Partial Travel Support for US Researchers to Attend 2003 IEEE/ASME Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics Conference (AIM03)

认识到在产品和工艺的设计和制造中需要将机械工程与电子以及智能计算机通信和控制协同结合的需要，电气和电子工程师协会(IEEE)和美国机械工程师协会(ASME)于1997年联合批准了新的国际先进智能机电一体化会议(AIM)。自1997年在东京首次举办以来，IEEE/ASME AIM大会每两年举行一次，主办国轮流由日本(AIM‘97)、美国(AIM’99)、欧洲(AIM‘01)以及未来的其他亚太国家轮流举办。这次会议由IEEE工业电子学会(IES)、IEEE机器人与自动化学会(RAS)和ASME动力系统与控制部(DSCD)共同主办。会议主题的重大现实意义使过去三届AIM会议取得成功，会议从东京AIM‘97的主要亚洲与会者扩大到亚特兰大AIM’99的美国科学家和工程师的良好代表，以及意大利Como的AIM‘01的欧洲参与者。今年的会议将于2003年7月20日至24日在日本神户举行。会议将提供一个独特的场所，让来自全球的研究人员、工程师和工业参展商聚集在一起，讨论如何有效地推动机电一体化作为一项新兴的工程技术和21世纪的一门新学科。为了实现将机械工程(ME)、电气工程和计算机科学(EECS)领域的全球研究人员聚集在一起的会议目标，美国国家科学基金会要求提供部分资金，以帮助美国研究人员在AIM‘03上投稿和提交论文。预计这样的部分支持不仅将鼓励美国研究人员积极参与会议以促进全球合作，而且由于会议的以下独特特点，还将推动美国机电一体化教育和研究：(I)主办国日本在机电一体化方面一直表现出色，(Ii)根据接受的论文，会议将吸引全球26个国家参加，(Iii)将首次开发一种创新的互动会议形式，展示各种真实的机电一体化系统，以及(Iv)日本组织者为与会者安排了独特的工业访问，展示该学科的实际应用。

Recognizing the needs for a synergistic integration of mechanical engineering with electronicsand intelligent computer communication and control in the design and manufacture of productsand processes, a new International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (AIM) wasjointly approved by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the AmericanSociety of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) in 1997. Since its first inception in 1997 in Tokyo, theIEEE/ASME AIM Conference has been held biennial, rotating the host country among Japan(AIM'97), the United States (AIM'99), Europe (AIM'01), and, in the future, other Asian Pacific-Rimnations as well. The conference has been co-sponsored by the IEEE Industrial ElectronicsSociety (IES), the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS), and the ASME DynamicSystems and Control Division (DSCD).The great practical significance of the conference theme has made past three AIM conferences asuccess and the conference has been expanded significantly from predominantly Asiansparticipants in AIM'97 in Tokyo to a good representation of US scientists and engineers inAIM'99 in Atlanta, and the European participants in AIM'01 in Como, Italy. This year, theconference will be held in Kobe, Japan, in July 20-24, 2003. The conference will provide aunique venue where researchers, engineers and industrial exhibitors from the globe who areinterested in advancing the state-of-the-art of mechatronics gather and discuss effective ways toadvance mechatronics as an emerging engineering technology and a new discipline in the 21stcentury. In order to achieve the conference goal of bring together researchers from the globe inthe fields of mechanical engineering (ME) and electrical engineering and computer science(EECS), partial funding is requested from the National Science Foundation to assist USresearchers to contribute and present papers in the AIM'03. It is expected that such a partialsupport will not only encourage the active participation of US researchers in the conference topromote global collaborations, but also advance the US mechatronics education and research in along run due to the following unique features of the conference: (i) the host country, Japan, hasbeen excelling in Mechatronics, (ii) the conference will draw worldwide participation from 26countries based on the accepted papers, (iii) an innovative format of interactive sessions will bedeveloped the first time in demonstrating various real mechatronics systems, and (iv)uniqueindustrial visits have been arranged by the Japanese organizers for conference participants inshowing the practical applications of the discipline.