The ICRA Workshop on 'Robots & Art - Frontiers in Human-Centred Robotics as Seen by the Arts' is a full-day workshop held in conjunction with the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), at the Shanghai International Convention Center, Shanghai, China, May 9-13, 2011.

Website: http://thinkinghead.edu.au/ra2011/

Important Dates
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28. February 2011: Paper and video submissions due
14. March 2011: Notification of acceptance
16. March 2011: Final version ready for workshop DVD
13. May 2011: Workshop

Organizers
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Damith C. Herath - Thinking Head Project
Christian Kroos - Thinking Head Project
Kate Stevens - University of Western Sydney, Australia
Denis Burnham - University of Western Sydney, Australia

Motivation
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In a reversal of common belief and expectation, the boundaries of technological applications appear to be pushed not so much by relevant science or engineering but artists. One example is certainly the social virtual reality of Second Life which was explicitly created to mimic the Metaverse described in Neal Stephenson's 1992 novel Snow Crash. A leading role for art is also evident in human-centred robotics. When it comes to fathoming the depths and shallows of our future dealing with our new companion, the robot, artists have jumped the queue ahead of technical and commercial realisation and have introduced robots into our lives. While there is an abundance of fiction literature and movies with robots as protagonists, here we refer to the performance art that have integrated robots in some way or another in their performances or even made the robot the work of art itself, e.g., the enduring reappearing robot- human symbiosis in the work of Australian performance artist, Stelarc. In such manners artists ask questions about the future directions of robotics before the field itself might have become aware of them and have also envisioned robots that are yet to come.

Goal
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This full day multidisciplinary workshop will explore the intricacies and issues in robot-art collaborations through a series of invited talks, short paper presentations, videos and illustrative performances. The workshop will provide a point of reference for the practicing roboticists to appreciate and understand art from the artist's perspective and for the artists to derive new inspirations from the research by the robotics community. Overall, the workshop will strengthen the mutual understanding and respect between the diverse fields of interest leading to future discussions and developments enabling better human-cantered robotic systems.

Submissions
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We invite full papers, extended abstracts and video submissions on following themes (but not necessary limited to):
* Could new paradigms in robotic research be inspired from robotic art?
* Which role does art, on the one hand, and robotic engineering, on the other hand, play in shaping the perception of robots in the society?
* What benefits for both sides are gained through collaborations?
* Where is contemporary robotic art heading?

All submitted material will be reviewed by the program committee and by an external expert as appropriate.

Paper Submissions
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We welcome both full papers (6 pages max) and 2-page extended abstracts. Paper submissions can be accompanied by an optional video ((10MB & (3min). Please format your papers according to IEEE Conference style guidelines

Video Submissions
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We also solicit high quality videos (e.g. short documentaries) that highlight aspects of Robot-Art collaborations. Videos should not exceed 10 minutes including titles and credits and must be accompanied by a short abstract. Please contact us prior to the submission deadline for details on how to upload your video.


We intend to document the outcomes of the workshop and expand the discussion through the publication of a book with a renowned publishing house.

Please visit the workshop website for more information:
http://thinkinghead.edu.au/ra2011/

Contact: RobotsAndArts@gmail.com