A virtual conference of two venues: Vienna and Fukuchiyama

BICA Workshop: Organizers and Sponsors

2021 International Workshop on Biologically Inspired Cognitive Architectures (BICA Workshop 2021) at the 21st ACM International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents is a part of the 2021 Annual International Conference on Biologically Inspired Cognitive Architectures, also known as the 12th Annual Meeting of the BICA Society. BICA Workshop is organized by BICA Society: a US nonprofit corporation that brings together researchers from disjointed fields and communities who devote their efforts to solving the BICA challenge.

Sponsors

  • BICA Society
  • ACM IVA 2021
  • AGI Lab
  • NRNU MEPhI

Core Organizing Committee

  • Alexei Samsonovich (NRNU MEPhI, Russia) — General Chair
  • Taisuke Akimoto (Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan) — Co-Chair
  • Valentin Klimov (NRNU MEPhI, Russia) — PC Chair
  • David Kelley (AGI Lab @ Microsoft, USA) — PC Co-Chair
  • Junichi Takeno (Mejij University, Japan) — Advisory
  • Rosario Sorbello (University of Palermo, Italy) — Secretary

Main point of contact: Alexei.Samsonovich@gmail.com

Alexei V. Samsonovich is a Professor at the Cybernetics Department and the head of the BICA Lab at ICIS of the National Research Nuclear University MEPhI in Moscow, Russia. He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Arizona (1997), where he co-developed a continuous-attractor theory of hippocampal spatial maps (with Prof. B.L. McNaughton) and a mental state framework for cognitive modeling (with Prof. L. Nadel). Since 2000 Dr. Samsonovich worked at the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study of George Mason University, where his highest title was Assistant Professor. Since 2005 his research focused on biologically inspired cognitive architectures (BICA). As a team leader, he developed and implemented a number of biologically inspired cognitive architectures, including GMU BICA (listed in the comparative table of implemented cognitive architectures at http://bicasociety.org/cogarch) and eBICA, which integrates semantic maps and moral schemas into one framework. Dr. Samsonovich chaired annual symposia and conferences on BICA since 2008, co-founded and directed the BICA Society since 2010, edited several books and journals, including Elsevier's BICA and CSR. His publications deserved journal cover awards in Learning & Memory, Journal of Neuroscience, Hippocampus, Cortex, and Complexity. He is a recipient of the James S. Albus Medal Award of 2019. Alexei V. Samsonovich is a citizen of the United States of America. E-mail: Alexei.Samsonovich@gmail.com

Taisuke Akimoto is an Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Fukuoka, Japan. He received his Ph.D. from Iwate Prefectural University, Japan, in 2014. His research interests include generative narrative cognition, artificial cognitive system/architecture, and artificial intelligence. He is a member of the Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence, Japanese Cognitive Science Society, and AAAI. E-mail: akimoto@ai.kyutech.ac.jp

David J. Kelley is the Senior Software Architect over the Boston Consulting Groups Product Group called “Omnia” and the lead scientist for the AGI Laboratory. Dr. Kelley has been writing code for 35 years coming with a background in Software Engineering and Architecture including high profile projects for Microsoft, Nike, Amazon, Boeing and more as well as having won Microsoft’s MVP award for 8 years straight. Dr. Kelley has been the CTO of several mid-size corporations managing research and development globally as well as software engineering. Prior to becoming CTO David had published more than 16 courses and written for several books on related engineering topics. During last 20 years his focus is on pushing the bounds of technology as a researcher and futurist from full immersive experience focused engineering to creative approaches to emotion-based machine intelligence. David’s focus in Artificial Intelligence has been in Cognitive Architectures and creating systems that actively make decisions or proactive agent architecture culminating in developing the ICOM Cognitive Architecture along with related models and systems for use in designing and building Artificial General Intelligence built primarily on the Microsoft engineering stack. E-mail: david@artificialgeneralintelligenceinc.com

