - 15:00 - 17:00
ExCel Rooms 25/26 (South Gallery)
Organizers
- Marcelo Ang, National University of Singapore
- Jen Jen Chung, The University of Queensland
- Giuseppe Loianno, New York University
Speakers
- Oussama Khatib, Stanford University
- Wolfram Burgard, University of Technology Nuremberg
Human-centered Life-like Robotics Cluster Forum
“Human-Centered Robotics Forum: Advancing Intelligent, Connected, and Collaborative Robotic Systems for a Post-Pandemic World”
Wednesday, 31 May - 15:00 - 17:00
ExCel Rooms 25/26 (South Gallery)
Organizers
- Cecilia Laschi, National University of Singapore
- Ann Majewicz Fey, The University of Texas at Austin
- Farokh Atashzar, New York University
Speakers
- Ken Goldberg, University of California Berkeley
- Marcia O'Malley, Rice University
Health and Medical Robotics Cluster Forum
“Health and Medical Robotics: Current trends and future challenges”
Thursday, 1 June - 9:00 - 11:00
ExCel Rooms 25/26 (South Gallery)
Organizers
- Samer Mohammed, Université Paris-Est Créteil
- Yasuhisa Hirata, Tohoku University
- Farokh Atashzar, New York University
Speakers
- Kenji Suzuki, University of Tsukuba
- Domenico Prattichizzo, University of Siena
- Katja Mombaur, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
We are pleased to announce a new special issue for IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO) on Tactile Robotics.
Check out the website for more details the special issue aims and scope.
Key Dates and Deadlines
- Submissions open: 1 June 2023
- Submissions close: 31 October 2023
- Expected publication date: 2024
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!
By the RAS Technical Committee on Haptics
It is with deep sadness that we share the news of the passing of Professor Vincent Hayward on Wednesday, 10 May, at the age of 68. Vincent was an exceptional individual who dedicated his life to the fields of haptics and robotics, leaving an indelible mark on the scientific community.
After receiving his doctorate at the University of Paris XI, he joined the School of Engineering of Purdue University in 1981 and then CNRS (1983-85). In 1989, Vincent joined the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McGill University, starting as an Assistant Professor and eventually rising to the positions of Associate Professor and, ultimately, full Professor in 2006. His unwavering passion for his field led him to join the Université Pierre et Marie Curie in 2008. In 2017-2018, he took a leave of absence to become a Professor of Tactile Perception and Technology at the School of Advanced Studies of the University of London, supported by a prestigious Leverhulme Trust Fellowship. Prior to that, he also had received an advanced ERC grant, which showcases his excellence in research. Since 2016, he has spent part of his time contributing to the development of a start-up company in Paris, Actronika SAS, dedicated to the development of haptic technology. He was elected a Fellow of the IEEE in 2008 and a member of the French Academy of Sciences in 2019.
Throughout his career, Vincent focused on exploring the realms of touch and haptics, robotics, and control. His contributions to these fields were significant and will continue to inspire future generations. He was one of the first scientists to write general purpose software for robotics. His RCCL library was instrumental to the development of the first large-scale demonstrators. In addition to his academic pursuits, Vincent dedicated himself to nurturing the next wave of talent. His commitment to pedagogy and mentorship was resolute, and he invested considerable time and effort in creating engaging haptics courses during his tenures at McGill University and Sorbonne University.
Vincent was not only a brilliant scientist but also a beacon of enthusiasm and curiosity. He epitomized the sheer joy of scientific exploration, embracing intuition and introspection to generate groundbreaking ideas. His relentless pursuit of knowledge allowed him to unravel the unexpected and to expand our understanding of the intricate haptics system. Vincent took great pride in his undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral trainees, watching them flourish as they became esteemed professors with their own thriving research programs and respected industry researchers with leading companies.
Those fortunate enough to have known Vincent will remember him for his wisdom, determination, kindness, and boundless generosity. He touched the lives of countless friends, colleagues, and trainees, leaving an enduring legacy that will continue to resonate within the scientific community.
Although his physical presence is no longer with us, the impact of Vincent's work and his spirit will live on, inspiring us to push boundaries, embrace curiosity, and create a better world through science. May his memory be a guiding light for all those who embark on the path of knowledge and discovery. We send our deepest condolences and wish to pay heartfelt tribute to the enduring support of Anh-Thu Dinh, Vincent’s longtime partner, who remained steadfastly by his side until the very end. At this link, you can leave a personal message to remember and honor Vincent.
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