Chairperson: Eris Chinellato Co-Chairs:  Emilia Barakova and Angel P. del Pobil

Progress in biologically-inspired robotics suggests that the synergy between robotics research and the current understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the behavior of living organisms is a very promising track to be followed. Interaction between the two fields is useful for both robotics, which can take inspiration from biological examples to engineering problems, and neuroscience, that can benefit from artificial emulation of biological mechanisms which can prove the validity of research hypothesis.

The two previous editions of this pre-organized Session, organized within IWINAC2005 and IWINAC2007, brought successfully together researchers in neurobiology, computational neuroscience and intelligent robotics. After four years from the first meeting, research involving neuroscience and robotics grows together with the novel developments of both disciplines: neuroscience is the branch of science when the discoveries of the century take place, and autonomous robots are becoming omnipresent, cheaper, and more skillful, often thanks to interdisciplinary approaches.
The positive outcome of that experience encouraged us in further exploration on the intersection of these disciplines in the hope to find new paradigms and techniques.

For this year IWINAC2009 Session on Robotics and Neuroscience, we plan to discuss again insightful interdisciplinary works regarding the many different ways neuroscience and robotics can interact. Multidisciplinary papers are expected, and especially welcome are the following topics:

• cognitive science findings especially relevant for artificial systems;
• computational and theoretical modeling of neural mechanisms suitable for robotic implementation;
• robotic applications inspired by neural or cognitive mechanisms;
• human-machine interaction and hybrid systems;
• robotic implementation of movement and emotion theories;
• innovative interdisciplinary research techniques.