The 2nd ERL Smart City event is set to take place this coming September in Bologna, Italy. This year, the challenge will be focused around the theme of ‘Smart Inclusion’ and, as with our first SciRoc event, will be divided into a series of episodes, each consisting of a task to be performed through addressing specific research challenges.

We are thrilled to announce the episodes that will make up this year’s challenge:

Episode 1: Coffee Shop

In this episode the robot will assist the staff of a coffee shop to take care of their customers.

Episode 2: Sign Language Generation / Interpretation

A specific challenge for the robot operating in a coffee shop which will be explored in Episode 2 is the interaction through sign languages.

Episode 3: Shopping Cart

Episode 3 aims to evaluate the capability of a robot to interact with one challenging device found in environments designed for humans: the shopping cart.

Episode 4: Emergency Delivery of Medicines

Episode 4 challenges the robot to deliver emergency medicines to isolated citizens and, if required, to accompany them to a medical centre.

Episode 5: Pick & Pack

This episode addresses the problem of picking products from a storage container and placing them on a designated shelf.

All episodes’ offer teams the ability to participate in person or remotely, in case travel to Bologna is not permitted. Full rule books containing a detailed description for each episode will be released in April.

Call for interest

For anyone that is interested in taking part in this year’s SciRoc Challenge, our call for interested teams is now open! Register your interest via the SciRoc website by 30th April 2021.