One main focus of the work in the second reporting period has been the implementation of the SPARC strategy, especially the preparation and complete overview of the Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) as part of the DEI strategy. A Brokerage Day related to the robotics DIH calls 2018 has been organized in December 2017, and participants had the opportunity to present project ideas to attract partners with specific competencies. Those networks of partners were further exploited during ad-hoc workshops targeted on each DIH Priority Areas, paving the way for future project consortia. The positive impact of DIHs on European regions were highlighted thanks to strong links established with the European Committee of the Regions (CoR), where two successful events – “Smart robotics for Smart Regions” and “European Robotics Week 2017 Central Event” – took place.
It has been recognised that AI and Cognition tools cut across to a greater extent than originally identified in the SRA 2013. In addition, work has been done to investigate alignment with the broader AI community and to engage in the assessment of AI and Cognition within the broader DEI framework. To this purpose a workshop has been held to strengthen the links between the robotics and AI stakeholders, paving the way for the AI Brokerage Day organized by the EC in December 2017. Additional workshops covering cross-cutting areas, such as ELSE, end-users and technology overview were organized to exploit all connections and reinforce existing networks, especially with European industries.
Work regarding innovation support and review of funded proposals and technology transfer was carried out. The service robotics market has been monitored in relation to manufacturers, market evolution, innovations and technology trends. Results have been made available to the community as an extended summary. Potential market barriers were identified and project partners have been involved in standardization activities.
A second meeting of the Outreach Advisory Board was dedicated to identifying relevant topics such as Education, ELSE and Competitions. All OAB findings and suggestions were channeled into a structured dissemination and outreach campaign targeting various stakeholders, including policy makers, end users, and the wider public with the aim to maximize the impact of all activities. Furthermore, major events such as the European Robotics Week (ERW), European Robotics Forum (ERF), and European Robotics League (ERL) acted as focal points of communication both internally to the robotics community and externally to potential stakeholders and the international community.
Competitions are known to have a significant impact on the development of systems. In the project, the European Robotics league (ERL) was formed and officially launched during the RoboCup in Leipzig, 2016. The ERL aims to provide a platform for challenging, developing and showcasing robotics technologies, and engage not only with the robotics community, but also with industry and society and helps developing further the skills of the engineers of tomorrow. One of the most innovative aspects of the ERL is the time and geographical distribution of tournaments over a year, leading to scores and standings which are the cumulative result of participation events. Requirements for a portable ERL Emergency Robots, and draft specification, have been developed. Two seasons of the competitions successfully took place, and all winners were awarded at a public ceremony at ERF2017 and ERF2018. One of the competitions main event, ERL Emergency Robots 2017 was not only a complex and challenging robotics competition, but also an international robotics event for both technical and general public, generating outreach to increase awareness of the role and potential of robotics in our society.
