Credit: Human Brain Project

Last week, the eyes of the scientific community were fixed on the € 1.2 billion Human Brain Project (HBP) as more than 150 European neuroscientists raised concerns over the project’s management in an open letter to the European Commission.

One of the two Europe’s Flagship Initiatives, the HBP spans 112 research institutions across 24 countries and was launched last year with the grand vision of creating a long-needed ICT infrastructure for future brain research. Not without controversy, the project adopted a bottom-up approach to build a computer simulation of the brain based exclusively on the fundamental understanding of neurons and their interactions.

The public outcry is not surprising given that the project has been surrounded by heated discussions from the very beginning when a number of labs refused to be part of the project because of its narrow focus on ICT and an apparent lack of basic neuroscience. Now many researchers fear that the inevitable failure of the project will cause a wave of adverse reaction to neuroscience undermining the future of the field.

The letter was largely driven by the recent changes made in the project plans for the next stage, which limits the role of cognitive scientists who pursue the difficult task of understanding the brain on the level of thought and behaviour. Now the labs working in this direction are to be repositioned from the project’s core to what is known as partnering projects (PPs). The concern is that, while the resulting computer simulations may not be completely useless, without a more pronounced theoretical component they will fail to elucidate brain functions.

A detailed review of the second stage by the EU commission is scheduled for January 2015 and the letter’s authors hope to bring the attention of the reviewers to the flaws in both science and management of the project. The second stage is expected to receive € 100 million over the course of 2 to 3 years, with a 50/50 split between the CP and the PPs.

The official response, released by the HBP two days after the letter, shows signs of disposition and openness to dialogue. The response states that “the members of the HBP are saddened by the open letter” and invite the signatories to engage in direct discussion with the project leaders. Importantly, the response strongly suggests that cognitive neuroscience and other basic research will have an increasingly crucial role in the project as the required ICT platform comes into place.

Lots of researchers still firmly stand by the project arguing it’s a long-needed change in brain research. You may also be interested in reading this article defending the project by Richard Frackowiak, the co-executive director of the HBP.

What is clear is that the HBP has not managed to entirely unite neuroscientists, but when it comes to such grand projects this is not as surprising as it may seem. The management might need to become more consensual and we can only hope that HBP will continue its 10-year journey to unravel the universe inside our heads.

The fifth edition of one of the most influential events for the European robotics community took place last week from March 12-14 in Rovereto, Italy. As always, the 3-day program was jam-packed with dynamic workshops, seminars and talks, making it possible for robotics stakeholders from the whole of Europe to discuss the future of robotics research and industry, find new potential business applications and expand their professional network.

iCub and COMAN side by side at the Forum exhibition

This year’s Forum revolved around the theme “City of Robots” and explored a wide range of human interactions with robotic technology – from healthcare and industrial robotics to AI and robot cognition. The Forum exhibition was held at the MART Museum of modern art, but some robotic demonstrations were also distributed across the city.

Some activities also aimed to promote the wider acceptance of entrepreneurship among robotics researchers. The Entrepreneurship Workshop, for instance, provided several teams with top-notch entrepreneurship coaching and gave them a chance to demonstrate their ability at pitching innovative ideas to a panel of investment judges. The euRobotics Forum Entrepreneurship prize awarded to the most convincing team went to the Robocone project, which envisioned a swarm of robotised cones capable of performing automatic beaconing and signalling tasks on the road without human intervention.

The Forum is organised by euRobotics AISBL, a Brussels based non-profit association, specifically designed as a Public-Private Partnership with the European Union. The collaboration with the European Commission is thus one of the association’s main priorities aimed at developing and implementing a future research and innovation strategy in the field of European robotics.

Next European Robotics Forum will be held in March of 2015 in Vienna, Austria.

This week, from March 10-11, over 2000 people from a variety of sectors involved in research, innovation and science gathered to take part in the 2nd Innovation Convention. The event, held this year in Brussels, is a key initiative of the Innovation Union, which aims to make Europe a more innovation-friendly environment – an idea that lies at the core of the European Union’s 2020 strategy.

