These interfaces will be analyzed for effec- tive elements or combinations of elements

Also this year, we began systematically fifa 15 coins capturing each team’s human-robot interfaces (HRI) for subsequent analysis. Researchers from the National Insti- tute of Standards and Technology (NIST) performed the data capture which included interviews with the operators, a workload assessment, and continuous video capture of robot performance. These interfaces will be analyzed for effec- tive elements or combinations of elements and overall statistics will be published. This HRI analysis effort will be augmented next year with automatic position tracking of the robots throughout the arenas via a new ultra-wideband track- ing system, also provided by NIST. Objective robot tracking data such as this, along with operator interface and workload analysis, will provide researchers with important measures of performance of their robots (and other robots), and help identify “best in class” algorithms, sensors, and mechanisms. Hopefully, this will further encourage collaboration around the most effective components and methods, and quicken the pace of technical advancement in the field.

As our league evolves, we are keenly aware of the urgent need for practi- cal robotic solutions for disaster response. Toward this end, we have appointed the following Technical Committee members with distinguished, diverse back- grounds in robotics and disaster response to help steer our league: Dr. Andreas Birk (International University in Bremen, Germany), Dr. Ali Meghdari (Sharif University of Technology, Iran), Dr. Ted Sumrall (President, Counter Terror International, USA/Japan).

In recent times, it has become ever clearer that robots are needed to support first responders and rescue professionals at disaster sites. Many nations are sup- porting this endeavor, and Japan is among the leaders. Since their disastrous Hanshin-Awaji earthquake near Kobe (and others), they have aggressively sup- ported research and development of robots for search and rescue applications. In 2002, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Tech-nology (MEXT) started a five year project specifically focused on earthquake disaster mitigation in urban areas aimed at developing advanced robots and information systems for disaster response. The International Rescue System In- stitute, headed by our league chair Dr. Tadokoro, is one such example in that effort, supporting over forty research projects within Japan.