Modern robotics is addressing many new areas of application that require safe and effective physical and cognitive interaction with humans. A key factor for the success of robotics in these areas is the availability of design paradigms and enabling technology that could minimize potential risks for end-users, avoid misuse and enhance overall acceptability of robotic artefacts. This is a multidisciplinary research area that can benefit from the advancements already made not only in the robotics research community but also in other domains, e.g. dependability of software products and telematic networks, human factors engineering, industrial design.
The 6th Workshop on “Technical Challenges for Dependable Robots in Human Environments” continues the successful story of this track of scientific events that gather a restricted group of top experts in Robotics and other disciplines to discuss the latest major advances in this field and to identify roadmaps for future development of dependable robotic technologies. The worshop is scheduled in conjunction with IEEE 2008 International Conference on Robot & Automation- ICRA '08. Please visit www.icra08.org for further information on this related event.