Programme

How can Cognitive Interaction Technology (CIT) stimulate the current developments in artificial intelligence (AI)? How can the concepts of CIT help dealing with the new challenges that AI poses on our lives? The CITEC Conference "Cognitive Interaction Technology meets AI" from 24–25 October 2019 at Bielefeld University, takes a closer look at the new developments and their potential for our future life with technology. You can download the programme here. You find the schedule also below.

Conference Day 1: Thursday, October 24, 2019


9.00	Welcome address Prof. Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Sagerer, Rector of Bielefeld University
9.10	Salutation Prof. Dr. Helge Ritter, CITEC Coordinator
9.15	"Cognitive Interaction Technology Meets AI" Talk \| Prof. Dr. Helge Ritter, CITEC Coordinator, and Prof. Dr. Britta Wrede, Deputy CITEC Coordinator
10.00	Break
10.30	"Embodied intelligence and interaction in autonomous hexapedal locomotion" Talk \| Prof. Dr. Volker Dürr (Biological Cybernetics group, CITEC) and Prof. Dr. Axel Schneider (formerly Bielefeld University and CITEC, now Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences) on the CITEC large scale project "Embodied Interaction as a Core of Cognitive Interaction: A holistic approach towards autonomous walking system"
11.00	"Multimodal Interaction: From real-world social practices to intercepting and manipulating with novel technologies" Talk \| Prof. Dr. Karola Pitsch (formerly Bielefeld University and CITEC, now University of Duisburg-Essen)
11.20	"An interdisciplinary approach to human and robot cognition" Talk \| Prof. Dr. Yukie Nagai (formerly Osaka University, now University of Tokyo), and Prof. Dr. Friederike Eyssel (Applied Social Psychology and Gender Research group, CITEC) on the strategic partnership of CITEC and Osaka University
11.50	"Managing Science: At the Heart of Bielefeld Cognitive Interaction Technology" Talk \| CITEC's General Manager Anita Adamczyk on management of the Cluster of Excellence CITEC
12.15	"Smart Physical Training in Virtual Reality" Talk \| Prof. Dr. Mario Botsch (Computer Graphics and Geometry Processing group, CITEC), Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Kopp (Social Cognitive Systems group, CITEC) und Prof. Dr. Thomas Schack (Neurocognition and Action - Biomechanics group, CITEC) on the CITEC large scale project "Intelligent Coaching Space" (ICSpace)
12.45	Lunch Break
14.00	"Studies on interactive robots" Keynote address \| Prof. Dr. Hiroshi Ishiguro (Osaka University)
15.00	"From Personalization to Learning Algorithms" Talk \| Prof. Dr. Heiko Wersing (HRI Europe), and Prof. Dr. Barbara Hammer (Machine Learning, CITEC) on the strategic partnership of CITEC and the Honda Research Institute (HRI) Europe
15.30	"A comprehensive approach towards assistive technology" Talk \| Prof. Dr. Ingmar Steinhart (Bodelschwingh Foundation Bethel) and Prof. Dr.-Ing. Stefan Kopp (Social Cognitive Systems group, CITEC) on the strategic partnership of CITEC and the Bodelschwingh Foundation Bethel
16.00	Break
16.30	"The other intelligence: How will technology change our concept of the human being?" Panel discussion \| Prof. Dr. Hiroshi Ishiguro (Osaka University), Prof. Dr. Giulio Sandini (Italian Institute of Technology), Prof. Dr. Johanna Kissler (Affective Neuropsychology group, CITEC), Prof. Dr. Helge Ritter (Neuroinformatics group, CITEC). Moderation: Dr. Dorothea Schostok
18.00	Break
19.00	Conference Dinner “Hechelei”, Ravensberger Park 6, Bielefeld (registered participants only)

Conference Day 2: Friday, October 25, 2019


9.00	Salutation Prof. Dr. Britta Wrede, Deputy CITEC Coordinator
9.05	"From humanoid robots to anthropomorphic minds" Keynote address \| Prof. Dr. Giulio Sandini (Italian Institute of Technology)
10.00	Junior researchers and their impact on CITEC research Session A, chaired by Prof. Dr. Ulrich Rückert (Cognitronics & Sensor Systems group), CITEC lecture hall: Jasmin Bernotat (Applied Social Psychology and Gender Research group, CITEC): “Networks of Ideas – Paths and Opportunities in Human-Technology Research” Teena Hassan (Social Cognitive Systems group, CITEC): “Towards an Interaction Architecture for Lively Robots” Maximilian Panzner (Semantic Computing group, CITEC): “From Human Robot Interaction to Enterprise Dialogue Systems”s" Session B, chaired by Dr.-Ing. Anna-Lisa Vollmer (Applied Informatics group, CITEC), room 1.204 at the CITEC building: Dr. Jens Lindemann (Neurobiology group, CITEC): “Bug or Feature? Using Insect Motion Vision for Spatial Orientation” Timo Korthals (Cognitronics & Sensor Systems group, CITEC): “A Deep Generative Model Approach to Sensor-Fusion” Andrea Finke (Neuroinformatics group, CITEC): “Brain-Computer Interfaces for Human-Machine Interaction: A Novel Communication Channel and Research Tool”
11.00	Break
11.30	"Gripping smartly: How robots can grasp the world" Talk \| Prof. Dr. Helge Ritter (Neuroinformatics group, CITEC), and Prof. Dr. Thomas Schack (Neurocognition and Action - Biomechanics group, CITEC) on the CITEC large scale project "Deep Familiarization and Learning Grounded in Cooperative manual Action and Language - from Analysis to Implementation" (FAMULA)
12.00	"The Caring Apartment" Talk \| PD Dr. Sven Wachsmuth (CITEC Central Lab Facilities), Prof. Dr. Petra Wagner (Phonetics and Phonology group, CITEC), Dr. Thomas Hermann (Ambient Intelligence group, CITEC) on the CITEC large scale project "The Cognitive Service Robotics Apartment as Ambient Host" (CSRA)
12.30	Lunch Break
13.30	"Assessment of attentional processes in humans: New vistas by innovative display technology" Talk \| Prof. Dr. Werner Schneider (Neurocognitive Psychology group), and Prof. Dr. Mario Botsch (Computer Graphics and Geometry Processing group)
14.00	"From sensorimotor processing to meaning acquisition and back: a psychological, neuroscientific and computer science perspective" Talk \| Prof. Dr. Philipp Cimiano (Semantic Computing group, CITEC), and Prof. Dr. Tobias Heed (Biopsychology and Cognitive Neuroscience group, CITEC) on interdisciplinary approaches between computer science and psychology
14.30	"What psycholinguistics can contribute to cognitive interaction technology" Talk \| Prof. Dr. Pia Knoeferle (formerly Bielefeld University and CITEC, now Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
14.50	Break
15.15	"Integrated research" Talk \| PD Dr.-Ing. Sven Wachsmuth (CITEC Central Lab Facilities)
15.40	Closing words Prof. Dr. Helge Ritter, CITEC-Koordinator
15.45	CITEC labs open for visiting
16.30	Closing Ceremony

