The 2nd Workshop on Distributed Algorithms for Low-Functional Robots (WDALFR)

Studies about distributed coordination of low-functional robots have attracted a lot of attention in many research fields recently.

One example is a disaster recovery by a swarm of low-functional robots. For several disasters such as the Great East Japan Earthquake, highly functional and expensive robots were put into restoration activities, but they sometimes failed to work due to a heap of wreckage or potholes in a floor. On the other hand, many low-cost and low-functional robots can potentially treat such a situation in a self-organizing manner. Even if some robots cannot work due to some troubles, the remaining robots can achieve the goal. This will improve sustainability of the robot system.

Another example is nano-scale in-vivo robots. Nano-scale robots that work inside the living body have been developed recently. By inputting many nano-scale robots into the living body, these robots can autonomously move to the affected part such as cancer cells and cooperatively treat it. These robots should be low-functional because of their sizes.

However distributed coordination of low-functional robots is challenging due to their limited computation, communication, sensing, and moving capabilities. In addition, they are exposed to faults due to their low functionality and/or severe environments. Hence, sophisticated coordination algorithms and theories are eager to be developed.

The goal of this workshop is to exchange and disseminate new ideas, techniques, and researches on low-functional robots (and related topics) in broad communities, and to foster new collaborations among researchers in many research fields.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Mobile robots, mobile agents, population protocols, programmable matters, modular robots, nano-scale robots, biological systems, mobile sensor networks, mobile ad-hoc networks, and self-stabilizing systems.

This workshop will be held as a joint workshop with the JST SICORP project, "Realization of Sustainable Autonomous Self-Organizing Systems by Low-Functional Robots in Environmental Disaster Recovery."

• Fukuhito Ooshita (NAIST, Japan)

• Sayaka Kamei (Hiroshima University, Japan)