This year’s Convention attracted a whole range of inspirational speakers from top CEOs to young innovators and provided a platform to debate and inform innovation policies as well as a great networking opportunity.

A remarkable highlight of this year’s convention was a special selection of “Innovation Showcases” which gave the visitors a chance to explore a number of interactive demonstrations related to some of the most fascinating ideas, products and services such as 3D-printing, nanotechnology and supersonic transport. It is worth noting that the majority of the showcases were made possible – directly or indirectly – by EU-funded research projects. The field of robotics that excites us most was represented this year by the efAA project, which develops new ways of having meaningful social interactions with robots. The showcase featured an iCub robot that engaged visitors in a social musical game.

The closing ceremony was marked by the announcement of the European Capital of Innovation (iCapital) prize, which this year went to Barcelona “for introducing the use of new technologies to bring the city closer to citizens”. The prize was established by the European Commission as a means of encouraging cities to make efforts to promote innovation and improve the quality of their citizens’ lives.

From November 6–8, nearly 5000 of Europe’s top researchers, engineers, industry representatives, politicians, journalists, entrepreneurs, and students gathered in Vilnius, Lithuania to share insight and future visions for the future of ICT in Europe. The global event also provided  an inspiring setting for the discussion of European ICT policy as well as networking opportunities for business, research, and innovation groups.

The event —the largest in Vilnius during Lithuanian’s presidency of the EU Council— folds into a greater European initiative: the EU Horizon 2020 programme. This visionary plan, combines EU funding for both scientific research, and innovation. This year’s event included: an international conference, an exhibition, a networking session, an investor forum and events for students and junior researchers.

The exhibition involved over 180 participants from the ICT community. CSN (the Convergent Science Network) was well received with an exhibit co-organized by the project efAA (Experimental Functional Android Assitant, – EU Robotics Unit of DG Connect- ). The interactive installation titled “The Machine and I“ displayed graphics and drawings that provided futuristic visions of robots and their roles in human society. The project efAA, represented at ICT 2013 by the research group SPECS - UPF – Barcelona and by IIT, the Italian Institute of Technology, gave the iCub a chance to express it’s musical side as it entertained exhibit visitors through musical games as the DJ droid.

Over 40 international presenters covered various topics: from broadband Internet to cybersecurity and nanomaterials to artificial modeling of the human brain. Students and junior researchers had the opportunity to meet many of the conference speakers and other ICT-savvy representatives, later sharing their experience through social media.

The investor forum provided a perfect place for small and medium-sized ICT business owners and entrepreneurs to present their projects to investors, participate in special training programmes, and discuss key issues with business experts and corporate investors.

Events like this get just about everyone thinking: how will future technologies change the lives of those in generations to come?

The European Commission recognizes Robotics as a key industry for the future of Europe

The European Commission has recently agreed to launch a Public Private Partnership in Robotics (PPP) between academia and industry for 2013. 

The initiative aims to  help Europe-based companies take a larger share of the global robotics market which is valued at  an annual 15.5 billion euros!

Vice President of the European Commission’s Digital Agenda, Neelie Kroes, stated that “A strong robotics industry is key to Europe’s future competitiveness. Growing our robotics industry means new jobs and a strong European manufacturing sector. ” In fact, the commission maintains that three million jobs are created or maintained worldwide as a result of using one million industrial robots.

Specific goals of the PPP aim to promote the growth of domestic and professional service robot markets and to reach out to new users and markets. The PPP will also contribute to policy development while addressing ethical, legal and societal issues concerning the use of robots.

As an important step in the process,  A recent survey, carried out in each of the 27 member states, examines public attitudes towards robots including public perceptions, acceptance levels and worries and reservations among EU citizens over 15 years of age.