Valentin V. Klimov is an Assistant Professor at NRNU MEPhI, Deputy Director at the Institute of Cyber Intelligence Systems of NRNU MEPhI, Head of the Online Education Center. He received his PhD in Applied Mathematics from NRNU MEPhI in 2008. In 2008 he graduated from the EAI MEPhI with a degree in Economics and Enterprise Management. From 2011 to 2013, he studied at the Skolkovo Open University. Dr. Valentin V. Klimov is co-chairing BICA conferences and schools and co-editing BICA Proceedings since 2016. E-mail: VVKlimov@mephi.ru

Junichi Takeno is a Doctor of Engineering, a Professor at Meiji University, School of Science and Technology (1-1-1, Higashi-mita, Tama-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture 214-8571), President of Heuristics Science Research Institute (15-4, Komukai-cho, Saiwai-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa prefecture 212-0003). He is a world-recognized expert in Autonomous mobile robots, humanoid robots, robot vision, robot facial expressions, artificial intelligence, artificial consciousness, robot emotions and feelings, robots remote-controlled by stereovision, association and kansei database, robot consciousness, robot mind, robot conscience. His other professional activities include: General Chair of ICAM94, co-organizer of IEEE Robotics & Automation 97, IAS4, Trusty of the RSJ, 1998–2000; BICA, 2010-2020; President of the IFToMM sub-commission for Asia, 2000–2007, Fellow of the RSJ, 2014. Professor Takeno is a recipient of a number of awards, including Centennial Awards of Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers (JSME), 1997, Best Paper awards at SCI 2003–2004, CCCT04, IEA/AIE 2005. His work was covered by the Discovery Channel (Sep. and Dec. 2005), Reuters (2007), Associated Press (2008), and RIA (Russian National TV, 2017). URL: www.rs.cs.meiji.ac.jp/en/papers/archive.html

Rosario Sorbello, born on March 6, 1974, is a Professor of Robotics at the University of Palermo, Italy and Co-Director of RoboticsLab. He received Laurea degree and Ph.D. in Computer Science and Robotics in 1998 and 2001. During 2000 He was a visiting PhD student at Georgia Tech Mobile Robot Lab of Prof. Ronald Arkin. From 2008 he started a collaboration with Prof. Hiroshi Ishiguro, Osaka University, in the field of innovative humanoid robot. In 2011 and 2012 he co-organized in Palermo the International Congress of the Italian Association of Artificial Intelligence (AI*IA 2011) and the International Congress Biologically Inspired Cognitive Architecture (BICA 2012) where for the first time in Italy was held the play "Sayonara" between a female humanoid robot and an actress. Prof. Sorbello’s main research interests are in the field of long-term social interaction between man and humanoid robot, in emotional cognitive architectures for the new generation of Japanese humanoid robots (Geminoid and Telenoid) using BCI and VR so that they are able to exhibit emotional and empathic behaviors in interaction with humans, in the application of robotic androids in health care (Autism, Visually Impaired, ALS, Elderly People with Dementia). E-mail: rosario.sorbello@unipa.it

