[robocup-worldwide] Call for proposals: RCF and MathWorks Support for Research Projects 2020

[April Foster]

Call for proposals: RCF and MathWorks Support for Research Projects 2020
========================================================================

The RoboCup Federation (RCF) and MathWorks, a Global Sponsor of RoboCup,
are pleased to announce this call for proposals to support research
projects in RoboCup.

RCF and MathWorks Support for Research Projects 2020 aims at funding
robotics research projects that use MATLAB and Simulink software. The goal
is to enable collaboration between RoboCup researchers and MathWorks
engineers to to foster progress of RoboCup and its leagues.

Proposals in this category must meet ALL of the following requirements:

1. Work must be associated with one or more of the research topics listed
below.
2. Work must primarily utilize MathWorks software such as MATLAB, Simulink,
Stateflow, and other add-on products. Preference may be given if using one
or more of the development methods listed below.
3. Project team will be assigned MathWorks contacts, and must arrange and
participate in at least 3 progress check-in meetings with them during the
course of the project. The team is encouraged to reach out to their
MathWorks contacts whenever they have questions.
4. Final deliverables shall be posted publicly after review by MathWorks
contacts.


Research Topics
===============

1. Navigation and Planning
  a. Motion planning and manipulation for mobile robots
  b. Motion planning for humanoid robots
  c. Collision avoidance
2. Perception and Sensor Fusion
  a. Object detection and tracking
  b. Lidar and vision-based SLAM
  c. Point cloud processing
  d. Fusing IMU with other sensors for localization and state estimation
3. Control systems
  a. Control of humanoid robots
  b. Hybrid systems and behavior
  c. Multi-agent systems
4. Human-Robot Interaction
  a. Natural language processing
  b. Signal and audio processing

NOTE: machine learning techniques (deep learning, reinforcement learning,
etc.) are not listed above, teams are encouraged to apply these techniques
toward these research topics.


Development Methods
===================

1. Development Tools
  a. User interfaces and Web applications
  b. Hardware initialization and calibration tools
2. Modeling and simulation
  a. Model-based design of software components
  b. Physical system simulation and design
  c. Behavior modeling: finite-state machines, behavior trees, etc.
  d. Multi-agent simulation
3. Embedded systems
  a. Implementation to reduce memory, power consumption, etc.
  b. Targeting microcontrollers, FPGAs, and GPUs
  c. Real-time and hardware-in-the-loop simulation
4. Interfaces to standard platforms
  a. Robots, e.g., Toyota, SoftBank, FESTO
  b. Software frameworks, e.g., ROS


Support
=======

Support will be given as a gift between 5000 and 10000 USD depending on
quantity and quality of accepted proposals in this category.

Teams will be notified of the exact amount awarded upon their proposal
being accepted. Funding will be provided directly by RCF after the RoboCup
Symposium 2020 if the research and deliverables are completed in a
satisfactory manner.



Submission
==========

A single PDF file should be submitted through the easychair system
https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=rcfsupport2020
under the Category: MathWorks Projects

The proposal (MAX 6 pages) must include:
1. description of the project,
2. intended use of MATLAB and/or Simulink software,
3. motivations and goals,
4. benefits for RoboCup and for the RoboCup League (not for a single or a
few teams),
5. implementation plan and budget.



Evaluation
==========

Application materials will be evaluated by a committee of RoboCup Trustees,
RoboCup Exec members, and/or MathWorks engineers. The evaluation of the
proposals will be based on (i) the quality of the proposed research; (ii)
the research contributions of the applicants, particularly in relation to
RoboCup; (iii) the usage of MATLAB and/or Simulink software; and (iv) the
impact of the proposed plan on the advancement and visibility of RoboCup.

A limited number of awards is expected to be assigned.


Deadlines
=========

Submission Deadline:   November 01, 2019
Notification:   November 22, 2019
Completion of the action: by RoboCup 2020

Collaborations should be completed before RoboCup 2020 and the results
should be presented as a poster at the RoboCup Symposium 2020.
Exceptions to this rule must be submitted for approval to the evaluation
committee.

Please direct questions and inquiries to: rcfsupport2020 at easychair.org
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