RSS 2017 - Workshop on Tactile Sensing for Manipulation: Hardware, Modeling, and Learning, RSS 2017

If robots are to perform everyday tasks in the real world, they will need sophisticated tactile sensing. The tactile data must be integrated into multi-sensory representations that support exploration, manipulation, and other tasks.
This workshop asks the following questions:
What kinds of tactile technologies are currently available, and what are needed?
What type of representations are best for capturing and exploiting tactile data?
How can tactile information be combined with other information to support specific tasks?
Can learning help to provide suitable representations from high-dimensional sensory data?
This workshop will bring together experts from the fields of tactile sensing, sensor design, manipulation, and machine learning. We expect that the pairing of theoretical and applied knowledge will lead to an interesting exchange of ideas and stimulate an open discussion about the goals and challenges of tactile sensing.
We welcome submissions in, but not limited to, the following topics:
Grasping, manipulation and in-hand manipulation with tactile data
Hardware design of tactile sensors
Learning approaches for tactile sensing
Challenges in control with contacts
Force sensing
Haptic perception
Active touch
Whole-arm / Whole-body artificial skin
Whole-body planning with contacts
Multiple sensory modalities
Invited Speakers
Edward Adelson - MIT
Matei Ciocarlie - Columbia University
Jeremy Fishel - SynTouch Inc.
Robert Haschke - Bielefield University
Robert Howe - Harvard
Charlie Kemp - Georgia Institute of Technology
Oliver Kroemer - USC
Sergey Levine - UC Berkeley
Alberto Rodriguez - MIT
Veronica J. Santos - UCLA
Important Dates
June 8, 2017 - (Anywhere on Earth time) - Paper submission deadline (extended)
June 8, 2017 - (Anywhere on Earth time) - Demo submission deadline (extended)
June 15, 2017 - Notification of acceptance (Papers and Demos)
July 3, 2017 - (Anywhere on Earth time) - Camera ready
July 15, 2017 - Workshop
Submission : Papers
The workshop aims to encourage meaningful discussions about various relevant topics in these fields, and therefore, both unpublished work and recently published (or under review) materials could be accepted for presentation. Our criteria of acceptance depend on the significance and contributions of the participants’ research work as well as the relevance to the workshop theme.
We solicit contributions in the form of extended abstracts (min 2 pages, max 4 pages) in RSS paper format (available here), to be presented at the workshop as posters. Outstanding contributions may be selected for oral presentations.
Submission : Demos
We invite you to show a demo of your recent work relevant to the workshop theme. In order to participate, please send a 1-page description of the demo in PDF format. Optionally, a link to a video can be included. Please include in your description the basic requirements such as screens, plugs, and desks. Note, a demo could either be a stand-alone submission or could accompany a paper submission.
To submit your contribution (paper and/or demo), please email a single PDF file (optionally with a link to a video) to rss17tactile-AT-mit.edu by June 8th, 2017. Accepted papers and eventual supplementary material will be made available on the workshop website (here). However, this does not constitute an archival publication and no formal workshop proceedings will be made available, meaning contributors are free to publish their work in archival journals or conferences.
--- Organizing Committee ---
Wenzhen Yuan, MIT
Tapomayukh (Tapo) Bhattacharjee, Georgia Institute of Technology
Roberto Calandra, UC Berkeley
Edward Adelson, MIT