Thursday, April 12, 2007

registration update

Dear all,

Thank you everyone for working to register over the last few days!

We are now processing all those registrations. Every email and request will be answered. If your registration request was entered by now, please do not worry, we are working on it.

We also have emails from folks who have had difficulty to enter their registration. Those will certainly be accounted for. Give us a few days to work on it.

Tucker

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

registration reminder

This is a reminder for you to make your reservations for housing at RoboCup 2007 today or tomorrow (April 11).

This week we must "buy" the block of rooms from our university. After that they will release the extra rooms, so we cannot guarantee availability of on campus housing after that time. We do have rooms blocked at nearby hotels, but there are not enough for everyone, so please get your on campus reservations.

It is also very important to register your robot and simulation teams this week as well. We need a firm count on the teams that will be attending in each league so that we can reserve an appropriate amount of space and resources in the venues.

Thanks everybody!

Tucker

Sunday, April 8, 2007

CALL FOR DEMONSTRATIONS - RoboCup@Space

CALL FOR DEMONSTRATION - SRoboCup @ Space
1 - 10 July 2007, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
Robotics role in space exploration has become prominent in recent years both due to the complexity and duration of the missions which makes human presence difficult and dangerous, and also encouraged by the success of NASA Mars Exploration Rovers. The world’s top space agencies (NASA, JAXA, ESA) currently have their own roadmap on space robotics research and development, particularly targeting planetary rovers for Mars and Moon missions, as well as robotic assistants to help astronauts perform their tasks, on board the spacecraft and/or at the planetary surface.

RoboCup has been showing, for more than 10 years, how robotic competitions foster considerable advances in Robotics research and development. IEEE is now preparing its first official robot competition in 2008, during ICRA, and the theme will be Space Robotics. NASA, JAXA and ESA have expressed interest in these kinds of activities, as a mean of providing extra inputs to their research.

The Board of Trustees of the RoboCup Federation has decided to start a new RoboCup league, RoboCup@Space, under the theme of Space Robotics. Asa first step towards reaching that goal, demonstrations of space robots will take place during RoboCup 2007, in Atlanta.

TOPICS
The demonstrations will be open, and can cover different topics of interest for Space Robotics research, such as

  • system architecture and middleware for robotic systems
  • autonomous navigation and control
  • mobility in rough and possibly unknown terrain
  • human-robot interfaces and interaction methodologies
  • cooperative robots
  • planetary rovers
  • robotic assistants


SUBMISSIONS
We solicit submissions of demonstration proposals, based on a (max 1-page A4) description of the activity to be carried out. The proposal should includeDemo title Name, affiliation, and email of all authors Name, email, and postal address of corresponding author Phone and fax of corresponding authorKeywords concerning involved research (max 5) Main description (including brief summary of infrastructure needed at venue)
All submissions will be acknowledged within a few days. Proposals will be reviewed for quality and feasibility, taking into account the available space at the venue and the required infrastructure.

Important Dates
  • April 30, 2007 Submissions due
  • May 19, 2007 Notification of acceptance/rejection
  • July 3-8, 2007 Demonstrations


ORGANIZATION
Chairs:


  • Ayanna M. Howard
    School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
    Georgia Institute of TechnologyAtlanta, GA 30319 USA
    email: ayanna.howard at ece.gatech.edu
    http://humanslab.ece.gatech.edu

  • Daniele Nardi
    Dipartimento di Informatica e SistemisticaUniversita' di Roma "La Sapienza"
    Via Salaria 113, 00198 ROMA, Italy
    email:nardi at dis.uniroma1.it
    http://www.dis.uniroma1.it/~nardi

  • Pedro U. Lima
    Instituto de Sistemas e RoboticaInstituto Superior Tecnico
    Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal
    email: pal at isr.ist.utl.pt
    http://omni.isr.ist.utl.pt/~pal

  • RoboCup 2007 Atlanta Newsletter #3

    RoboCup 2007 Atlanta Newsletter #3


    This issue is all about registration! In this issue:

    o Registration deadlines
    o Registration overview
    o Housing and meal plans
    o Hotels and transportation
    o Payment problems and options


    ------------------------------------------------------------
    Registration deadline extended to April 11

    Important: On campus housing is limited and it is available on a first come basis. The deadline for on campus housing registration is April 11, 2007. We cannot promise availability of on campus housing after that date.

    We have extended the deadline for early registration for league participation to April 11th as well. Please register as soon as possible.


    ------------------------------------------------------------
    Registration overview

    Registration is set up in an "a la carte" fashion so that participants can register for components of the event they are interested in. So for example, a robot team with one faculty member and two students would register as follows:

    Team Registration: $550
    Faculty Registration: $407
    2 x Student Registration: $242 + $242
    Total: $1441

    Housing and meals are also available (see below).


    ------------------------------------------------------------
    Housing and meal plans

    We are excited to offer housing for faculty and students on the Georgia Tech campus. The primary advantages of on campus housing include low cost, location adjacent to the main venue, and the sense of RoboCup community we expect with everyone living together.

    Two types of housing are available: Traditional dorm rooms and apartments. Both types of housing include air-conditioning, wired Internet and a telephone connection.

    Traditional dorm rooms include two beds and two desks. A shared bathroom is available down the hall.

    Apartments provide a roomy and relaxed environment. They include four private bedrooms (one person each) that adjoin a shared livingroom and kitchen. There are two bathrooms in each apartment.

    See: http://georgiarobotics.com/robocup/housing/index.html

    American-style meal plans are also available in a modern dining hall adjacent to campus housing. Many food options are available, including custom grilled food, pizza, and cafeteria-style selections.

