M. Debbah, Supelec, Gif-sur-Yvette, Paris, France Biography.

Flexible Small Cell Networks: breaking the spectral efficiency Barrier
Abstract:

The general framework of Mobile Flexible Networks is to design dense self-organizing, self-healing and self-energy harvesting secure networks where terminals and base stations interact and self-adapt in an intelligent manner without the need of a central controller or with the right amount of protocol overhead to let the terminals and base stations in the network exploit fully the degrees of freedom. The design depends mainly on the mobility pattern as in highly mobile environments, intelligence at the terminal reduces the cost of signalling whereas for fixed (non-mobile) networks, all the intelligence can be put on the network side. In this talk, we discuss the challenges ahead and provide some research directions to develop the theoretical and practical foundations of these networks.

F. Chaumette, INRIA Rennes-Bretagne Atlantique - IRISA, Rennes, France Biography.

Recent Advances in Visual Servoing

Abstract:

Visual servoing techniques consist in using the data provided by a vision sensor in order to control the motions of a dynamic system. Such systems are usually robot arms, mobile robots, aerial robots,... but can also be virtual robots for applications in computer animation, or even a virtual camera for applications in computer vision and augmented reality.

A large variety of positioning tasks, or mobile target tracking, can be implemented using this approach. Whatever the sensor configuration, which can vary from one on-board camera on the robot end-effector to several free-standing cameras, a set of visual features has to be selected at best from the image measurements available. A control scheme has then to be designed so that these visual features reach a desired value, defining a correct realization of the task.

Syed Ismail Shah Biography.

Three G and Beyond: Technology and its usage

Abstract:

The talk will focus on both the technical as well as the economical aspects of deployment of latest cellular wireless technologies. The main purpose of third generation (and beyond) wireless technologies is to provide high speed broadband data support with QoS guarantees to allow users to have access to real-time as well as non-real time multimedia services. Recent studies have shown that the increase in broadband penetration has more effect on the country's GDP as compared to voice. Many countries that have deployed these technologies have reported growth in the otherwise stagnant telecommunication sector and a positive impact on the country's overall development.

However, with all the positive impact of broadband and high speed data, the technologies is moving at such a fast pace that the operators/carriers are as well as users are at a loss as to where the technology is going and how to use the broadband for services other than the internet access. This requires a careful look at the technology evolution and the services that can be offered to the users.

The talk will address some of the issues related to the above mentioned topics, will try to integrate the technology evolution with its usage and the benefits that it can bring to the users.

Abdel-Illah Mouaddib Biography.

Decision-Theoretic Approches for Autonomous Robots

Abstract:

In the last decade a significant progress in robotic has been achieved to consider more realistic robotic systems where robots can evolve in complex and public area to navigate, explore, map and interact with other robots or humans. This talk will be focused on a specific robotic system based on decision-theoretic techniques for mapping an unknown area, localizing and recognizing objects using laser and visual sensor. Different decision models will be presented: for a robot solely achieves this mission, multiple robots map and navigate in an unknown environment and for a robot in an interaction with a human who coul play different roles assistant, compagnon or operator.