We are pleased to announce the upcoming Marine Robotics School to be conducted at CSIR National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa, India from Nov. 20-25, 2023 in the scope of the EU Ecobotics.Sea project and the India-Portugal cooperation program.
Background
This is the 6th in a series of Marine Robotics Schools at NIO, Goa first organized in 2012. The positive feedback we have received from students, researchers, and practitioners drawn from a wide spectrum of institutions and commercial companies was extremely encouraging, to the extent that we continued to offer the school in 2013, 2015, 2018 and now in 2023 by inviting well known researchers and systems developers in marine technology from Europe, USA, and Asia with the goal of making these schools unique from a theoretical and practical standpoint.
In a nutshell, the school aims to contribute to building bridges in the marine robotics research community, foster cross fertilization of ideas between marine science and technology, and give renewed impetus to outreach activities with a strong societal impact. Underlying the design of the school program is the desire to afford young researchers and systems developers a fast paced introduction to the multifaceted topics required to design, build, and operate single and multiple vehicles for commercial and scientific applications. In line with what was very successfully done in the previous editions, we will bring together a number of lecturers from across the world with recognized expertise in marine robotics and related areas. We hope the Marine Robotics School will foster vibrant discussions among all participants and become the starting point for the definition of common R&D projects at an international scale.
Distinguishing Features
This school stands out for its unique combination of factors that make it an exceptional opportunity for participants. NIO, known for its pioneering work in underwater robotics in India and solid cooperation links with European institutions, serves as the perfect host institution. With its extensive expertise and research contributions in this field, participants can expect unparalleled guidance and mentorship in the course of an event that will also benefit from the participation and engagement of well reputed researchers and practitioners from other continents. The school will also benefit from NIO's strong connections to academic institutions and industries throughout India. This network facilitates collaborations, promotes knowledge exchange, and creates opportunities for future research projects and employment prospects.
We encourage and welcome the participation of engineering students (undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral), researchers working in marine science and technology, university lecturers and professors, representatives of governmental institutions, commercial operators, and other marine stakeholders.
To students and researchers
The Marine Robotics School at NIO offers participants a unique opportunity to leverage NIO's rich international collaborations and work with renowned researchers and scholars worldwide on state-of-the-art technologies in the field of marine robotics. Furthermore, this school offers an exceptional opportunity for multidisciplinary collaboration. Participants will have access to a community of researchers from various fields, fostering an interplay between marine science and technology. This dynamic interplay serves as a catalyst for the development of innovative technologies to cater to the evolving needs of ocean science. Lastly, the school focuses on skill development and entrepreneurship, equipping participants with specialized knowledge and practical skills related to marine robotics. This empowers them to explore innovative ideas, develop prototypes, and potentially establish their own entrepreneurial ventures within the marine robotics sector.
Short Pitches
As a means to promote the active participation of students and researchers and their interaction with lecturers and other attendees, the MRS will include, at the end of each day, a 1 hour session devoted to the presentation of short selected pitches of 10 minutes (6 minutes presentation + 4 minutes of Q&As)* organized in three categories, briefly described in a candid manner as follows:
P1. On-going research presentation: I am already working in the field and would like to present and discuss preliminary results of my work
.
P2. From problem formulation to problem solution: I have started working the field recently, formulated a problem on a specific topic, but would welcome advice on what methods and tools to use to solve it
.
P3. From functional specifications to problem formulation: I am interested in a specific problem related to the marine environment (e.g. litter collection, ocean literacy, preservation of cultural heritage, inspection of offshore infrastructures, etc) but so far have only been able to summarize the major functional specifications for the tool/systems required to accomplish the tasks that I envision. Where do I go from here? I need advice on how to formulate in a clear manner the corresponding engineering problem
.
* During the registration process, interested students/researchers must indicate that they wish to do one or more short pitches and specify the corresponding categories (P1, P2, P3) . At a later stage, they will be asked to submit a up-to two page summary of their pitch(es), relying mostly on pictures, diagrams, and photos. After a quick evaluation process by a pannel of international reviewers, the selected participants will be invited to present their findings during the MRS. A juri of scholars attending in person will give the best Futuristic Vision Award
to the presenter of the best P3 pitch.
To Industry Participants
Additionally, the Marine Robotics School emphasizes technology transfer and industry collaboration, creating a platform for showcasing cutting-edge robotic technologies developed at NIO. Industry representatives will have the opportunity to engage with participants, providing insights into market needs and fostering potential collaborations for research and development initiatives.
To the speakers
The Marine Robotics School at NIO offers a platform to the speakers to create connections to young and dynamic students. This connection facilitates knowledge exchange, cultural exchange, networking opportunities, collaboration potential, and exposure to emerging talent. These features of the school create a rich and stimulating environment for both speakers and students, fostering mutual growth and advancement in the field of marine robotics.
School Organization
The Marine Robotics School will be hybrid in order to allow for the participation of a large audience from different parts of the world. However, we strongly encourage participants to attend in person in order to benefit from direct exposure to researchers and students, exchange viewpoints during and outside the classes in a leisurely manner, and participate in the demonstration of marine robotic systems. The complete program and the list of lecturers will be published later.
As a follow up, steps have been initiated to publish a book with the tentative title An Introduction to Marine Robotics: from Mission Scenarios to Systems Design and Operations at Sea
. Borrowing from the presentations at the School, the core idea is to organize a book with a number of Chapters dedicated to different subsystems (e.g. modeling and identification, NGC, data-driven control. vision and acoustics- based navigation near complex infrastructures, AI based approaches for sensor fusion and decision making, motion planning, hardware/software for real-time systems, system implementation, etc). Underlying the technical scent of things
there will be a series of challenging and timely missions scenarios analyzed by marine scientists, commercial operators, and other actors involved in Ocean Literacy. The distinguishing feature is to view each Chapter as a simple entry point for a number of specific topics, with concepts and techniques illustrated mostly through the use of diagrams, figures, pictures, etc., pointing to references for further mode detailed technical information. We do not believe such a book is available and we look forward to working with all speakers to make it become reality.
Planned MRS-based publication (pending approval by Springer)
- Marine robots for scientific, commercial, and societal applications: challenges and new trends
- Robotic vehicles: main types and key building blocks
- Motion and environmental sensors
- Actuators and robotic manipulators for intervention vehicles
- Modeling, simulation, and system identification
- Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) of autonomous marine vehicles
- Obstacle Detection and Avoidance
- Boundary mapping and source localization
- Robotic and computer vision in harsh environments
- Vision and Sonar-based Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM)
- Non-conventional navigation systems using geophysical features
- Multimodal communication networks for multiple system operations
- Cooperative motion planning, navigation, and control of multiple networked marine robots
- Sustained autonomy at sea
- Machine learning and artificial intelligence in a marine robotics context
- Systems implementation using the Robot Operating System (ROS) and Hardware-in-the-loop Simulations (HIL)
- Bio-inspired Marine Vehicles: locomotion and navigation
- Aerial and marine drone cooperation
- Marine robotics and the Blue Economy
