A related interesting effort is the series of workshops on Technical Challenges for Dependable Robots in Human Environments sponsored by IARP and the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society. The last three editions held in 2005, 2007 and 2008 were co-sponsored by EURON. The organization aims to provide privileged interactions and ample room for discussion, with a limited number of attendees by invitation only, and a simple track program.
Since IARP, IEEE/RAS and EURON have similar interests and objectives regarding the dependability and usability of robots designed to operate in human environments, the three organizations joined together in 2005 to co-sponsor this workshop examining the technical and application issues of dependable robotics. In order to make advances in the application of new Human Centered robots, it is essential that they gain widespread acceptance from the community at large. This acceptance will only be achieved if, as well as meeting their functional requirements; robots are also dependable and usable. The research and development needed to achieve truly dependable robots is wide ranging and multidisciplinary. Research areas that can contribute to achieve dependable robots in human environments include Human Robot Interaction, intrinsically safe mechanisms, systems engineering, sensor interpretation, control, advanced locomotion, validation and verification, along with many other areas. However there are two features of Human Centered dependable robots that determine the challenge faced by the technologies. The first is that, unlike industrial robots, Human Centered robots work within the same space as humans and, indeed, are often designed to physically touch and interact with humans. This makes partitioning approaches to safety impossible to contemplate. Other methods for insuring the safety of users, participants and bystanders must be achieved. The second area defining the challenge is that Human Centered robots must be operated in the same environments as humans, rather than in ones that have been constructed to accommodate the robot. This potentially presents difficult navigation and locomotion challenges but, more importantly, means that these robots have to deal with uncertainty in their environment and in their task. A critical part of answering the dependability challenge presented by human interaction and human environments is the development of truly intelligent robots that can interact with their environment in a flexible manner and, ultimately, negotiate with users and bystanders.
The development of safety technology in the framework of various international standards is inevitable for making practical intelligent robots in human environments. It is also true; however, that only promoting current standard-oriented technology will bring the limitation to the future robotics of multidiscipline and wide applicability. The term dependability in itself, which was introduced to robotics at the first venue of the workshop, must cover overall intelligent machine characteristics: not only the current technology of reliability/safety enhancement but also future prospects of machine adaptability and autonomy for user satisfaction. This workshop series aims to discuss the present and future of dependability technology and resolve the issues on how dependable robots in human environments can be designed and should behave.
The main research topics in the workshop are:
More information can be found at the official websites: