Computer science has been an active component of medical devices for a long time, but has recently been brought to the spotlight by former Vice President Dick Cheney, when he spoke about turning off the wireless component of his heart defibrillator. Kevin Fu is an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan, where he conducts research on making embedded computer systems smarter through better safety and security, reduced energy consumption, and faster performance.  Much of his work is focused on medical devices.  Fu was recently interviewed for a New York Times article titled, “Of Fact, Fiction, and Cheney’s Defibrillator,” by Gina Kolata.  When asked about the possibility of a heart […]

In 2011, President Obama announced the National Robotics Initiative (NRI) as part of the broader effort of the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Initiative in the United States.  NRI is a multi-agency program which focuses on developing robots that work with or beside people to extend or augment human capabilities, taking advantage of the different strengths of humans and robots. The program is now in its second year, and $38 million of new funding was awarded from the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and NASA.  Cora Marrett, Acting Director of NSF, shares her thoughts on the program: NSF is proud to work […]

The Federal Government reopened on October 17, 2013.  Farnam Jahanian, Assistant Director at the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the Computer and Information Science and Engineering Directorate (CISE) has issued a letter to the community addressing operations. Dear Colleagues,   We are happy to resume normal operations, and look forward to working with the community in advancing our research and education mission.  NSF is currently operating under a Continuing Resolution (CR) that will fund the federal government through January 15, 2014.   In our efforts to resume our normal operations and to meet stringent deadlines on several programs, we are working to establish priorities and create guidance for all activities. It is our priority to focus […]

Manufacturing currently comprises about 12% of the US GDP  — roughly 1.8 trillion USD. Although there is a perception (and some truth) to the fact that manufacturing is leaving the US for low wage countries, there are many manufacturers that are interested in innovating in ways that would grow manufacturing (and jobs!) in the US. There are many efforts, such as the recently announced National Network for Manufacturing Initiative (NNMI), to accelerate this trend. How can the robotics and computing research communities support these efforts? To answer this question, the Robotics VO, National Science Foundation (NSF), The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), and the Computing Community […]

A multi-agency partnership of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced an updated National Robotics Initiative Solicitation. There are some changes from the previous version, including dates, so please view the new solicitation here. “The goal of the National Robotics Initiative is to accelerate the development and use of robots in the United States that work beside, or cooperatively with, people. Innovative robotics research and applications emphasizing the realization of such co-robots acting in direct support of and in a symbiotic relationship with human partners is supported by multiple agencies of the federal government including the […]

The ACM History Committee (http://history.acm.org/) is sponsoring a two-day archiving workshop to help diffuse knowledge of professional archival practices into ACM’s membership and others with an active interest in preserving our computer heritage. Applications are invited to a two-day archiving workshop, to be held 21-22 May 2014 at the Charles Babbage Institute (CBI) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. For each successful application, one person’s expenses for workshop travel, lodging, and meals will be paid by the ACM History Committee. Project proposals are due by 15 January 2014. The details can be found at http://history.acm.org/public/public_documents/acm_hc_2014.php