HRI2022-EU-meet-up

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Website of the HRI2022 EU meet-up, a satellite event of the HRI2022 conference

HRI2022 EU meet-up

As the ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction 2022, or HRI2022 for short, was forced to move from an in-person conference to a virtual only conference, we decided to offer an opportunity for the HRI community to physically meet in Barcelona on Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 March 2022.

The meet-up is an academic event offering an in-person experience of the HRI2022 conference. As the HRI conference is forced to be virtual for a third year in a row, we feel that a real-life event is long overdue. Participants will largely travel in from across Europe, but anyone who meets the travel requirements of Spain is welcome.

Details on the venue are being finalised, but there will be an opportunity to follow the conference on a large screen in a comfortable room, with ample opportunity for scientific brainstorms and discussions, and for catching up with former colleagues and fellow researchers - all while respecting COVID-related restrictions.

Placa Reial in Barcelona

Programme (subject to minor changes)

Wednesday 9 March 2022

9:00 - 9:30 Doors open, registration and welcome

9:30-10:30 Opening, followed by coffee + setting up posters

10:30-11:30 (LIVE) Keynote Friederike Eyssel - What’s Social about Social Robots? A Psychological Perspective

11:30-12:30 Video session 1

12:30-12:45 Presentation of Barcelona’s UPC IRI lab by Guillem Alenya

12:45-14:00 Lunch (self-catering)

14:00-15:30 Video session 2

15:30-15:45 Eurecat research activities in Robotics and HRI by Daniel Serrano

15:45-16:30 Coffee break + poster session

16:30-17:30 Keynote Leila Takayama - Putting Human-Robot Interaction Research into Design Practice

17:30-18:00 Walk to PAL Robotics

18:00-20:00 Lab tour at PAL Robotics + finger food

Thursday 10 March 2022

9:00 - 9:30 Doors open

9:30 - 10:30 Keynote Hiroshi Nittono - The Psychology of “Kawaii” and Its Implications for Human-Robot Interaction

10:30-11:00 Coffee break + poster session

11:00-12:30 Video session 3

12:30-14:00 Lunch (self-catering)

14:00-15:30 Video session 4

15:30-16:00 Coffee break + poster session

16:00-17:00 Video session 5

17:00-17:30 Walk to the beach via Rambla de Poblenou

17:30-19:00 Social time at the beach

19:00 Close + self-organised dinner in Barcelona

Fees

Attendance to the meet-up is free for the participants. However, you must have registered to the main conference (either via a publication fee if you have a paper, or via a regular registration) before being able to register for the EU meet-up.

Registration

You can register for the event. Note that capacity is limited, so early registration is encouraged.

Sponsoring and volunteering

The HRI EU meet-up is kindly sponsored by PAL Robotics and Eurecat. If you wish to contribute to this event in one form or another: helping towards the cost of the organisation through running research projects through to giving a helping hand with practical matters, then please get in touch with the organisers.

PAL Robotics

Organisers

Venue

The meet-up will take place at Ca l’Alier, a beautifully redesigned building in the Poblenou neighbourhood.

Link on Google Maps.

Travel

Barcelona is easily reached by air, rail or road. If you do fly into Barcelona, there are several options to get from and to the airport of Barcelona to the city center including bus, metro, train and taxi. Use the Aena website to find out more about public transport..

Accommodation

Barcelona offers a wide range of accommodation, from cheap and cheerful hostels to upmarket hotels. The meet-up venue is located in the Poblenou neighbourhood. We compiled a list of relatively affordable and nearby hotels, but can also recommend the usual websites to find suitable hotels.

Chat with others

When you register you will receive an invitation to join the Slack channel. If you wish to get into touch with others who are interested in joining or with people who will participate, feel free to use this Slack channel. Note that you cannot use this channel unless you have been invited.

Covid-19 restrictions

Please find here all the information regarding current Covid-19 measures applying to passengers travelling to Barcelona’s airport.

Please find here the current Covid-19 restrictions in the city of Barcelona as of today. The restrictions might change by the time you arrive in Barcelona, however, the updates should be directly reflected in the said link.

Restaurants

We do not foresee lunch or dinner, however there are many restaurants close to the venue catering for all kinds of budgets and dietary requirements. For a limited list see this map.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this HRI meet-up relate to the HRI2022 conference?

The HRI2022 conference itself will take place fully virtually. The Barcelona event is a physical meeting during the virtual conference, but organised independently, where a set of colleagues come together to jointly take part in the virtual conference, have discussions, network, and enjoy the city.

How do you deal with the time difference?

HRI2022 will be largely based on pre-recorded talks, so we do not have to get up at the crack of dawn to watch live streams. If there are live events, we will see if we can join them from Barcelona. The HRI2022 is trying hard to accommodate all different time zones in their programme.

What registrations will be needed to take part in the Barcelona meet-up?

You will need to register for the HRI EU meet-up and if you have a contribution at HRI2022 you will need a registration for that conference as well. The organisation is entirely separate (although we are in touch with the HRI2022 general chairs about our initiative), and the fees will be entirely separate as well. The HRI EU meet-up fee covers the venue and catering, while the HRI2022 conference fee covers all expenses related to the virtual conference and publication of papers.

What if I need a formal presentation / invitation letter to get reimbursed by my university / employer?

Each attendee will be given the opportunity to present a poster at the HRI EU meet-up, with poster boards available throughout the event. This could be a poster of an accepted HRI2022 paper, or other results which you would like to discuss with the other attendees. Just email Tony Belpaeme (tony.belpaeme@ugent.be) and/or Séverin Lemaignan (severin.lemaignan@pal-robotics.com) for an invitation letter. Note that invitation letters will only be provided if you have a link to HRI research, this can be evidenced through publications, a brief case for support, or a CV.

What about the Workshop days?

Workshops will be organised on Monday 7 and Friday 11 March 2022, these dates fall outside the dates of the HRI EU meet-up. We will only have access to the booked meet-up venue on the 9th and 10th of March. However, Barcelona is full of nice cafés and co-working spaces if you want to join the workshops during your stay in Barcelona.

Will there be COVID-restrictions?

It is likely that some COVID-restrictions will still be in place. We will respect all measures and limitations that will be in force at the time.

Is this event sponsored by the IEEE or the ACM?

No, the event is not sponsored by either of the two professional organisations. The main conference is, but the meet-up as an independent event is not.