(RE)DESIGNING THE TREE OF ROBOTIC LIFE
A Game of Alternative Timelines
ICRA 2024 Workshop
PACIFICO Yokohama, Annex Hall, Room F203
Monday 13th May
Session 1 (9:00am - 12:30pm):
"Can the history of biological evolution inform future engineering design?"
Session 2 (1:30pm - 5:00pm):
"Augmenting engineering design with elements of unconstrained, artistic freedom"
The tree of life forms a concise snapshot of the history and linkages between all life forms on Earth. Another way to look at this diagram is to imagine what the world would have been like if history had played out differently. If the evolutionary game was run again, how would the same fundamental building blocks have combined, given different selective pressures and exogenous shocks?
This workshop, placed at the intersection of evolutionary biology, engineering, and design, places the above question in the context of robotics. With the help of active participation from the attendees, the aim is to challenge existing notions of what robots are, how they are built and controlled, and how they interact with their environments. In teams, the participants will explore scenarios in which the shifting tides of evolutionary history have resulted in a new (robotic) tree of life; the goal will be to come up with radically new robot concepts suited to this reality.
To stimulate divergent, creative thinking, practical sessions are interspersed with provocative talks from a range of multidisciplinary speakers whose work is an exemplar of the exploration of radically new concepts inspired by the workings of evolutionary biology.Â
The speakers
Josh Bongard
Position: Professor, University of Vermont, USA.
Research Interests: Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Evolutionary Computation
Auke Ijspeert
Position: Full Professor, EPFL, Switzerland.
Research Interests: Locomotion, Robotics, Computational neuroscience, Machine learning, Nonlinear dynamical systems  Â
Lynne Craig
Position: Programme Director (Design Informatics) & Senior Lecturer, The University of Edinburgh, UK
Research Interests: Augmented reality (AR), virtual and immersive environments, Digital Anthropology, play-based prototyping, soft robotics and luxury.
Kenjiro Tadakuma
Position: Professor, Osaka University, Japan.
Research Interests: Robotic Mechanisms, Mechanical Design, Homeomorphic Mechanisms
Jeff Lipton
Position: Assistant Professor, Northeastern University, USA.
Research Interests: 3D printing, Materials Robotics
Kai Junge
Position: Co-Founder, Helix Robotics. PhD Candidate, EPFL, Switzerland.
Research Interests: Robotic Manipulation, Robot Design, Compliant Interaction, Tactile Sensing and Control, Applications of Robotics
Jonathan Rossiter
Position: Professor, University of Bristol, U.K.
Research Interests: Soft Robotics, Medical Robotics, Smart Materials and Mechanisms, Biomimetics, Â
Josephine Galipon
Position: Associate Professor, Yamagata University, Japan.
Research Interests: Molecular Biology, Biomimetics, Bioinformatics
Jamie Paik
Position: Professor, EPFL, Switzerland.
Research Interests: Modular robotics, Origami robots, Soft robotics
Ankur Mehta
Position: Assistant Professor, UCLA, USA.
Research Interests: Robotics, Wireless sensor networks, MEMS
Yigit Menguc
Position: Courtesy Faculty, Oregon State University, USA.
Research Interests: Soft Robotics, Additive Manufacturing, Bioinspired Materials & Mechanisms
A game of alternative timelines
Robots for strange, new worlds
If history had unfolded differently, how would we design robots today, to be able to meet the challenges of that new world? Can we help solve the challenges of our present world by seeking inspiration from these alternative scenarios? What are these (yet) unexplored branches of the tree of robotic life?
As part of the workshop, you will be involved in a practical activity revolving around the "In a World..." card game, that we have designed. In teams, you will randomly be allocated a few scenarios; "Forks" in the timeline of historical events that led to major shifts in how organisms on Earth, as well as our civilization, have evolved.
Based on the "Effect" card that you draw, you will then brainstorm how robots for a specific use case or industry would be designed in that alternate timeline. At the end of each round, you will use generative AI tools of your choice to create an artistic representation of how these robots may have looked.
To aid you in your exploration of the unknown, each team will be led by one of our expert speakers, all from a diverse range of backgrounds. At the end of the session, your team will present the outcome of your work to the other participants, and take questions from the audience. We will conclude by voting for the winners, who will receive cash (voucher) prizes, funded by our sponsors!
The organisers
Prof. Adam A. Stokes
The University of Edinburgh
Maks Gepner
The University of Edinburgh
Nana Obayashi
EPFL
Paul Baisamy
The University of Edinburgh
Zurong Zhang
The University of Edinburgh
Kyle L. Walker
The University of Edinburgh / The National Robotarium
Jonah Mack
The University of Edinburgh
Leo Micklem
The University of Southampton
Bingchao Wang
The University of Edinburgh
The first 30 respondents will receive (on the day) a gift in the form of a limited-edition deck of the "In a World..." card game!Â
Event sponsors
Want to see your logo here, as well as on the "In a World..." game cards? Reach out to our sponsorship officer Kyle.Walker@hw.ac.uk to explore branding opportunities for your organisation!
Join us at ICRA 2024!
