Calendar

Although the word "robot" was first heard early last century and has fuelled our imagination ever since, the first industrial robot, Unimate, did not appear on General Motor's assembly line until 1961. Robotics is a discipline that is now well-rooted in the manufacturing industry and has substantially changed the way our production tools are organized.
50 years after Unimate the Chair in Technological Innovation - Liliane Bettencourt has turned its attention to robotics; the brief is to report on 50 years of research originally dominated by PLCs (programmed logic controllers), supported by the fast progression (in terms of power and miniaturization) of computing technologies that participated in the emergence of new disciplines in areas such as automation and signal processing. Borrowing from information technology, stimulated by the huge areas of application that extend way beyond the industrial production sector, the discipline has been crowned by some very successful results, making our former dreams come true .
From all these ideas and the opportunities they open, emerge issues concerning the relationship between machines and the real world. These are the issues we shall focus on in the lectures and associated seminars.

Lectures

Robotics: the Foundations of a discipline

Mondays, at 4:00 p.m.

First lecture: January 23

Last lecture: March 12

Seminar

Linked to the topics covered in the lectures

Mondays, at 5:00 p.m.

First seminar: January 23

Last seminar: March 12

Seminar I

January 23 - 50 years of research in robotics
This lecture will define the different areas of science and technology involved in robotics over the past 50 years as the discipline has emerged and raises the issue of their unity. F. Pierrot's seminar will describe the highly successful development of robotics in the manufacturing industry.
Robotics: scientific fields and disseminating the technology
Fast, parallel robots, François Pierrot, Head of Research, CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research)

January 30 - 40 years of research in the field of stand-alone robots
The lecture will give an introduction to the basics of the "perception-decision-action" loop and raise the issue of the applications of symbolic reasoning and how and when they can be used. Mr. Ghallab's seminar will explain the close relationship between robotic and artificial intelligence.
Perceiving, deciding, taking action: organizing the calculations
Deliberate action: planning and learning in robotics, Malik Ghallab, Head of Research, CNRS

February 6 - In search of a theory for anthropomorphic action
This lecture will introduce the mathematical foundations of commanding redundant systems and their applications in humanoid robotics. A. Berthoz's seminar will illustrate the current synergy resulting from research work in robotics and neurosciences.
The fields of action: redundant systems and linear algebra
Simplexity and complexity : do these concepts apply both to the human brain and robots? Alain Berthoz, emeritus Professor at the Collège de France

February 13 - Driving, flying

The lecture will introduce differential geometry used in controlling non-holonomic systems and their applications in mobile robotics. N. Fanceschini's seminar will focus on biomimetic flapping-wing-flight and visual control technologies.
Mobile, non-holonomic robotics: the complexity of parking a car.
Insects and airborne robots , Nicolas Franceschini, Honorary Head of Research, CNRS

February 20 - Movement, calculation and determinism
This lecture will give an introduction to the issue of how decisions should be made in terms of movement planning and show the limitations of the concept of completeness algorithms. J.C. Latombe's seminar will introduce the concept of probabilistic completeness developing the associated algorithms and illustrating their performance.
Planning movement: deterministic approach
Planning movement: probabilistic approach, Jean-Claude Latombe, Professor at the University of Stanford

February 27 - Handling geometry
This lecture will deal with the geometric formulation aspects of planning handling tasks. V. Hayward's seminar will give an introduction to the theoretical aspects of the sense of touch.
Planning handling tasks
The basics of the physical aspects of the sense of touch, Vincent Hayward, Professor at the Pierre and Marie Curie University

March 5 - What we derive from movement
This lecture will focus on two, clearly formulated mathematical challenges related to commanding non-holonomic systems. Based on the theory of commanding articulated mechanical systems O. Khatib's seminar will extend the formalism to the relationship between human beings and robots.
Two mathematical issues raised in moving robotics.
Robots and human beings, Oussama Khatib, Professor at the University of Stanford

March 12 - The body and its structure
Based on the principles of best reversed command the lecture will show how it is possible to identify laws that can be used to work out the trajectories of human locomotion and apply them in humanoid robotics. R. Pfeife's seminar will explore the relationship between body shape and intelligence using morphological calculation models.
Human and humanoid locomotion: basics of calculation
How does your body shape the way you reason? Rolf Pfeifer, Professor at the, University of Zurich

March 19 - Robotics and innovation : two case studies
The lecture will present the founding research used to create Kineo, a company that sells software designed for automatic movement planning in the automotive industry. B. Maisonnier's seminar will focus on research and development strategies in humanoid robotics related to the prospects on the commercial market for the general public.
The value of movement and virtual prototyping
Development strategies in humanoid robotics, Bruno Maisonnier, CEO of Aldebaran Robotics

April 2 - Additional lecture - Anatomy of a humanoid robot: practical lesson

This lecture will benefit from the presence of a humanoid robot HRP2 (1.54 m, 58 kg). A set of demonstrations will be conducted on the robot by several researchers of the LAAS-CNRS of Toulouse.