Post-Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge Workshop Tackles Fields Future & Impact on Science & Society
International robotics experts shared insights on the future of robotics, expected challenges, and impacts on scientific research and social development during a workshop carried out today (Sunday, March 19, 2017) after the verdict of the inaugural Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge (MBZIRC) that took place from March 16 to 18 at the Yas Island Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Individuals of MBZIRC 2017 shared their preparations and major achievements for the competition, while the champions of the four Difficulties exposed the stories behind their success as part of the workshop held at the Khalifa University Auditorium in Abu Dhabi.
The morning sessions featured talks on Disaster Robotics Challenge by Prof. Satoshi Tadokoro from the International Research study Institute of disaster Science, Tohoku University, Japan; Robotic Divers for Oceanic Discovery by Prof. Oussama Khatib from the Expert system Lab, Department of Computer Science, Stanford University, UNITED STATE; Twenty Years of Research Driven By Robot Competitions by Prof. Pedro Lima from the Institute for Solutions and Robotics, University of Lisbon, Portugal; and 'Robotics Competitions: Singapore Perspectives' by Prof. Marcelo H. Ang Jr. from the National University of Singapore.
The afternoon sessions, on the other hand, covered' Methods for Mobile Robot Understanding and Navigating and Beyond' by Prof. Wolfram Burgard from Albert Ludwigs-Universitt Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; Robots That Need to Mislead: Biologically-inspired Machine Deception by Prof. Ronald Arkin from the Georgia Institute of Innovation, Atlanta, USA; 'UK-RAS Robotics and Autonomous Equipments Forming the Future' by Prof. Guang-Zhong Yang from the Faculty of Engineering, Department of Computing, The Hamlyn Centre, IMPERIAL COLLEGE, UK; and The BioRobotics Institute: A Place Where Robotics Takes Flight by Prof. Paolo Dario from The BioRobotics Institute, Scuola Superiore Sant' Anna, Pisa, Italy.
A Panel Discussion at the end of the workshop reviewed difficulties and prepare for MBZIRC 2019 as well.
Dr Mohammed Ebrahim Al Mualla, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education for Academic Matters of Higher Education, General Chair of MBZIRC organizing board and member of the guiding board claimed: "The Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge is being presented to spur a new wave of interest - especially from the Arab World - in further establishing the robotics field to attend to tomorrow's issues and obstacles. It's effect therefore surpasses the three-day competitors, which is why we focused on a post-event workshop as part of the schedule to emphasize that job will certainly continue taking robotics to the next level. We invite those interested in the future of this amazing and transformative field to join us for the sessions. We also welcome those who desire for competing in future editions of MBZIRC so they could discover exactly what it takes to be a champion in among one of the most extreme robotics competitions on the world."
The Mohamed Bin Zayed International Robotics Challange is a biennial robotics competitors that aims to develop the funding of Abu Dhabi and UAE as facilities of robotics and progressed research. A total amount of 26 teams from 15 countries competed in the debuting event held under the patronage of H.H. Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Royal prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Leader of the UAE Army, and with the support of the Details and Communication Innovation Fund (ICTF) and TRA, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), and Norinco.
