Developmental robotics (aka epigenetic robotics) is an emerging research field that seeks to use 
insights from developmental psychology and neurobiology to develop the perceptual, cognitive, motor,
and social capabilities of autonomous robots.  The discipline looks in two directions—both to 
create advances in artificial intelligence and to devise embodied model systems in which hypotheses
about human development can be explored.  This 1-day symposium features leading international 
experts in developmental robotics and child development and will focus on both experimental and 
synthetic approaches in the development of language, social behaviour, cognition and motor skills.

The symposium is open to researchers and graduate students working in related fields such as 
robotics and psychology.  Please contact Gill Ryder (g.ryder@sheffield.ac.uk) to register for the 
meeting.  There is no charge for attendance (which includes lunch) but places are limited.  
Further details of the event will be posted on the SCentRo web-site (http://www.scentro.ac.uk/)

Sponsored by:
The Sheffield Centre for Robotics (SCentRo) The FP7 Experimental Functional Android Assistant (EFAA) Project
(http://efaa.upf.edu/)
The University of Sheffield, Cognitive Development Group
(http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/psychology/research/groups/developmental/)
The Convergence Science Network for Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems (CSN)
(http://www.csnetwork.eu/)

Chair: Tony Prescott (Director, Sheffield Centre for Robotics) 
http://www.abrg.group.shef.ac.uk/people/tony/

Keynotes:
Yiannis Demiris, Imperial College London 
http://www.iis.ee.ic.ac.uk/yiannis/webcontent/HomePage.html
Robots for modelling and assisting development

Danielle Matthews, Sheffield Cognitive Development Group 
http://www.shef.ac.uk/psychology/staff/academic/danielle-matthews
Origins of the Human Pointing Gesture: The onset of triadic communication

Peter Dominey, INSERM, Lyon, France
http://www.isc.cnrs.fr/dom/dommenu-en.htm
Development of robot communication:  from pointing to grammatical constructions

Jesse Snedeker, Laboratory for Developmental Studies, Harvard 
http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~lds/index.html?snedeker.html
How to ground abstraction:  lessons from word learning and children’s lexical processing

Paul Vogt, Tilburg University, Netherlands http://www.paul-vogt.nl/ 
Towards modelling language acquisition using empirical data of language socialisation in 
different culture

Short talks:
Paul Verschure, University of Pompeu Fabre, Barcelona
http://specs.upf.edu/people/331
Developing a sense of self through social cognition: Insights from robotics

Elizabeth Milne, Sheffield Autism Research Lab 
http://www.shef.ac.uk/psychology/staff/academic/elizabeth-milne
Perceptual abnormalities in autism: Insights from EEG

Stuart Wilson, Active Touch Laboratory @ Sheffield (ATL@S) 
http://www.abrg.group.shef.ac.uk/people/stuart/
From somatotopic maps to body schema (draft title)

Dan Carroll, Sheffield Cognitive Development Group 
http://www.shef.ac.uk/psychology/staff/academic/dan-carroll
When getting it all wrong is a great improvement: The emergence of cognitive flexibility in 
preschool children

Kevin Gurney, Adaptive Behaviour Research Group (ABRG) 
http://www.abrg.group.shef.ac.uk/people/kevin/
Developing new skills in humans and robots

Directions:  The Psychology Department is on the corner of Western Bank and Northumberland Road, 
for directions and maps see http://www.shef.ac.uk/psychology/contact_us.  The symposium will be 
held in the Psychology Lecture Theatre (ground floor of main building).

Provisional Programme:
09.00 Introduction and Welcome (Tony Prescott) 
09.20 Yiannis Demiris 
10.10 Elizabeth Milne 
10.30 Coffee 
11.00 Danielle Matthews 
11.50 Stuart Wilson 
12.10 Peter Dominey 
13.00 Lunch 
14.00 Jesse Snedeker 
14.50 Dan Carroll 
15.10 Kevin Gurney 
15.30 Coffee 
16.00 Paul Vogt 
16.50 Paul Verschure 
17.10 Discussion 
17.40 End