The International Workshop on the Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics (WAFR) is a single-track workshop devoted to recent advances on algorithmic problems in robotics. The workshop proceedings will be published in a hardcover volume in the Springer STAR series, and selected papers will be invited for publication in a special issue of the International Journal of Robotics Research.

Robot algorithms are a fundamental component of robotic systems. These algorithms process inputs from sensors that provide noisy and partial data, build geometric and physical models of the world, plan high-and low-level actions at different time horizons, and execute these actions on actuators with limited precision. The design and analysis of robot algorithms raise a unique combination of questions from many fields, including control theory, computational geometry and topology, geometrical and physical modeling, reasoning under uncertainty, probabilistic algorithms, game theory, and theoretical computer science.

• June 13, 2012
  Welcome to WAFR 2012! The conference booklet is available here. In addition, workshop attendees can access preliminary versions of the accepted papers here (login and password provided to the registered attendees).
• May 15, 2012
  The technical program is now available, at this link. Also note that on June 12, i.e., one day before WAFR, the NSF Workshop on Formal Composition of Motion Primitives will be held on the MIT campus.
• May 1, 2012
  The registration site is now open, at the following link. The deadline for early registration is May 27.
• April 5, 2012
  Accomodation information added, on the venue page. The deadline for hotel reservations at the discounted rate is May 13. The deadline for on-campus housing is June 1st.
• February 25, 2012
  The website is now closed to new submissions. Revisions to uploaded files will be allowed through February 26.
• February 11, 2012
  Manuscript submission deadline extended to February 24th, 2012.
• January 29, 2012
  Author information page, submission site now open
• September 20, 2011
  The WAFR 2012 website is now live.
• Aug 18, 2011
  Preliminary Call for Papers has been added

The focus of WAFR is on the design and analysis of robot algorithms from both theoretical and practical angles. The topics of interest are very broad. We encourage papers on fundamental algorithmic issues, such as complexity, completeness, machine learning, probabilistic reasoning, and new programming paradigms, to name a few. We also encourage papers on applications of robot algorithms to important or new domains, such as manufacturing, legged locomotion, distributed robotics, human-robot interaction, surgical robots, intelligent prosthetics, and brain-controlled robots. Furthermore, robot algorithms are being applied in domains beyond the traditional scope of robotics, e.g., computational biology, computer animation, sensor networks, etc. Papers on these topics are also welcomed.

WAFR 2012 will place strong emphasis on interactions and discussions among participants. Each presentation will be followed by ample time for discussions. There will also be time dedicated for discussions at the end of sessions. To facilitate discussions, all papers will be made available on-line prior to the workshop. The goal will be to encourage interesting and constructive discussions throughout the workshop.

The accepted papers will be published in a Springer book after the meeting.

• Paper submission deadline: extended to February 24, 2012
• Notification of acceptance: April 22, 2012
• Workshop at MIT: June 13-15, 2012
• Final Manuscript: July 1, 2012