Best Automation Paper Award (sponsored by United Technologies Research Center)

The IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA 2013) encourages research in automation by annually recognizing the Best Automation Paper for systems that operate autonomously in predictable environments over extended periods, or the explicit structuring of such environments.

Factors that will be considered are originality, depth, quality, presentation, and significance as related to automation, emphasizing efficiency, productivity, quality, and reliability, focusing on systems that operate autonomously in predictable environments over extended periods, or the explicit structuring of such environments.

Winners: Hao Tieng, Haw-Ching Yang, Min-Hsiung Hung and Fan-Tien Cheng

Best Cognitive Robotics Paper Award (sponsored by CoTeSys)

This award is established to promote interdisciplinary research on cognition for technical systems and advancements of cognitive robotics in industry, home applications, and daily life.

Factors to be considered are: the significance of cognitive behavior and cognitive capabilities, interdisciplinary work, creativity, technical merits, originality, potential impact in applications in industry and at home, and clarity of presentation.

Winners: Vivian Chu, Ian McMahon, Lorenzo Riano, Craig G. McDonald, Qin He, Jorge Martinez Perez-Tejada, Michael Arrigo, Naomi Fitter, John C. Nappo, Trevor Darrell, Katherine J. Kuchenbecker

Best Manipulation Paper Award (sponsored by Ben Wegbreit)

The award wants to highlight innovative efforts in the planning and execution of manipulation tasks which take place in dynamic environments. The integration of humans is also critical. Numerous challenges need to be overcome and new applications are also highly sought after.

Winners: Danica Kragic, Yasemin Bekiroglu and Dan Song

Best Medical Robotics Paper Award (sponsored by Intuitive Surgical)

This award will recognize outstanding work in the area of medical robotics and computer-assisted interventional devices and systems. Relevant topics may include the design and development of novel devices and robotic systems, and their integration with navigation and imaging technologies for enhanced clinical efficacy.

Winners: Mehran Armand and Michael D.M. Kutzer

Best Service Robotics Paper Award (sponsored by KUKA)

This award promotes between robotics science research and industry R&D advancement in the area of service robotics applications (both professional and domestic).

Factors to be considered are: the significance of the new applications, technical merits, originality, potential impact on the field, and clarity of presentation.

Winners: Ali Abdul Khaliq, Victor Manuel Hernandez Bennetts, Marco Trincavell and Achim Lilienthal

Best Vision Paper Award (sponsored by Ben Wegbreit)

For the best paper relating to Vision presented at the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

Winners: Pieter Abbeel, John Schulman and Alex Lee

Best Student Paper Award (sponsored by United Technologies Research Center)

To recognize the most outstanding paper authored primarily by a student at the annual IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

Factors to be considered are: Technical merit, originality, potential impact on the field, practical significance of the applications, clarity of the written presentation in the proceedings, and quality of the oral presentation at the conference.

Winners:  Matthew T. Mason and Alberto Rodriguez

Best Conference Paper Award

The Best Conference Paper award recognizes the most outstanding paper in the Proceedings of the annual IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

Factors to be considered are: Technical merit, originality, potential impact on the field, clarity of the written paper, and quality of the oral or other presentation.

Winner:  Anirudha Majumdar