Autonomous Agents 2001


	The Fifth International Conference on Autonomous Agents will feature three different Robot Program activities: Sony 4-Legged Robot RoboCup Competition Robot demonstrations RoboCup Junior activities SONY 4-LEGGED ROBOCUP COMPETITION The Sony legged robot competition involves teams of three 4-legged creatures which must take advantage of their sensory capabilities, on-board processors, and clever locomotion control strategies to play the world's most popular sport -- soccer. All of the robots are fully autonomous; they play without human controls, and they make their own decisions on tactics and play strategy: pass, dribble, or shoot, by analyizing the environment around them. The competition is part of the Robot World Cup, or "RoboCup," an initiative to encourage research in artificial intelligence and robotics and to interest the general public in the scientific developments right around the corner, that may be closer than we think. The first RoboCup event was held in Paris in parallel with the World Cup soccer competition in 1998. The following year saw the Sony legged competition become a full-fledged part of the competition in Stockholm with nine univerisites from around the world participating and in 2000, RoboCup was held in Melbourne with 12 teams competing. The three teams participating in the Agents 2001 exhibition are: CN Pack'00 from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Upennalizers from University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Red Dogs from McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Other sites of interest: RoboCup Official Site RoboCup 2000 Official Site Sony's coverage of the RoboCup 2000 Competition Sony's AIBO site ROBOT DEMONSTRATIONS The Fifth International Conference on Autonomous Agents is also hosting robot demonstrations from the following leading research centres: Institute for Aerospace Studies, University of Toronto USC Robotics Lab, University of Southern California LABORIUS, University of Sherbroooke DEMO Lab, Brandeis University Participants are encouraged to consult this web page regularly for additional information (e.g., robot shipping, possible award program, etc.) that will be provided by the Agents 2001 Organizing Committee. We also welcome any suggestions to make the Agents 2001 Robot Program a stimulating and supporting supplement to the conference. Specific questions about the Agents 2001 Robot Program should be directed to one of the Robot Program Co-Chairs: Maja J Mataric / Agents 2001 Robotics Chair Director, USC Robotics Research Labs Computer Science Department and Neuroscience Program University of Southern California 941 West 37th Place, SAL 228, Mailcode 0781 Los Angeles, CA 90089-0781 USA Tel: +1 213 740-7286 (assistant) Fax: +1 213 740-7512 Email: mataric@cs.usc.edu or Francois Michaud / Agents 2001 Robotics Co-Chair Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering 2500 boul. Universit� Universit� de Sherbrooke Sherbrooke Qu�bec Canada J1K 2R1 Tel: +1 819 821 8000 ext 2107 Fax: +1 819 821-7937 Email: francois.michaud@gel.usherb.ca ROBOCUP JUNIOR ACTIVITIES Agents 2001 will feature Robocup Junior Activities RoboCup Junior is an international educational initiative designed to introduce RoboCup to primary and secondary school children, as well as undergraduates who do not have the resources to get involved in the senior leagues. The focus on the junior league is on education. RoboCup Junior began in 1998, with a demonstration at RoboCup in Paris. The following year, RoboCup-99 in Stockholm exhibited the first interactive workshops. Since, the initiative has grown and in the last year, major events were held in Amsterdam at RoboCup EURO 2000 and the first ever international RoboCup Junior tournament in Melbourne, Australia at RoboCup-2000. In Melbourne, over 100 children participated from schools around Australia, as well as from Germany and the USA. Three challenges have been developed: soccer:�2-on-2 teams of autonomous mobile robots play games in a 75x150cm field rescue:�robots work together to rescue victims from a range of disaster scenarios dance: one or more costumed robots perform creatively to music For children, the RoboCup Junior initiative provides an exciting introduction to the field of robotics, a new way to develop technical abilities through hands-on experience with electronics, hardware and software, and a highly motivating opportunity to learn about teamwork while sharing technology with friends. In contrast to the one-child-one-computer scenario typically seen today, RoboCup Jr provides a unique opportunity for participants with a variety of interests and strengths to work together as a team to achieve a common goal. Visit our web site for details on how to form a RoboCup Junior team, specific rules for each challenge, curricular ideas and more! At Agents 2001, we will demonstrate all three challenges; plus we will offer hands-on tutorials for local children (ages 8-18) and children of Agents 2001 conference attendees. As well, a local tournament may be hosted. Please indicate your intention to participate by 23 February 2001 - attending a tutorial, entering a team in a tournament or volunteering to help out - by sending email to Elizabeth Sklar

SONY 4-LEGGED ROBOCUP COMPETITION

ROBOT DEMONSTRATIONS

ROBOCUP JUNIOR ACTIVITIES