[robocup-worldwide] RoboCup 2014 João Pessoa, Brazil [Newsletter #2]

Tue Jun 3 22:11:23 EDT 2014

NEWSLETTER # 2

RoboCup 2014 - João Pessoa, Brazil - July 19th-25th
www.robocup2014.org

CONTENTS

1. RoboCup 2014 – João Pessoa
2. RoboCupper Checklist
3. Important Dates
4. Visa
4.1. Important Notice for Junior Teams
5. Electricity in Brazil
6. RoboCup Symposium
6.1 Invited Speakers
6.2. Call for Participation – Workshop on Educational Robotics
7. Air Transportation and Transfer from Airports
8. Accommodation – new hotels
9. Cargo
10. Health
11. Shuttle
12. Contact

1. RoboCup 2014 – João Pessoa

Dear RoboCuppers… this is the second newsletter from the local organization
of RoboCup 2014. We are less than two months away from RoboCup and you
should make sure to read the news carefully in order to prepare your team
for travelling to Brazil.

Throughout the newsletter you will find important information regarding
lodging, registration, visa, transportation from the airports, and shuttle
between hotels and the venue. If you have any doubts on these matters, do
not hesitate on contacting us through one of the listed emails.

We hope to see you soon in João Pessoa: a lively seafront city and the
second greenest capital in the world, home of clean swimming water beaches
and an amazing native Atlantic forest.

Further information can be found on RoboCup 2014 website www.robocup2014.org
.

You can also follow us on Twitter (@RoboCup2014) and Facebook (
www.facebook.com/RoboCup2014).

2. RoboCupper Checklist

Depending on your nationality  Apply for Visa
Until 10 June, 2014                   Book your hotel room
Until 24 June, 2014                   Register your team
Until 1 July, 2014                   Have your cargo collected
Until 10 July, 2014                   Book your transfer from airports

3. Important Dates - Registration

In the tables below you can find the important dates of the Major
competitions, the Junior competitions and the Symposium. Remember that no
teams can register after June 24, 2014.  Make sure you enroll your team
before that date.

Senior leagues

Regular registration: 15 May – 24 June 2014 (No team registration accepted
after 24 June)
Late registration: 25 June – 18 July 2014
Team setup: 19-20 July 2014
Competitions: 21-24 July 2014
-----------------
Junior  leagues
Pre-registration by regional representatives: 24 March – 31 May 2014
Registrations: 25 March – 24 June 2014 (No team registration accepted after
24 June)
Late registrations: 25 June – 18 July 2014
Setup: 20 July 2014
Competitions: 21-24 July 2014
Junior workshop at symposium: 25 July 2014
-----------------
Symposium
Notification to authors: 6 June 2014
Submission of camera-ready copies: 20 June 2014
Symposium: 25 July 2014

For more information regarding registration, see
http://www.robocup2014.org/?page_id=125

4. Visa (visa at robocup2014.org)

Remember that some countries require you to apply for a short stay visa
before travelling to Brazil. A letter of invitation can be provided after
team registration and payment have been completed. The details regarding
the VISA procedure can be found in our website together with the procedure
to apply for a letter of invitation (http://www.robocup2014.org/?page_id=539
).

4.1. Important Notice for Junior Teams

According to the Brazilian Child and Youth Statute, a Travel Authorization
for Minors is mandatory for children under 18 years of age travelling in
any of the following circumstances:
 - accompanied by only one parent
 - unaccompanied
 - accompanied by a third party

The travel authorization must be granted by means of a document with
authenticated signatures, legalized by the Embassy of Brazil in your
country. IMPORTANT: children from 3 months to 6 years of age must also show
proof of vaccination for polio. No other vaccination is required or needed
for travelling to João Pessoa.

5. Electricity in Brazil

João Pessoa is a 220V at 60Hz city, as are all electrical installations in
RoboCup 2014 Venue. Please, make sure that your electrical equipments can
fit these electrical specifications. It is also important to pay attention
to the Brazilian new standard plug: NBR 14136. Please, make sure you bring
adapters for your country standard. If your country’s standard plug fits
the old Brazilian plug, you can easily find adapters in Brazil.

6. RoboCup Symposium (symposium at robocup2014.org)

6.1 Invited Speakers

RoboCup Symposium 2014 is please to announce its speakers: Dr. Rodney
Brooks and Prof. Sami Haddadin.

Dr. Rodney Brooks is the Panasonic Professor of Robotics (emeritus) at MIT.
He is a robotics entrepreneur and Founder, Chairman and CTO of Rethink
Robotics. He is also a Founder, former Board Member (1990 – 2011) and
former CTO (1990 – 2008) of iRobot Corp (Nasdaq: IRBT). Dr. Brooks is the
former Director (1997 – 2007) of the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
and then the MIT Computer Science & Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
(CSAIL).

Sami Haddadin is full professor and director of the Institute of Automatic
Control (IRT) at Leibniz University Hanover, Germany. Previously, he was
the Scientific Coordinator of the Human-Centered Robotics group at the
Robotics and Mechatronics Center of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and
Lecturer at Technical University of Munich (TUM). In 2011 he was a visiting
scholar at Stanford University and consulting scientist of Willow Garage,
Inc., Palo Alto till 2013. His research topics include physical Human-Robot
Interaction, nonlinear robot control, real-time motion planning, real-time
task and reflex planning, robot learning, optimal control, human motor
control, variable impedance actuation, and safety in robotics.

Dr. Brooks told us a few words on what to expect for RoboCup 2014.

