Locandina Roboethics
Events
Since its foundation, the School of Robotics takes part into many scientific popular events, in collaboration with the Italian National Research Council, the Genoa based Science Festival, the “Marino Golinelli” Foundation, the Rovereto Civic Museum, etc.
We also organize by our own some popular events to communicate robotics concepts and to discuss important issues about robotics&society. These events range from traditional scientific seminars with experts to some more artistic and novel forms of scientific communication: theatre, artistic exhibitions, readings, movies.
Some of these clues about original forms of scientific communication came from our collaborators and netowrok members. For instance, the “Tell me about Robots” Week is the results of the demand by kids and teachers connected though the Rob&ide Blog. Now, the “Tell me about Robots” Week has become an annual events sponsored by us.
If you have an ingenious idea about robotics; if you would like to start a robotics events in our hometown, tell us nows. We are glad to work together around your idea!
As some cases in point.
In 2003 roboticist Gianmarco Veruggio proposed to held an international Conference on Roboethics. We supported this idea, which was definitely in line with our mission.
In 2004 that Conference took place in Sanremo, Italy, at the Villa Nobel. The First International Conference on Roboethics brought together roboticists and experts of Humanities, and was followed by the most important national and international press agencies.
People from the Twentieth Century Fox became acquainted with that Conference and, on the occasion of the premiere of the movie “I, Robot”, called us to organize the educational side.
More than 700 students came to the premiere, and assisted the debate on ethical issues in robotics by an illustrious panel of speaker, called by the School of Robotics.
November 2005 roboticists Gianmarco Veruggio served as General Chair of IARP’s IWUR 2005 (International Workshop on Underwater Robotics), which was co-organized the Chamber of Commerce in Genoa, by the University of Genoa (DIST), by the “Polo della Robotica” Association and by the School of Robotics. A hundred of famous experts of the field debated the state of the art of the application of advanced robothics technology to the management and sustainable fruition of underwater eco-systems and to the environmental monitoring.
On this occasion, the School of Robotics invited to the IWUR 2005 Conference the Commander of the Royal Navy Ian Riches.
Only few months before, on August 2005, Commander Ian Riches and his team of submarine rescue services with its Scorpio 45 robot had freed the crew of the Russian submersible AS-28 “Priz” trapped in the water of the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The Scorpio 45, the size of a Mini car, was launched from the deck of a Russian cable-laying ship, with its cutting equipment slicing through the nets and cables to free the Priz and enable it to re-surface. Royal Navy Cmdr. Ian Riches said that by the time the Russian submariners returned to the surface, “They were running out of oxygen with only enough for another six hours”.
It was a very moving case of a robot employed to save human lives, and also a wornderful example of human-robot cooperation.Commander Riches spoke at IWUR 2005 and, with his Russian Colleague, the Vessel Captain Viaceslav Schesnovich, was awarded by the City of Genoa's Merit Medal.
Because the Opening of IWUR 2005 (8 November, 2005) coincided with the Final Day of the Genoa based Science Festival, we organized a seminar on "The Underwater robots - Robots in the abyss", where some well-known underwater roboticists intervened: Ganmarco Veruggio, Dana Yoerger, Antonio Pascoal, Tamaki Ura. It was held in the Higher Council Hall of the Ducal Palace, with the participation of more than 500 students coming from schools all over Italy.
In February 2006 we hold the final conference related to the European project the Atelier on Roboethics, funded by the European Commission through EURON (European Research Robotics Network). The Atelier turned out to be the starting point of an international debate, still going on, on a Roadmap of Roboethics.
As a result of the School of Robotics's professionalism and of its accuracy in the communication of robotics , we were appointed as ICRA 2007's Press Chair (Rome, Italy, 2007). ICRA is the more important and well-attended international conference on robotics research.
In 2008, the School of Robotics, in cooperation with important scientifici institutions, organized the Seminar "Robotics, A New Science", at and in cooperation with the illustrious Lincei Academy.
Photo gallery
IWUR 2005
Gianmarco Veruggio, Ian Riches e Viaceslav Schesnovich
Locandina "Robotica Una Nuova Scienza"