Their forms and capabilities are manifold, not only in the world of science fiction. Also science and industry are achieving enormous progress in making robots versatile helpers of society. Latest research results will be presented by the 2013 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) at the Karlsruhe Congress Center until May 10. More than 1800 participants will meet at the conference that is organized by the KIT Institute for Anthropomatics on behalf of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society.
“The subject of the conference, namely, ‘Anthropomatics – Technologies for Humans’ reflects the increasing importance of robots and intelligent systems for relieving humans in all areas of life,” Professor David Orin, President of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, explains. “Autonomous aircraft provide support in disaster scenarios, transport robots revolutionize logistics. Mobile manipulators and humanoid robots dramatically change assistance in industrial production and in daily life, while android technologies influence communication with technical systems,” Orin adds.
Helps in the kitchen: The ARMAR humanoid robot designed by KIT. (Photo: Tamim Asfour, KIT)
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At the conference opening, experts informed about trends and the future of robotics. (From left to right: Wilfired Eberhardt, KUKA; Rüdiger Dillmann, KIT; David Orin, IEEE; Torsten Kröger, Stanford; Roko Tschakarow, SCHUNK) (Photo: KIT/E. Jöbstl)
The term of anthropomatics was coined by professors of informatics of the former Universität Karlsruhe, today’s KIT. It describes the symbiotic relationship between man and machine. At KIT alone, more than 250 scientists of various disciplines work under the Anthropomatics and Robotics Focus on the vision of providing machines with intelligent, adaptive behavior.
ICRA is the world’s largest expert conference on robotics and automation and takes place in Germany for the first time. “This year, about 2300 scientific contributions were submitted from more than 60 countries. This number was as high as never before,” says Professor Rüdiger Dillmann from the KIT Institute for Anthropomatics, who holds the General Chair of ICRA 2013. “Nearly 900 of them will be presented at ICRA. The more than 70 exhibitors from industry and research also mark a new record in the history of the conference.” In a unique combination of scientific congress, technical workshops, and practical demonstrations, international experts present latest research results. Among them are Professor Robert Wood from Harvard, Professor Aude Billard from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Professor Yasuo Kuniyoshi from the University of Tokyo, Professor Michael Black from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Professor Rodney Brooks from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Professor Alex Waibel from KIT. The presentations will cover a large variety of issues extending from industry robotics to medical robots and microrobotics to humanoid robotics, and anthropomatics.
Citizens Forum on May 10
For the interested public and in particular for students and school classes from junior to senior levels, ICRA 2013 will open its doors with the Citizens Forum on Friday, May 10, 2013, from 9.30 to 13.00 hrs. At an exhibition, visitors will be able to have a look at selected exhibits. In short presentations, leading scientists worldwide will report latest research results and discuss their visions.
Registration for the Citizens Forum at www.icra2013.org/cfanmeldung is required. Groups of six persons and more are asked to mail to gruppen_citizensforum ∂does-not-exist.icra2013 org.
ICRA 2013 is an event of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Socie-ty. It is organized by the KIT Institute for Anthropomatics.
More information: www.icra2013.org
Being “The Research University in the Helmholtz Association”, KIT creates and imparts knowledge for the society and the environment. It is the objective to make significant contributions to the global challenges in the fields of energy, mobility, and information. For this, about 10,000 employees cooperate in a broad range of disciplines in natural sciences, engineering sciences, economics, and the humanities and social sciences. KIT prepares its 22,800 students for responsible tasks in society, industry, and science by offering research-based study programs. Innovation efforts at KIT build a bridge between important scientific findings and their application for the benefit of society, economic prosperity, and the preservation of our natural basis of life. KIT is one of the German universities of excellence.