RC2014: What do you expect to find at Robocup 2014?
I'm looking forward to seeing cutting edge robotics and people working
their hearts out to make their robots cooperate and work together better
than ever before.

RC2014: RoboCup 2014 will be held in Brazil, a developing country that
begins to have investments in technology. How this event can contribute to
increase technology investments?
RoboCup has been a great robotics training ground for students.  Around the
world today there is heightened interest in robotics as a practical
technology that is becoming more and more important in all aspects of
industry and healthcare.  So having a healthy supply of students who have
learned robotics through RoboCup is going to have a direct influence on the
development of robotics industries in each country.

RC2014: What message would you leave to RoboCuppers?
Remember that winning is not the goal in itself.  Those who learn how to
make their robots better and do so will be the winners.

6.2 Call for Participation – Workshop on Educational Robotics

If you are a teacher, mentor or student from schools, clubs, community
centers, and educational institutions that offer formal and informal
educational opportunities in robotics you can share and discuss your
experiences and the current practices using robotics in this workshop.

Details on selected topics of interest and types of presentation can be
found at:  http://www.robocup2014.org/?page_id=106

Please, keep in mind the following dates:

- submissions deadline: June 13, 2014
- notification of acceptance: June 23, 2014
- submission of final version: July 11, 2014

7. Air Transportation and Transfer from Airports

João Pessoa is accessible by air and road. Although João Pessoa airport has
flights from most Brazilian cities, most international routes in the
northeast arrive in Recife and Natal airports, located 125km and 200km from
João Pessoa, respectively. The official travel agency, Luck Viagens, can
help you book your flight.

For transportation from one of these airports, a variety of special
arrangements for participants at reduced rates have been made. It is highly
recommended to make use of these safe and effective ways of transportation
between the airport and your hotel. These can be booked through RoboCup
2014 receptive agency before July 10th (
http://www.robocup2014.org/?page_id=1180). Furthermore, there will be
people assisting RoboCup 2014 team at these airports. Indication of our
location in these airports will be sent in a following newsletter.

8. Accommodation – New hotels

Regarding accommodation in João Pessoa, the overall suggestion is to stay
in the safe coast area that encompasses the Tambau and Cabo Branco Beaches
and avoid walking away from the coast. The RECOMMENDED hotels for the event
are along the coast where you can walk during the day and the evening
comfortably. In those areas, a special tourist police force will be out to
help you in English.

The RC2014 Local Organizing team has selected a number of hotels, with
special rates for RoboCuppers. Free shuttle service will be provided for
RoboCuppers which will bring you from the recommended hotels to the
competition site. Rooms at the recommended hotels are blocked for the event
by Luck Viagens agency and you can book them directly through the event
website (http://www.robocup2014.org/?page_id=127), where the list of
selected hotels and their prices can be found.
WE STRONGLY DISCOURAGE you from booking hotels out of this area. Please use
the list of hotels on the website to assure that your visit in Brazil will
be very comfortable and pleasant.

Please, notice that the deadline for guaranteed booking of one of the
blocked rooms is June, 10th. After that, the availability of rooms and
their prices will be subject to modifications by the hotels.

You can find a list of RoboCup 2014 affiliated hotels in our website. These
hotels can be booked through the online booking system (
http://luck.short-nx.com.br/paginassite/compra.php?lang=2&pOIDEvento=4254803).
IMPORTANT: If you book rooms through our official agency, your credentials
(participation badges) will be available in the hotel upon your arrival.

9. Cargo

If you need to transport your robots/equipments as cargo, you will need a
specialized company to transport it and proceed with temporary importation
in Brazil. WE DO NOT RECOMMEND you choosing any company as it might not be
aware of the full admission process. For this matter, we recommend Lauro
Victor de Barros Despachos Aduaneiros Ltda, RoboCup 2014 official cargo
transportation agency. They are a third party company prepared to deal with
the particular conditions of RoboCup and make point-to-point transportation
from almost all countries. Moreover, they can assure the delivery of your
cargo in the venue on schedule if you follow the procedures and dates.

Cargo Important Dates

Collect date in your institution (last date) 1 July, 2014
Delivery date at venue 17 July, 2014

10. Health

Regarding vaccination, João Pessoa does not require Yellow Fever or Malaria
vaccines. However, if you plan to visit other areas of Brazil you should
check for recent travel health information of other areas 4-8 weeks before
departure. Additional information and hints will be given on the event web
page.

11. Shuttle

There will be convenient, free and safe shuttle busses available for
RoboCuppers between the recommended hotels and the competition site. To use
the shuttle, you need to show your RoboCup participation badge. The shuttle
stops are made available on the website. All hotels indicated in our
accommodation list are in the area covered by the lines. The shuttle stops
are clearly marked in the hotel list. The place and number of stops and
buses will be adapted according to the final distribution of participants
to the recommended hotels.The use of the shuttles is highly recommended to
all participants.

12. Contact

For questions regarding RoboCup 2014, please contact one of the mail
addresses below.

General: info at robocup2014.org
Chairs: chairs at robocup2014.org
Competitions: please, refer to your league direct email on
http://www.robocup2014.org/?page_id=240

Looking forward to seeing you in Brazil!

On behalf of the RoboCup 2014 organization.

Best regards,

Alexandre Simões
Esther Colombini
Flavio Tonidandel
(chairs RoboCup 2014)

Carmen Faria
(RoboCupJunior 2014 LOC Chair)

Reinaldo Bianchi
(RoboCup 2014 Symposium co-chair)
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