Program Committee Members

Kenji Araki (Hokkaido University, Japan), Joscha Bach (AI Foundation, USA), Paul Baxter (Plymouth University, USA), Paul Benjamin (Pace University, New York, USA), Jordi Bieger (Reykjavik University, Iceland), Perrin Bignoli (Yahoo Labs, USA), Douglas Blank (Bryn Mawr College, USA), Peter Boltuc (University of Illinois at Springfield, USA), Jonathan Bona (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, USA), Michael Brady (Boston University, USA), Erik Cambria (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore), Suhas Chelian (Fujitsu Laboratories of America, Inc., USA), Antonio Chella (Dipartimento di Ingegneria Informatica, Università di Palermo, Italy), Thomas Collins (ISI, University of Southern California, USA), Christopher Dancy (Penn State University, USA), Haris Dindo (University of Palermo, Italy), Thomas Eskridge (Florida Institute of Technology, USA), Usef Faghihi (Universite de Quebce in Trois-rivier, Canada), Stan Franklin (University of Memphis, USA), Marcello Frixione (University of Genova, Italy), Salvatore Gaglio (University of Palermo, Italy), Olivier Georgeon (Claude Bernard Lyon 1 University, France), John Gero (University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA), Jaime Gomez (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain), Ricardo R. Gudwin (University of Campinas (Unicamp), Brazil), Eva Hudlicka (Psychometrix Associates, USA), Dusan Husek (Institute of Computer Science, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic), Christian Huyck (Middlesex University, UK), Ignazio Infantino (Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy), Eduardo Izquierdo (Indiana University, USA), Li Jinhai (Kunming University of Science and Technology, China), Kamilla Jóhannsdóttir (Reykjavik University, Iceland), Magnus Johnsson (Lund University, Sweden), Darsana Josyula (Bowie State University, USA), Omid Kavehei (The University of Sydney, Australia), Troy Kelley (U.S. Army Research Laboratory, USA), William Kennedy (George Mason University, USA), Deepak Khosla (HRL Laboratories LLC, USA), Swathi Kiran (Boston University, USA), Muneo Kitajima (Nagaoka University of Technology, Japan), Unmesh Kurup (LG Electronics, USA), Giuseppe La Tona (University of Palermo, Italy), Luis Lamb (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil), Leonardo Lana de Carvalho (Federal University of Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valleys, Brazil), Othalia Larue (University of Quebec, Canada), Christian Lebiere (Carnegie Mellon University, USA), Jürgen Leitner (Australian Centre of Excellence for Robotic Vision, Australia), Simon Levy (Washington and Lee University, USA), Antonio Lieto (University of Turin, Italy), James Marshall (Sarah Lawrence College, USA), Steve Morphet (Enabling Tech Foundation, USA), Amitabha Mukerjee (Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, India), Daniele Nardi (Sapienza University of Rome, Italy), Sergei Nirenburg (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, USA), David Noelle (University of California Merced, USA), Andrea Omicini (Alma Mater Studiorum–Università di Bologna, Italy), Marek Otahal (Czech Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics, Czech Republic), Aleksandr I. Panov (Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, Russia), David Peebles (University of Huddersfield, UK), Giovanni Pilato (ICAR-CNR, Italy), Roberto Pirrone (University of Palermo, Italy), Michal Ptaszynski (Kitami Institute of Technology, Japan), Uma Ramamurthy (Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA), Vladimir Redko (Scientific Research Institute for System Analysis RAS, Russia), James Reggia (University of Maryland, USA), Frank Ritter (The Pennsylvania State University, USA), Brandon Rohrer (Sandia National Laboratories, USA), Christopher Rouff (Near Infinity Corporation, USA), Rafal Rzepka (Hokkaido University, Japan), Ilias Sakellariou (Department of Applied Informatics, University of Macedonia, Greece), Fredrik Sandin (Lulea University of Technology, Sweden), Ricardo Sanz (Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Spain), Michael Schader (Yellow House Associates, USA), Howard Schneider (Sheppard Clinic North, Canada), Michael Schoelles (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA), Valeria Seidita (Dipartimento di Ingegneria - Università degli Studi di Palermo), Ignacio Serrano (Instituto de Automtica Industrial - CSIC, Spain), Javier Snaider (FedEx Institute of Technology, The University of Memphis, USA), Donald Sofge (Naval Research Laboratory, USA), Meehae Song (Simon Fraser University, Canada), John Sowa (Kyndi, Inc., USA), Terry Stewart (University of Waterloo, Canada), Sherin Sugathan (Enview Research & Development Labs, India), Knud Thomsen (Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland), Jan Treur (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands), Rodrigo Ventura (Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal), Pei Wang (Temple University, USA), Mark Waser (Digital Wisdom Institute, USA), Roseli S. Wedemann (Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), Özge Nilay Yalçın (University of British Columbia).

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