    See: http://georgiarobotics.dndchosting.com/robocup/meals/index.html


    ------------------------------------------------------------
    Hotels and transportation

    A special shuttle bus service has been set up to transport participants from campus housing and nearby hotels to all of the venues.

    We have reserved blocks of rooms in nearby hotels. Three of the recommended hotels (Georgian Terrace, Indigo, Georgia Tech Hotel) are on the shuttle bus route.

    When you call one of these hotels to make a reservation, please let them know that you want the RoboCup rate. To see the list of recommended hotels, visit:

    http://www.robocup-us.org/lodging.html

    Other hotels are available nearby, but we do not recommend them.


    ------------------------------------------------------------
    Payment problems and options

    Several hundred attendees have successfully registered using our process through PayPal. However, some people are having
    trouble. We are sorry to hear about the difficulties. The key difficulty seems to be that in some countries, PayPal sets a maximum purchase amount for non-members. (The limit in the US is $2000). Here are suggested work arounds:

    1. Divide your registration into several smaller purchases.

    2. Become a PayPal member. We realize this is not desireable for some, but it does lift the purchasing limit.

    As an additional option, teams can request an invoice from us. The invoice can then be paid by credit card or wire transfer. For information on this process, go here:

    http://www.georgiarobotics.com/robocup/invoice-wire-instructions.html

    We are available to answer any questions by email.


    ____________________________________________________________
    We are able to host RoboCup 2007 Atlanta thanks to the
    generosity of:

    CITIZEN
    Lockheed Martin
    Georgia Tech

    If you wish to subscribe to this newsletter visit
    https://lists.cc.gatech.edu/mailman/listinfo/robocup-updates
    or visit robocupblog.blogspot.com

    RoboCup 2007 Atlanta Newsletter #2

    RoboCup 2007 Atlanta Newsletter #2


    In this issue:

    o Registration is open
    o Robot Summer
    o Message from the chair
    o The RoboCup Village
    o Planning your trip
    o Website updates


    Qualified Teams Invited to Register

    Teams that have qualified in the Humanoid Leagues, the Middle Size League, and the Nanogram Demostration may start
    the registration process at

    http://www.robocup-us.org/registration.html

    As soon as other leagues complete their qualification process, registraton will open to them as well. Visit the RoboCup 2007 Wiki to learn about the qualification process for your league:

    http://wiki.cc.gatech.edu/robocup

    Early registration will close on March 31, 2007. After that date rates will increase, and some options may no longer be available. So please register as soon as you are able to.


    Robot Summer 2007 at Georgia Tech

    RoboCup 2007 Atlanta is one of a series of events hosted at Georgia Tech as part of Robot Summer 2007. Georgia Tech is
    pleased to welcome more than 3000 of the top robotics researchers and students from around the world to our campus for these events.

    Robot Summer starts with a robot camp for kids from June 25 to June 29. See:

    http://www.ceismc.gatech.edu/summercamps

    Up next, from June 26-30 is Robotics: Science and Systems, one of the world's premier robotics conferences. See:

    http://www.roboticsconference.org

    RoboCup competitions commence July 1-8, and the RoboCup Symposium runs July 9-10. See:

    http://www.robocup-us.org

    Several robot companies will demonstrate their robots at RoboCup July 7-8, additional booth space is available. For information, email Director of Operations Steve Kearney at stevekearney1@gmail.com

    The International Aerial Robotics Competition will be organized by Georgia Tech July 23-27 at Fort Benning, Georgia.


    RoboCup Village on the Georgia Tech Campus

    We encourage all teams and team leaders to sign up for on campus housing. These accomodations were built for the athletes participating in the 1996 Olympics. Our on campus housing is just steps away from the main RoboCup 2007 venues. All other locations are easily reached by our special bus service.

    On campus options range in cost from $35 to $50 per person per night. The lowest cost option provides a single bed in rooms with two beds. At the other end of the spectrum we offer bedrooms in apartments. All rooms have wired Internet connections (guests will need to bring their own ethernet cable) and are air conditioned (important in summer in Atlanta!).

    You may also register for convenient campus dining to include breakfast and dinner each day. Dining is adjacent to campus housing.


    Planning Your Trip

    To make your travel to the USA a little bit easier, we have created an International Travel Information page on the RoboCup Wiki,

    http://wiki.cc.gatech.edu/robocup/index.php/Travel_Information

    where you can find more information and tips regarding your travel as well as contact information for RoboCup Ambassadors. Our ambassadors are Georgia Tech student volunteers who are offereing to share their knowledge and experience about traveling to the US.


    Message from the Chair...

    Dear RoboCuppers!

    I am proud that the Georgia Institute of Technology is hosting one of the most exciting robotics events of the year, an event that truly integrates research and invention with fun, excitement, adventure and team spirit - RoboCup 2007 Atlanta. We are all curious to see what another year of development and creativity will bring to the field.

    As we get closer to the event be sure to keep your eye out for this newsletter as we will be bringing you important news about registration and travel to RoboCup 2007. We will also highlight some of the teams around the world and provide more information about Atlanta.

    On behalf of the RoboCup organizing team, let me say that we are dedicated to making RoboCup 2007 a wonderful experience for you, the participants.

    I look forward to seeing you all in July 2007.

    Tucker Balch

    ____________________________________________________________
    We are able to host RoboCup 2007 Atlanta thanks to the
    generosity of:

    CITIZEN
    Lockheed Martin
    Georgia Tech

    If you wish to subscribe to this newsletter visit
    https://lists.cc.gatech.edu/mailman/listinfo/robocup-updates
    or visit robocupblog.blogspot.com