From: Patrick SCHOULLER 
Subject:
PCRDT/ Thématique TIC/ Appel compétitif   du projet ECHORD sur la programmation de robots


Madame Monsieur

Le projet ECHORD , un projet de l'appel 4 de la thématique TIC du PCRDT a pour
but de lancer des "expérimentations", c'est à dire qu'il donne la
possibilité à
des équipes de programmer des matériels et robots fournis par des
industriels. 


·       The deadline for the call for experiment proposals is Dec. 1st 2009
17:00 Brussels time 

·       Electronic submission for experiment proposals will be opened soon 

In the context of ECHORD, small-scale projects, so-called “experiments”, will
be conducted, which will use state-of-the art robotic equipment. An experiment
is a small technical research project. Depending on the experiments the
equipment providers can either just sell the robotic equipment to an
experiment
or be part of the experiment’s consortium.
To outline the scope of the research work three scenarios have been defined
that represent the expected use of state-of-the-art robot technologies in the
near future: the human robot co-worker scenario, the hyper-flexible cells
scenario and the cognitive factory scenario.

This call for experiment proposals targets the first scenario, human-robot
co-worker. However, proposals focused on the other two scenarios may be
submitted. Research institutions, universities, enterprises and robot
manufacturers are asked to submit experiment proposals.
A list of suitable equipment offered by manufacturers, along with terms and
conditions of providing this equipment, is available here (login required).



PLUS D INFORMATION SUR ECHORD

ECHORD (European Clearing House for Open Robotics Development) is a new
EU-funded project aiming to strengthen the cooperation between scientific
research and industry in robotics. 

ECHORD is coordinated by Professor Knoll, Technical University of Munich. The
project's international orientation and its positioning in the existing
robotics landscape are emphasized by the participation of the University of
Naples Federico II (Prof. Siciliano) and the University of Coimbra in Portugal
(Prof. Pires). Europe has a very strong robot industry and there is
significant
research potential as well as technological knowledge. There has been a long
history of outstanding research and development in both robot manufacturers
and
research institutes. However, finding common ground between manufacturers and
the research community, especially when it comes to defining the future
direction of robotics research, has proven difficult in the past. This is one
of the recurring themes on both sides, and a new level of cooperation is long
overdue. Thus, ECHORD will act as a "clearing house" to streamline successful
know-how transfers. It is truly open to those entrepreneurial research
institutes able to carry out challenging robotics development in cooperation
with manufacturers which are interested in focusing on research and technology
development, and it will ultimately increase European competitiveness in
robotics.

The Scenarios

The range of research topics and subjects in the field of robotics is
virtually
unlimited. Thus, ECHORD has defined a clear thematic orientation which is
reflected in selected scenarios. Three scenarios have been identified, which
are both scientifically challenging and commercially relevant. They consist of
challenges, which robotics experts can easily understand and use as a basis
for
their own research. The scenarios, which build on each other, are:
"human-robot
co-worker", "hyper-flexible manufacturing cells", and the "cognitive factory".
Within these scenarios, different research foci have been identified. The
research foci are reference points for the expected scientific progress of
proposals for experiments. They combine mechanical design, controller
technology developed by manufacturers, with the research community's expertise
in sensing, cognition, and behaviour control. The research foci are
"human-robot interfacing & safety", "robot hands & complex manipulation",
"mobile manipulators & cooperation" and "networked robots".

The Experiments

It is the objective of ECHORD to take an industrial perspective and provide
incentives for both sides. It is also our goal to systematically increase the
number of successful cooperations between researchers and industry. Extensive
discussions have revealed that it is appealing to carry out joint projects
solving concrete problems, particularly if processes are simple and quick;
these joint projects are called experiments. This will include those
manufacturers and research institutions/organisations who have not had the
opportunities to work together, and will enable partners with well-established
cooperations to invest more. Within the framework of the ECHORD project,
institutes and research organizations will have the chance to perform
experiments using the latest industry-related hardware. Three rounds of open
calls for experiments will be launched over the course of the project duration
of 3.5 years. All European manufacturers and research groups are eligible to
submit proposals. It is the intention of the project to keep the entry hurdles
for potential applicants as low as possible and to attain quantifiable results
as quickly as possible.


Toutes les informations se trouvent sur le site:

http://www.echord.info/wikis/home-wiki/home

Pour plus d'information, merci de contacter


ECHORD Service Center

Dr. Reinhard Lafrenz
Hans Ziegler
Technische Universitaet Muenchen
Department of Informatics VI
Robotics and Embedded Systems 
Boltzmannstr. 3
85748 Garching
Germany
Tel: +49 89 289 18136 
Fax: +49 89 289 18107
Email: echord@in.tum.de 



Ces informations vous sont diffusées par les représentants au comité de
programme TIC du PCRDT
Olivier ROUX & Patrick SCHOULLER

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Patrick SCHOULLER
Ministère de l'Economie de l'Industrie et de l'Emploi
DGCIS - STIC
Représentant national "Programmes européens dédiés à la société de
l'information"
www.telecom.gouv.fr

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