[robocup-worldwide] Call for proposals: RCF-MathWorks Support for Research Projects 2021

[April Foster]

========================================================================

Call for proposals: RCF and MathWorks Support for Research Projects 2021
                         deadline: January 31st, 2021

                                              and

          MathWorks-RCF Funded RoboCup Projects Webinar
                   January 14th, 12pm Eastern US Time

========================================================================

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-MathWorks Support for Research Projects 2021 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
foster progress of RoboCup and its leagues.

The RoboCup Federation and MathWorks will also host a *webinar on  January
14th, 12pm Eastern US Time*  to discuss the details of the call, describe
expected results and MathWorks tools, showcase previously sponsored
projects, and answer questions.

Connection link to the webinar will  be provided in a following message
some days before.



Proposal Requirements

===================

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 5,000 and 10,000 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 2021 if the research and deliverables are completed in a
satisfactory manner.



Submission

==========

A single PDF file should be submitted through the easychair system

https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Feasychair.org%2Fconferences%2F%3Fconf%3Drcfsupport2021&data=04%7C01%7Crobocup-worldwide%40cc.gatech.edu%7Cbec4325ab68e4a26bd2208d8a77b403f%7C482198bbae7b4b258b7a6d7f32faa083%7C0%7C0%7C637443495091344982%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=WtMIEjgWEJ76gl6VdhE09YAsKFAX6xsD21wvlbSEsl4%3D&reserved=0

under the Category: MathWorks Projects



The proposal (MAX 6 pages) must include:

1. description of the project,

2. motivations and goals,

3. intended use of MATLAB and/or Simulink software,

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
and 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:   January 31st, 2021

Notification:   February 14th, 2021

Completion of the action: Preliminary work expected to be presented during
RoboCup 2021, official content publication by October 2021
Exceptions to this rule must be submitted for approval to the evaluation
committee.
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