RoCKIn2015, the second and major competition event in the EU-funded robotics project RoCKIn, will be coming to Lisbon from 21-23 November. The event is open free-of-charge to the public who will get to see state-of-the-art robots autonomously perform challenging tasks in realistic domestic and industrial environments. It will be held at Lisbon's premier science museum - The Pavilion of Knowledge – which is situated within Parque das Nacoes, one of Lisbon's most prestigious leisure areas, boasting an array of restaurants, bars, museums and expansive green spaces all within a 5km stretch along the River Tagus.
This final competition aims to go above and beyond the highly successful RoCKIn2014 at Cité de l’espace in Toulouse, which saw teams go head-to-head in the RoCKIn@Work and RoCKIn@Home Challenges, all in front a live audience and strong local media presence. In RoCKIn@Home, robots helped Granny Annie go about her daily routine by performing tasks such as recognising and responding appropriately to visitors, opening the windows and switching off the lights. In RoCKIn@Work, robots were programmed by their teams to perform various tasks in the construction of a drive axel, including assembling components, performing quality control and interacting with networked devices (e.g. the drilling machine).
Anna Bajart, Project Officer from the European Commission said RoCKIn is a “unique opportunity for young European researchers to meet and to share experience, and for the public who will attend the event to witness how science can contribute to well-being and progress in our daily lives”.
Preparatory camps were held in Eindhoven, Rome and most recently in Peccioli; however the competition is open to new contestants. If you think you have the skills to participate then head over to the RoCKIn website and find out how you can apply!
RoCKIn is committed to ensuring the continued success of Europe’s domestic and industrial robotics industry through benchmarking and competitions. In the near future, robotics technology is likely to be a dominant part of our lives and has the potential to become our most useful asset in supporting the elderly or disabled and helping industry work more efficiently and safely. In the last 20 years, robot competitions have emerged as a powerful means to foster progress in robotics Research and Development (R&D). By combining the scientific rigor and repeatability of experiments with the real-world relevance and spectacle of competitive events, they are able to offer a highly complementary approach to traditional lab-based R&D. Make sure you save the date and join RoCKIn for the final showdown in November to see what the future could have in store for all of us.
Key dates
Deadline for Intention to Participate 31 May 2015
Deadline for Applications 31 August 2015
Decision on Qualified Teams 08 September 2015
Registration open (qualified teams only) 09 - 30 September 2015
For more information or to enter please visit:
http://rockinrobotchallenge.eu/rockin2015.php
