This is a request for travel support for U.S. graduate students and junior faculty to attend the 2006 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS'2006) in Beijing, China, October 9-15, 2006. IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) is one of the two major conferences on Robotics. Attending and presenting papers at IROS have been the main professional activities for the robotics researchers, educators and students. This grant will enable and encourage graduate students and junior faculty in US to attend the IROS'2006, present their papers, and participate in the activities of professional organizations. It will also foster international collaboration by providing a unique opportunity for US junior faculties and graduate students to visit Chinese universities and research organizations. The broad impact of the results of this effort will significantly broaden the view of the participating graduate students and faculty on robotics and intelligent systems, and enable them to gain aspects which may not be easily obtain in US. All of these will significantly impact on their career and contribute to the development of the US manpower for science and technologies, especially in the areas of robotics and intelligent systems.
