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2 Postdoc Researchers - Computational topology/geometry applied to cloth representation and manipulation by robots (ERC CLOTHILDE)

Date of call

03/07/2018

Deadline

02/09/2018

Responsible

Carme Torras Genís

Type

Temporary

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Description

DEADLINE EXTENSION: 02/09/2018

The "Institut de Robòtica i Informàtica Industrial (IRI), CSIC-UPC", is seeking two Postdoc researchers to work under the framework of the European Project CLOTHILDE (ERC Advanced Grant 2016).

ABOUT IRI:
IRI is a Joint University Research Institute participated by the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) that conducts research in human-centered robotics and automatic control. The institute is a key player in the Spanish robotics and automatic control scenes, and a valued participant in a large number of international collaborations including more than ten ongoing H2020 projects and an ERC Advanced Grant. Recently, is has been recognized as a Maria de Maeztu Excellence Unit, the main accreditation given by the Spanish Government to research units that stand out for the impact and international relevance of their results.

ABOUT CLOTHILDE:
The European Project CLOTHILDE (Cloth manipulation learning from demonstration) is an ERC Advanced Grant, awarded to Dr. Carme Torras, that started in January 2018.

The project aim is to establish the foundations of versatile cloth manipulation by robots. The theoretical ground will be to link machine learning and computational topology methods, so as to come up with a theory of cloth deformation under manipulation leading to a general framework for robots to learn to manipulate garments from human demonstrations. Such framework will encompass: non-expert teaching of a task, robot perception and skill learning, task-oriented cloth representation, probabilistic planning, robot task execution in varying initial conditions, failure diagnosis and informed requests for human help.

ABOUT THE POSTDOC POSITIONS
The CLOTHILDE project has been structured into four research workpackages, plus one integration workpackage. The four packages are: Theory of cloth manipulation, Cloth perception and representation, Probabilistic task and motion planning, and Manipulation learning from demonstration.

These positions correspond to the Theory of cloth manipulation Workpackage and its connection with cloth representation and motion planning. The tasks to be carried out are:

1. Research on combinatorial topology, computational geometry and tools
2. Research on surface representations in Computer Graphics, especially for clothing
3. Encoding manipulation-relevant features in cloth representation
4. Physical simulation of manipulation actions on clothing
5. Topological/geometric characterization of manipulation actions

ABOUT THE CONTRACT
The postdocs will be supervised by Dr. Carme Torras and will be incorporated into the Perception and Manipulation Group of IRI.

Both postdocs will be hired through a CSIC contract with a salary ranging from 27000 to 35000 € gross per year, depending on experience and skills, and their incorporation will take place as soon as possible.
The duration of the contracts will be of one year, extendable until the end of the project (December 2022).

Requirements

Knowledge: The candidate should be a doctor with a solid mathematical and computer science background.
Experience: The candidate should have experience in carrying out research in geometry and computational/combinatorial topology, with application to computer graphics, computer vision, robotics, or related areas.
Languages: Fluent in English.

Contacts

Please, send your documentation before 02/09/2018 to:

Email: jobs (at) iri.upc.edu
Address: C/ Llorens i Artigas 4-6, 2a planta. 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
Fax: 93 401 57 50
Note: Please, remember to reference the offer (ID-64) and include the following documentation: Cover letter, CV