FRIAS Junior Researcher Conference - FRoBio

FRoBio: Freiburg Robotics and Biology Conference - Bringing together nature and technology

Despite several cross-disciplinary research fields, including bioinspiration, biomimetics, biohybrid, and neurorobotics, direct connections between biologists and robotic engineers are still rare. The interaction and collaboration of biologists and engineers from different disciplines is necessary for the development of the two communities. Therefore, with this conference we aim to foster interactions between natural scientists and engineers from different fields and career stages, so that they can exchange their expertise, learn about new technologies and potentially establish new collaborations on research questions that are nearly impossible to tackle from a single field of study. Such collaborations will also shape a new generation of interdisciplinary researchers with expertise in different disciplines, such as biology, chemistry, medicine, materials science, nanotechnology, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, optics, and robotics.

The main goal of this conference is to provide a general picture of biological research to engineers and vice versa. We aim to address the following questions and topics at the conference:

1. What are the new trends and technological advances in robotics that are useful for biologists? Biologists will get insights from automation, robotics, artificial intelligence and control.

2. What are the current issues in biological research? Engineers will learn about the challenges in biological experiments, how biological subjects are investigated and what are the current tools biologists apply to do so.

3. The conference will also provide information on current trends and future directions for more connections of multiple disciplines through keynote presentations by experienced experts and poster presentations of young researchers.

We invite researchers of different disciplines, such as biology, chemistry, medicine, materials science, nanotechnology, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, optics, and robotics to share so far untackled research questions or current challenges, novel methods and approaches that are applicable for multiple fields or interdisciplinary research.

Confirmed speakers 

• Bilge Baytekin 
• Michaela Eder
• Claudius Gros
• Josie Hughes
• Matěj Karásek
• Mirko Kovac
• David Labonte
• Jennifer Li
• Michael Lutter
• Barbara Mazzolai
• Mariana Medina Sánchez
• Drew Robson
• Florian Röhrbein
• Anna Stöckl
• Andrew Straw
• Thomas Speck
• Abhinav Valada

Call for Registration

Important Dates: 

Abstract submission deadline: October 13th, 2023
Acceptance notification: October 20th, 2023
Final poster submission deadline: October 30th, 2023

Registration for Online Participation opens on September 20th, 2023.
Registration for Online Participation ends on November 10th, 2023.

Abstract submission:
Because of limited capacity, all in-person participants are required to submit an
abstract and upon acceptance, will have the opportunity to give a flash talk and a
poster presentation. Participants, whose abstracts have been accepted, will be
informed at the end of September to plan their travel to Freiburg accordingly.

Abstracts are limited to 500 words.

Click here for submission! https://forms.gle/UbwVz7nF7ye6A7H97

Poster Submission and Poster Session:
We ask all In-Person Participants to submit the poster by the end of October.
Submission link: will be provided in the acceptance notification!
Poster areas are equipped with wireless internet access, so you can demonstrate
software and websites if you bring a laptop or mobile device equipped with a
wireless modem.

Registration:
Registration is free for both in-person and online participants. Lunch, conference
dinner, and coffee breaks are provided for free. Accommodation and travel costs are
not covered. Accepted poster contributors will automatically be registered as
in-person participants.
Virtual participation will have access to the oral sessions via Zoom. The access link
to the online sessions will be provided shortly before the conference to registered
participants.

Travel:
How to get to Freiburg?
By train
Long-distance train connections to Freiburg are available at https://next.bahn.de/
By bus
Long-distance bus connections to Freiburg are available at
https://www.flixbus.de/fernbus/freiburg-ibr
By car
Motorway A5 brings you to Freiburg, either from the direction of Basel or Karlsruhe.
By plane
Frankfurt Airport is an airport where a lot of international flights arrive. Upon arrival in
Frankfurt Airport, Freiburg can be reached by booking a long-distance train
connection (takes approx. 2,5 h).

Airport Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg (EuroAirport) is located in the South of Freiburg.
An Airport Shuttle Bus can be booked here: https://www.freiburger-reisedienst.de/index.php

Conference Contact

Kyra Vogt

Organisation

• Timo Oess (University of Freiburg)
• Katharina Lischka (University of Freiburg)
• Aida Maric (University of Freiburg)
• Thang Vo-Doan (The University of Queensland)