About Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems
The (TAROS 2017) Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems event will take place from 19th to 21st July 2017 at University of Surrey, UK.

TAROS (Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems) is the UK’s leading conference in robotics and autonomous systems, bringing together researchers with a wide range of interests from the UK, Europe and worldwide. TAROS welcomes paper submissions on a wide range of topics related to the principles and practice of robotics, and offers a friendly environment for robotics researchers and industry to take stock and plan future progress. TAROS 2017 welcomes senior researchers and research students alike, and specifically provides opportunities for research students and young research scientists to present their work to the scientific community.

As in previous years, the TAROS proceedings will be published in the Springer Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence series and all accepted papers will be included in the printed proceedings.

There can be little doubt that Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) are going to change many aspects of our lives. We are now reaching a point where science fiction is coming closer to science fact.

We are near to realising a world where machines not only address laborious, repetitive or dangerous tasks on our behalf, but one where they act cooperatively with each other and us, drawing on knowledge and experience to learn and take decisions.

The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funds the research and training that will bring the necessary skills and innovation together to ensure the UK is at the forefront of RAS developments. We are working with partners such as Innovate UK and other research councils to speed the impacts of research for application in society and the economy.

In 2015 EPSRC we announced the formation of the UK-RAS Network. It provides leadership, a coordinating function for academic activities in the UK, and seeks to expand collaboration with the RAS dedicated facilities and Centres for Doctoral Training EPSRC funds across the country.

The Network has successfully developed the concept of UK Robotics Week which will inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers to push the boundaries further. I hope everyone involved from children to industry to government will enjoy participating in, and see the value of, the activities planned

Acting autonomously or in close collaboration with humans, Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) have a broad range of new and established applications. As the underlying technologies are being further developed and translated from laboratory settings to real-world applications, RAS is playing an increasingly important role for the UK’s economy and its future growth. The UK-RAS Network is established with the mission to provide academic leadership, expand collaboration with industry and integrate and coordinate activities at the EPSRC funded RAS capital facilities, Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) and partner universities across the UK.

We are delighted to launch the second UK Robotics Week. The focus of this weeklong series of events and activities, held annually during the last week of June, is to shine a spotlight on the UK’s technology leadership in robotics and autonomous systems, and to engage the nation’s schools, colleges and universities in developing the digital skills needed to drive the UK’s future economy.

The UK Robotics Week is intended to act as a forum for discussing the technological, commercial, legal, ethical and social aspects of robotics. During the week, there will be a wide range of events from symposia, workshops, hackathons, public lectures and competitions throughout the country. It adds focus to a thriving programme of existing robotics activities that take place throughout the year. By linking to other key events in the robotics calendar, it aims to ensure that robotics remains high on the agenda as one of the transformative technologies of today and tomorrow.

TAROS is a platform for robotics researchers with a wide range of interest from the UK, Europe and worldwide.

Topic of Interests:

Advanced applications of autonomous robots (industrial and research)
Advanced materials and techniques
Advanced medical robotics
Robots for surgery
Assistive robotics
Intelligent prostheses
Applications development, hardware issues, devices and techniques, advanced sensors and actuators
Autonomous assembly robotics
Modular reconfigurable robots
Evolutionary robotics
Autonomous vehicles
Bio-mimetic and bio-inspired robotics
Bio-hybrid robotic systems
Cognitive robotics
Developmental robotics
Ethical and societal issues in robotics
Robots in education, the arts and entertainment
Personal robotics
Field robotics
Flying robots (unmanned- and micro- air vehicles)
Space and planetary robotics
Humanoid robotics
Human-robot interaction and interfaces
Legged robots Learning and adaptation
Long-term interaction and operation
Modelling and analysis of robot models
Navigation, localization, map building and path planning
Analysis of robot-environment interaction
Robot autonomy including energy self-sufficiency
Robot control architectures
Robot vision, sensing and perception
Robot communication and language
Safety, verification and validation for robotic applications
Service robotics
Swarm robotics
Collective robots