ISMCR General Chair

The International Symposium on the Measurement and Control in Robotics (ISMCR) was born 20 years ago here in Houston under the leadership of Prof Susumu Tachi, the chairman of International Measurement Federation Technical Committee on Robotic Measurements, TC17 and now the Chairman Emeritus. After numerous ISMCR events around the world, we are proud to be back in Houston for ISMCR 2019. Technological developments have grown since then and so has the scope of technical presentations in ISMCR. Besides the various aspects of design and applications in the area of robotics, we are now including virtual reality, virtual augmentation, telexistence and applications of artificial intelligence.

This ISMCR is special because of the addition of several collaborations. Our IEEE Galveston Bay Section took the lead in full financial sponsorship while IEEE Robotics and Automation Society (RAS), IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society (IMS), and IEEE Aerospace Electronics and Systems Society (AES) provided the technical sponsorship—along with local American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics(AIAA) and Clear Lake Council of Technical Societies (CLCTS). This has resulted in bringing in quality papers from around the world and expanding the technical scope of the conference with a larger gathering.

We also made the conference affordable to both students and professionals with low registration fees and lodging arrangements. This has resulted in a large number of students who have registered for the conference.

The University of Houston-Clear Lake opened its door to host the event, the first international conference on its campus. It will also provide a quick look at the new Center for Robotic Software facility.

Besides the quality technical program and two keynote presentations, we have invited three special guest speakers from the neighboring NASA Johnson Space Center to highlight technical achievement in Space Technology. Dr Kam Lulla will present “Global Space Exploration: Our Adventure into the Unknown” during the inauguration on Thursday evening, Ken Berka will present "Aquanaut: The Innovation in Deepwater Robotics" during lunch on Friday and Ken Ruta will present "Robonaut 2: Technology for Earth and Space” at the Friday dinner which will be held at the Gilruth Center, a NASA/JSC public facility.

We believe that the attendees will thoroughly enjoy their three days of ISMCR 2019 in Houston.

Dr Zafar Taqvi, ISMCR 2019 General Chair and IMEKO TC17b Chair

ISMCR Program Chair

On behalf of the Technical Committee, I am happy to welcome you to the International Symposium on Measurement and Control in Robotics (ISMCR). The conference is held at the University of Houston Clear Lake next to the NASA Johnson Space Center.  I believe the attendees will benefit not only from the technical papers but also from the social and other activities planned during the Symposium.

The ISMCR 2019 provides a broad spectrum of papers in many cutting-edge technologies. It is unique in bringing papers from 13 countries including Belgium, Brazil, China, Ethiopia, France, Hungary, India, Japan, Russia, Taiwan, USA, and Vietnam.  These papers have been reviewed by international experts from Belgium, Chile, France, Hungary, Japan, Russia, Slovakia, and the USA.

Our program consists of 12 sessions, two keynote speeches and two topical presentations on the Aquanaut underwater robot and the Robonaut space robot. The technical papers cover various aspects of robots and their design, as well as their communications, collaborations, and control.  Topics of Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Artificial Intelligence are also covered in our technical sessions. We believe that we have lined up a highly technical program that all attendees will enjoy.

Dr Thomas Harman, ISMCR 2019 Technical Program Chair

Welcome to UH-Clear Lake

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to University of Houston-Clear Lake and to the IMEKO Technical Committee 17 International Symposium on Measurement and Control in Robotics.

Judging by the overwhelming response to the call for papers, we anticipate a fascinating and exciting conference with some of the world's finest minds in the widening field of robotics.

UH-Clear Lake is a valuable partner to the region’s industries, particularly aerospace, energy, environmental and manufacturing. We provide scientific research, engineering projects, and business acumen as well as the education that makes our graduates sought-after candidates for employment.

We look forward to meeting you. Moreover, we look forward to the fruits of your creativity.

Sincerely,

Ira. K. Blake, Ph.D, President University of Houston-Clear Lake

IEEE Galveston Bay Section Chair

As the Chair of IEEE, Galveston Bay Section, I would like to welcome all the participants of 2019 International Symposium on Measurement and Control in Robotics (ISMCR 2019).

The IEEE Galveston Bay Section is proud to sponsor the ISMCR 2019 hosted by the University of Houston Clear Lake (UHCL) in Houston, Texas.

We are planning an innovative and highly technical program for the participants and we hope that you will join us in Houston to make ISMCR 2019 productive and successful.

Dr Ishaq Unwala, IEEE Galveston Bay Section Chair