Living Machines IV: The 4th International Conference on Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems
27- 31 July 2015. Barcelona, Spain

To be hosted at La Pedrera, Barcelona, Spain
In association with the Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Accepted papers will be published in Springer Lecturer Notes in Artificial Intelligence

EXPECTED DEADLINES
March 16th, 2015 Paper submission deadline
May 1st, 2015 Notification of acceptance
May 22nd, 2015 Camera ready copy
July 27-31 2015 Workshops and Conference

Supported by the Convergent Science Network for Biomimetics and Neurotechnology. CSN II- EU FP7

ABOUT LIVING MACHINES 2015

The development of future real-world technologies will depend strongly on our understanding and harnessing of the principles underlying living systems and the flow of communication signals between living and artificial systems.
Biomimetics is the development of novel technologies through the distillation of principles from the study of biological systems. The investigation of biomimetic systems can serve two complementary goals. First, a suitably designed and configured biomimetic artefact can be used to test theories about the natural system of interest. Second, biomimetic technologies can provide useful, elegant and efficient solutions to unsolved challenges in science and engineering. Biohybrid systems are formed by combining at least one biological component—an existing living system—and at least one artificial, newly-engineered component. By passing information in one or both directions, such a system forms a new hybrid bio-artificial entity. The following are some examples:

• Biomimetic robots and their component technologies (sensors, actuators, processors) that can intelligently interact with their environments.
• Active biomimetic materials and structures that self-organize and self-repair.
• Biomimetic computers—neuromimetic emulations of the physiological basis for intelligent behaviour.
• Biohybrid brain-machine interfaces and neural implants.
• Artificial organs and body-parts including sensory organ-chip hybrids and intelligent prostheses.
• Organism-level biohybrids such as robot-animal or robot-human systems.

ACTIVITIES
The main conference will take the form of a three-day single-track oral and poster presentation programme, 29th to 31st July 2015, hosted at the La Pedrera, Barcelona, Spain.
The conference programme will include five plenary lectures from leading international researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems, and the demonstrations of state-of-the-art living machine technologies
The full conference will be preceded by up to two days of Satellite Events hosted by the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona.

SUBMITTING TO LIVING MACHINES 2015
We invite both full papers and extended abstracts in areas related to the conference themes. All contributions will be refereed and accepted papers will appear in the Living Machines 2015 proceedings which we expect to be published in the Springer-Verlag LNAI Series.
Full papers (up to12 pages) are invited from researchers at any stage in their career but should present significant findings and advances in biomimetic or biohybid research; more preliminary work would be better suited to extended abstract submission (minimum 4 pages). Further details of submission formats will be circulated in an updated CfP and will be posted on the conference web-site.
Full papers will be accepted for either oral presentation (single track) or poster presentation. Extended abstracts will be accepted for poster presentation only.
Authors of the best full papers will be invited to submitted extended versions of their paper for publication in a special issue of Bioinspiration and Biomimetics.

Satellite events
Active researchers in biomimetic and biohybrid systems are invited to propose topics for 1-day or 2-day tutorials, symposia or workshops on related themes to be held 27-28th July at Universitat Pompeu Fabra. Events can be scheduled on either the 27th or the 28th or across both days. Attendance at satellite events will attract a small fee intended to cover the costs of the meeting. There is a lot of flexibility about the content, organisation, and budgeting for these events. Please contact us if you are interested in organising a satellite event!

EXPECTED DEADLINES
March 16th, 2015 Paper submission deadline
May 1st, 2015 Notification of acceptance
May 22nd, 2015 Camera ready copy
July 27-31 2015 Conference

SPONSORSHIP
Living Machines 2015 is sponsored by the Convergent Science Network (CSN) for Biomimetics and Neurotechnology. CSN is an EU FP7 Future Emerging Technologies Co-ordination Activity that also organises two highly successful workshop series: the Barcelona Summer School on Brain, Technology and Cognition (http://bcbt.upf.edu/bcbt12/) and the Capocaccia Neuromorphic Cognitive Engineering Workshop.
The 2015 Living Machines conference will also be hosted and sponsored by the Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
Call for Sponsors. Other organisations wishing to sponsor the conference in any way and gain the corresponding benefits by promoting themselves and their products to through conference publications, the conference web-site, and conference publicity are encouraged to contact the conference organisers to discuss the terms of sponsorship and necessary arrangements. We offer a number of attractive and good-value packages to potential sponsors.

ABOUT THE VENUE
Living Machines 2015 returns to the venue of our first conference at the beautiful biomimetic building La Pedrera (Casa Mila) (https://www.lapedrera.com/en/home) designed by renown modernist architect Antoni Gaudi. Attendees at the conference will get a free ticket to visit this historic building in the centre the Barcelona. Workshops will be held at the Poblenou Campus of Universitat Pompeu Fabra, close to hotel and restaurant area of the Diagonal and Ramblas de Poblenou and a short walk from Barcelona’s famous beaches.

Organising Committee:
Paul Verschure, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Co-chair)
Tony Prescott, University of Sheffield (Co-chair)
Stuart Wilson, University of Sheffield (Program Chair)
Anna Mura, Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Communications, Local Organiser)
Nathan Lepora, University of Bristol (Communications)