Keynote Speaker: Prof. Dr. Hiroshi Ishiguro (Osaka University)

Keynote on Thursday, 24 October, 2.00 p.m.

Hiroshi Ishiguro received a D.Eng. in systems engineering from the Osaka University, Japan in 1991. He is currently professor of Department of Systems Innovation in the Graduate School of Engineering Science at Osaka University (2009-) and Distinguished Professor of Osaka University (2017-). He is also visiting Director (2014-) (group leader: 2002-2013) of Hiroshi Ishiguro Laboratories at the Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute and an ATR fellow. He was previously Research Associate (1992-1994) in the Graduate School of Engineering Science at Osaka University and Associate Professor (1998-2000) in the Department of Social Informatics at Kyoto University. He was also Visiting Scholar (1998-1999) at the University of California, San Diego, USA. He was Associate Professor (2000-2001) and Professor (2001-2002) in the Department of Computer and Communication Sciences at Wakayama University. He then moved to Department of Adaptive Machine Systems in the Graduate School of Engineering at Osaka University as a Professor (2002-2009).

His research interests include distributed sensor systems, interactive robotics, and android science. Especially, his android studies are well-known very much in the world. He has published more than 300 papers in major journals and conferences, such as Robotics Research and IEEE PAMI. On the other hand, he has developed many humanoids and androids, called Robovie, Repliee, Geminoid, Telenoid, and Elfoid. These robots have been reported many times by major media, such as Discovery channel, NHK, and BBC. He has also received the best humanoid award four times in RoboCup.

He received the Osaka Cultural Award in 2011. In 2015, he received the Prize for Science and Technology (Research Category) by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). He was also awarded the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Award in Dubai in 2015.

Keynote Speaker: Prof. Dr. Giulio Sandini (Italian Institute of Technology)

Keynote on Friday, 25 October, 9.05 a.m.

Photo: IIT Giulio Sandini is Director of Research at the Italian Institute of Technology and full professor of bioengineering at the University of Genoa. After his graduation in Electronic Engineering (Bioengineering) at the University of Genova in 1976 he was research fellow and assistant professor at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa until 1984. During this period, working at the Laboratorio di Neurofisiologia of the CNR, he investigated aspects of visual processing at the level of single neurons as well as aspects of visual perception in human adults and children. He has been Visiting Research Associate at the Department of Neurology of the Harvard Medical School in Boston where he developed diagnostic techniques based on brain electrical activity mapping. After his return to Genova in 1984 as associate professor, in 1990 he founded the LIRA-Lab (Laboratory for Integrated Advanced Robotics, www.liralab.it). In 1996 he was Visiting Scientist at the Artificial Intelligence Lab of MIT.

Since 1980 Giulio Sandini coordinated several international projects in the area of computer vision, cognitive sciences and robotics. Among them the project RobotCub, funded by the "Cognitive Systems" unit of the European Union from 2004 to 2010, where he coordinated the activities of 11 European partners contributing to the realization of the iCub humanoid platform) as a tool to investigate human sensory, motor and cognitive development (FP6 IST-P004370 https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/71867/factsheet/en.

In 2004, as “expert in anthropomorphic robotics” Giulio Sandini was commissioned to support the Scientific Director in the preparation of the IIT initial scientific program specifically for the aspects related to the “Robotics” platform with its interdisciplinary contents and the relationship with the other two initial platforms of IIT: Neuroscience and Nanotechnology.

Since July 2006 Giulio Sandini is on absence of leave from University of Genoa as he has been appointed Director of Research at the Italian Institute of Technology where he has established the department of Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences. RBCS department concentrates on a multidisciplinary approach to human centered technologies encompassing machine learning and artificial cognition, exploring the brain mechanisms at the basis of motor behavior, learning, multimodal interaction, and sensorimotor integration.

Giulio Sandini research activities are in the fields of Biological and Artificial Vision, Computational and Cognitive Neuroscience and Robotics with the objective of understanding the neural mechanisms of human sensory-motor coordination and cognitive development from a biological and an artificial perspective. A distinctive aspect of his research has been the multidisciplinarity of the approach expressed through national and international collaborations with neuroscientists and developmental psychologists.

Giulio Sandini is author of more than 300 publications and 30 international patents. He has been coordinating international collaborative projects since 1984 and has been the chair of international conferences and workshops. He has served in the evaluation committees of national and international research funding agencies and research centers as well as international journals.

Scientific & Organising Chairs