Results of the survey show that the majority of EU citizens have a positive view of robots with percentages as high as 88% in countries such as Denmark and Sweden. According to the study, Europeans’ positive attitudes on robots are based on the notion that they are helpful  because they can assist humans in tasks that may be too difficult or too dangerous for us to do.  However, the study also pointed out that Europeans believe robots require careful management and the fear that they might steal people’s jobs is still present.  

When it comes to where Europeans think robots should be used, sectors such as: space exploration , manufacturing , military and security and search and rescue tasks were most prevalent. On the flip-side,  people were more hesitant to favour the use of robots for the care of children, the elderly or the disabled however, results also demonstrated that few Europeans have had personal experience with robots and that, the common conception of a robot tends to be that of a machine used in the workplace rather than a human-like machine that helps in the home.

If you’re interested in new kinds of European Robotics projects, check out Robot Companions for Citizens which aims to develop robots to help tackle some of Europe’s critical societal challenges. The innovative Robotics  project is striving for a 1 billion euro grant from the European Commission and the competition has now come down to the wire! Click HERE for more information.

You can also follow the Robot Companions for Citizens Facebook page.

The video above was presented by the Robot Companion for Citizens Flagship Initiative at a conference in Warsaw at the end of November. Robot Companions for Citizens is currently one of 6 research initiatives in the running to receive 1 billion euros funding from the European Commission over the next 10 years.

These initiatives are visionary, multidisciplinary and they must aim to generate waves of technological innovation and economic exploitation, ideally in a variety of areas and sectors, carrying an important societal impact.

The Robot Companions for Citizens initiative is on par with the overarching goal of the Flagship Program by bringing together robotocists, material scientists, psychologists, neuroscientists, social scientists and ethicists to create an entirely new robotic industry to benefit Europe. Watch the video above to find out more about Robot Companions for Citizens.

Held November 24-25 at the Warsaw University of Technology and the University of Warsaw.

The 6 FET Flagships showed off their stuff  at the midterm conference, involving about 250 European scientists and policy makers, who assessed the progress made by each of the flagships, reevaluating their goals and the possible impacts they will have.

In addition to presentations from each flagship consortium, the conference also included a dialogue between key political players who  framed the FET flagships in the context of current EU research policies. The conference also  shed some light on the bigger picture behind the flagship initiatives during a discussion about how these initiatives present an opportunity for Europe  to engage with international stakeholders. The role of civil society and ethics in the FET Flagships was another key issue that was examined.

Click HERE to find out more about the Robot Companions for Citizens flagship, an ambitious initiative which aims to sustain the welfare of Europeans through the assistance of sentient machines.

Paulo Dario presents the Robot Companions for Citizens coordination action at FET11

Robot Companions for Citizens is of one six pilot initiatives that was officially presented at FET11

FET11 (European Future Technologies Conference Exhibition) was the second installment of a new forum dedicated to new research in information and communication technologies (ICT).  The conference, held May 4-6, 2011 in Budapest, Hungary, featured the launching of Robot Companions for Citizens as one of  6 Pilot Actions that will now be funded until May of 2012.

These coordination actions have 12 months to create a design and description of their initiative. In the spring of 2012 the FET Flagship Pilots will have to present a structured community in good position to implement their integrated research agenda, including the involvement and commitment from key stakeholders. In the second half of 2012 at least two of the Pilots are expected to be chosen to be launched as full FET Flagship Initiatives in 2013.

What are FET Flagship initiatives?

Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) Flagship initiatives are part of the European Commission’s effort to fund novel and groundbreaking research. Since European FET research was launched in 1989, it has served as a pathfinder for identifying and shaping radically new information technologies. With present funding of around € 100 million a year, it supports scientists and engineers venturing into uncharted areas beyond the frontiers of traditional ICT by fostering multidisciplinary research collaboration at the highest level, around novel research ideas and themes.

Click HERE to watch BBC’s clip on FET11, the pilot actions and the Flagship initiatives