Workshop: Group Travel Grant for Attending IARP Workshops and Meetings, held in Beijing, China in October 2009.

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The International Advanced Robotics Project (IARP) is an international organization, consisting of 14 countries and the European Union, devoted to monitoring and promoting robotics related technology and utilization. The United States helped to formulate this organization and has been an active member participating in technology evaluations, workshops, and joint study missions. Participation involves US technical experts traveling to various functions, and interacting with their colleagues to discuss ongoing research and developing technology relating to intelligent machines. This grant provides the mechanism to insure that the selection process and procedure for selecting participants is fair, efficient, organizationally viable. OBJECTIVES AND METHODS TO BE EMPLOYED Since the IARP meetings are generally technology specific, the selection of US participants must not only reflect the person?s expertise but also his or her ability to communicate and interact with other participants. The selection process will be performed by an ad hoc committee drawn from the IEEE, Robotics and Automation Society. The traveler will receive reimbursement for expenses but an honorarium will only be provided in exceptional circumstances. This rule also applies to attendance at the IARP, Joint Coordinating Forum (JCF) which is the management, planning, and policy planning body. The representatives of member and observer countries attend this meeting in one of the host countries. A detailed description of the host country?s robotics program is an essential part of the agenda. INTELLECTUAL MERIT OF THE PROPOSAL ACTIVITY The research area referred to as robotics, more generally ?intelligent machines,? comprises fundamental questions about machine vision, sensors, computer science, haptics, kinematics, manipulation, communications and control, and other scientific and engineering disciplines. These research areas, rich in intellectual merit, investigating robotic applications in medicine and surgery, underwater exploration, environmental characterization, human interaction, safety and security and others. Recognizing the societal benefits to be gained by supporting the development of intelligent machines, the governments of the seven industrialized countries initiated the international advanced robotics program (IARP). Although each of these countries has national priorities and interests in the application of these machines, the basic science and technology has many common elements. Forming a mechanism for information exchange, interaction, and cooperation would benefit each country and the people of the world. The successful implementation of the concept has led to additional countries, interested in robotics, joining the organization and sharing the details of their national programs. Since only countries with robotics programs can join the IARP, it differs from technical organizations such as IEEE and others primarily interested in technology. BROADER IMPACT RESULTING FROM PROPOSED ACTIVITY The broader impact of the application of these intelligent machines is one of the primary focus points for the countries of IARP. Although each country has its own priorities, IARP studies provide planners with information about the direction that the research is taking and the societal impact of robotics. IARP studies and workshop reports are published in the public domain for the use of any interested party, private, public, or industrial. The government entities supporting the technical and scientific studies of IARP understand that sharing this information ultimately benefits society everywhere.