Within the framework of the CNRS proj. named "EpistHOMME+", we are pleased to host:

Enhancing Human Experience via Emerging Technologies -March 27-28, 2012, 10h-18h
http://www.laval-virtual.org/?p=87&l=en

Ingenieurium & Laval Theatre, France

Young and old alike believe that the human experience could gain something if better informed about
up-coming technologies. Learning about them at an early stage helps in making key decisions about 
one's personal future. Although the approach is somewhat individual and devoted to those concerned,
collectively oriented health and entertainment will gain from observing individual practices in the
matter. Government policy incorporating emergent technology progress through monitoring will renew 
itself in a relevant way. However, in the name of progress people are increasingly willing to 
accept risk; the possible downfall of this movement is its ability to promote taking risks. But 
then again, could we or would we want to stop it? If we are to enhance the human experience, the 
pros and cons of each situation must be considered. Modifying or augmenting humans surely raises a 
certain number of issues. What are they? What aspect of life should one proceed to enhance? Which 
sectors or issues should become priority elements? Which academic disciplines are involved and why
? What limits technological change? Does one have an acceptance threshold? If so, how would one 
express it? What are the long term implications of enhancement? Establishing a typology of possible
applications and their contexts would be desirable for this symposium on enhancing members of our 
society.

The following non-exhaustive list may be used to provoke thought on this topic: Keywords & Topics:

Definitions of enhancement ▪ Robot companions for citizens ▪ Jungling multiple identities ▪ Advanced
interfaces for increasing social presence ▪ Augmented health ▪ Epistemology of tech. innovation ▪ 
Care-giving robots ▪ Psychological analysis of acceptance ▪ Augmented Well-being ▪ Ubiquitous 
internet or computing ▪ Social roles in emerging tech. contexts ▪ Holistic, pragmatic and systemic 
approaches to resolving well-being difficulties ▪ Augmented Context-Awareness ▪ Communication 
enabling and enhancing tech. ▪ Incommunicability ▪ Human factors psychology and needs assessment ▪ 
Mind/body problem ▪ New worlds and belief revision ▪ Moral and ethical dimensions of enhancement ▪ 
Hybrid engineering ▪ Progress and technological obsolescence ▪ Co-constructed experiences ▪ 
Interventionism or Science policy issues ▪ The notions of Self or Identity in human experience ▪ 
Public information points and communication devices ▪ Technological Singularity success or failure 
▪ Roles of otherhood in one's experiences ▪ Cognitive enhancement ▪ Theoretical controversies 
▪ Emergent intentional states ▪ The intersection of the Arts, design and technology 
▪ Transhumanistic stances ▪ Augmented emotion ▪ etc.

Chair: Colin T. SCHMIDT, Le Mans University & Arts et Metiers ParisTech Lab, Laval France
Assistant to the Chair: Jayesh S. PILLAI : jayesh.spillai@gmail.com

Keynote Speakers:
AUBREY DE GREY. (Confirmed.) Biomedical Gerontologist SENS Foundation (UK)
JAMES MOOR. (Confirmed.) Professor of Ethics and Philosophy, Dartmouth College (USA)
KEVIN WARWICK. (Confirmed.) Professor of Cybernetics, Reading University (UK)

Laval Virtual Gala Dinner, March 28, 20h (Exhibition Hall – Salle Polyvalente)

Program Committee
Jean-Claude ANDRE. Scientific Advisor to the CNRS (Risk Assessment and Nanotechnologies) & 
Institute of Engineering and Systems Sciences for forecasting, Socially Responsible Research (FR)
Jean-Michel BESNIER. CNRS Research Director in Philosophy, Centre for Applied Epistemology (CREA) 
Ecole Polytechnique & University of Paris 4 (FR)Paul BOURGINE. CNRS Research Director in Complex 
Systems, Centre for Applied Epistemology (CREA) Ecole Polytechnique Paris (FR)
Nicole D’ALMEIDA. Professor of Communication, CELSA University of Paris 4 (FR)
Jérôme GOFFETTE, Philosophy of Science, University Lyon 1—Claude Bernard & ENS, currently authoring
"Human Enhancement - An Interdisciplinary Inquiry" (Palgrave) (FR)Aubrey DE GREY. Biomedical 
Gerontologist and Chief Science Officer, SENS Foundation & Editor-in-Chief of Rejuvenation Research,
advisor to Humanity+, Maximum Life, Alcor and the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence
(USA, UK)Edouard KLEINPETER. iscc-CNRS Scientific Officer, Specialist of Utopias, Human Enhancement
and Communication, Paris (FR)Lorenzo MAGNANI. Professor and Director, Computational Philosophy Lab,
Pavia University & Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou (P.R.China, IT)James MOOR. Professor of Ethics,
Dartmouth College NH USA, Barwise Prize 2006, Former Editor-in-chief of Minds and Machines, (USA)
Vincent MULLER. Professor of Philosophy, American College of Thessaloniki & Future of Humanity 
Institute (FHI), University of Oxford (GR, UK)Jacques PERRIAULT. Emeritus Professor of Social 
Informatics, University Paris 10 (Nanterre-La Défense), Senior advisor to the issc-CNRS, Honorary 
President of the French Society for Information and Communication Sciences -SFSIC- (FR)
Serge PROULX. Professor of Social Informatics, UQAM Montréal & Télécom ParisTech (CA, FR)
Marc ROUX. President of the French Society for Transhumanism (‘L'Association Française 
Transhumaniste : Technoprog)Natasha VITA-MORE. University of Plymouth & Chair Humanity+ (UK)
Shunji YAMANAKA. Industrial Designer, President of Leading Edge Design corp., Professor at the 
Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University, Japan (JP)


DEADLINE to submit a paper: January 23rd, 2012 <<<<
Submission website: www.laval-virtual.org
- Submission deadline: 23 January 2012
- Notification to Authors: 7 February 2012
- Final Camera-Ready Submission: Until 29 February 2012
- The authors of the best publications will be invited to submit a paper in the international journal IJODIR

Ingenieurium
4 rue de l’Ermitage
53000 Laval France
06 26 26 66 48
&
Le Théâtre de Laval, 
34, rue de la Paix
53013 LAVAL FRANCE
Tél. : 02 43 49 19 55


A WORKSHOP SPONSORED BY ARTS ET METIERS PARISTECH and
ORGANISED UNDER THE AEGIS OF VIRTUAL REALITY INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2012
SUPPORTED BY THE FRENCH NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH CENTRE's COMMUNICATION SCIENCES INSTITUTE, FRANCE
HTTP://WWW.ISCC.CNRS.FR