The 2017 International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) is inviting organisers/sponsors to propose and run Use-Inspired Robotics Challenges. The goal of the ICRA Use-Inspired Robotics Challenges is to advance innovations in robotics through solution benchmarking on challenging problems motivated by real-world use scenarios. We aim to make the Challenges accessible to all members of the robotics community so as to encourage participation from all over the world, and to ensure that they are closely relevant to the technical scope of the conference.

For the organisers/sponsors, the Use-Inspired Robotics Challenge is a good opportunity to work with world-class R&D teams in robotics to understand the gap between state-of-the-art robotics technology and real-world needs, and find potential solutions to the problems in a short timeframe. Also, it is a good opportunity for the organisers/sponsors to have extensive international media coverage in a high profile robotics challenge event.

Submission guidelines

Prospective organisers/sponsors should submit a proposal with the following information:

  • Title and abstract
  • Detailed description of the Challenge, including objectives, problem statement, tasks to be performed by the robots, task performance metrics, and judging criteria
  • Proposed schedule for organising the Challenge, including dates for finalising the rules, soliciting and receiving submissions, shortlisting finalists, sending equipment (if any) to finalists, etc
  • Proposed awards and support provided (e.g. equipment, travel grant) to participating teams
  • Preference or requirements for space
  • Administrative and technical assistance (if any) needed from ICRA organising committee
  • Any terms and conditions (legal or otherwise) that the participants are required to adhere tos
  • Short bio of the organisers/sponsors

Important considerations in preparing the proposal include the relevance, originality, feasibility, and implementation plan. In general, the teams bring their own robots and equipment. The organiser/sponsor does not need to purchase these robotic systems.

Proposals should be emailed to the ICRA 2017 Challenge Co-Chairs at icra2017.challenges@gmail.com.

 

Important Dates

  • August 31, 2016: Proposal submissions
  • September 15, 2016: Notifications
 

Support and Information

For any questions or clarifications, please contact the ICRA 2017 Challenge Co-Chairs at icra2017.challenges@gmail.com.

Information on the previous ICRA Robotics Challenges can be found at: