Organizers and speakers

Prof. Jim Torresen, University of Oslo

Short CV: Jim Torresen is a professor at University of Oslo where he leads the Robotics and Intelligent Systems (ROBIN) research group. He received his M.Sc. and Dr.ing. (Ph.D) degrees in computer architecture and design from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University of Trondheim in 1991 and 1996, respectively. He has been employed as a senior hardware designer at NERA Telecommunications (1996-1998) and at Navia Aviation (1998-1999). Since 1999, he has been a professor at the Department of Informatics at the University of Oslo (associate professor 1999-2005). Jim Torresen has been a visiting researcher at Kyoto University, Japan for one year (1993-1994), four months at Electrotechnical laboratory, Tsukuba, Japan (1997 and 2000) and a visiting professor at Cornell University, USA for one year (2010-2011).

His research interests at the moment include artificial intelligence, ethical aspects of AI and robotics, machine learning, robotics, and applying this to complex real-world applications. Several novel methods have been proposed. He has published over 200 scientific papers in international journals, books and conference proceedings. 10 tutorials and a number of invited talks have been given at international conferences and research institutes. He is in the program committee of more than ten different international conferences, associate editor of three international scientific journals as well as a regular reviewer of a number of other international journals. He has also acted as an evaluator for proposals in EU FP7 and Horizon2020 and is currently project manager/principal investigator in four externally funded research projects/centres. That includes being a principal investigator at the Centre of Excellence for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion (RITMO). He is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences (NTVA) and the National Committee for Research Ethics in Science and Technology (NENT) where he is a member of a working group on research ethics for AI. More information and a list of publications can be found here: http://jimtoer.no

Example of work in the area: See a relevant review paper. See a list of past and ongoing research projects here, and with the Vulnerability in the Robot Society (VIROS) project being much relevant for this tutorial.

Past teaching experience: Torresen has extensive experience in university course teaching, see overview in the CV here and an overview of past invited talks and tutorials here.

 

Dr. Diana Saplacan, University of Oslo

Short CV: Diana Saplacan is a researcher at University of Oslo, at the Department of Informatics, Robotics and Intelligent Systems research Group. She has also recently been listed as one amongst the 30 women in Norway changing the field of Artificial Intelligence. The nomination was made by the Norwegian Artificial Intelligence Consortium (NORA). She received her Ph.D. degree (2020) from University of Oslo, Norway, and her M.Sc. degree (2013) from Kristianstad University, Sweden. Her Ph.D. degree is interdisciplinary within Design of Information Systems, at the cross of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) fields, with Universal Design (UD) knitting these fields. She previously worked as a Lecturer in Computer Science at Kristianstad University, Sweden (2013-2016/2020).

Her current interests include Human-Robot Interaction and Human-Robot cooperation, ethics regarded through Universal Design principles, inclusion, and accessibility. She has published several papers within the area. These are listed on the official webpage here or can be found in the Current Norwegian Publication System in Norway, CRistin.

Example of work in the area: She has previously worked in the Multimodal Elderly Care Systems (MECS) project. The project investigated the use of a robot as a safety alarm for the elderly people that wished to live independently at home. She currently works in Vulnerability in Robot Society (VIROS) research project. A complete list of publications is given here.

Past teaching experience: She has experience in teaching from her Ph.D. degree that included teaching and administrative duties, but also as a lecturer, and through her participation in national and international collaborations or debates. She has also, for instance, previously participated in the design of exchange program through the Linneaeus-Palme, Ubaya University, Indonesia. She has also engaged in questions addressing inclusion by participating at the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) at Information Telecommunication Union from United Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland (2016), and at the Anita Borg Institute, the local chapter launch, at Google Amsterdam, Netherlands (2016). She has also participated in debates addressing the necessary skills and competences with regard to digital ethics in Norway. She was an invited speaker at Skills Norway, the Norwegian National Organization Representing the Directorate for Lifelong Learning that belongs to the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research (the debate is available as podcast here), and in AI, robots, and their social impact presentation and scientific debate within the framework of Topicality Symposium. She has also been a guest lecturer and examiner both in Sweden and in Norway at other universities (Kristianstad University, Oslo Metropolitan University, Kristiania University College, and Østfold University College), and given talks during the Innovation Days at Krinova Science Park, Sweden. Finally, she was a facilitator and organizer of the Demola Network South Sweden, where she has facilitated innovation projects for BlackBerry AB, and Active Ageing research project.

 

Prof. Tobias Mahler, University of Oslo

Short CV: Tobias Mahler is a law professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Oslo, where he is deputy director of the Norwegian Research Center for Computers and Law (NRCCL). He specializes in information and communications technology law.  His research is highly interdisciplinary, primarily combining legal research with computer science. His research interests cover a broad range of legal issues arising in the context of (i) robots, particularly with artificial intelligence capabilities, (ii) Internet governance (especially the domain name system), as well as (iii) cybersecurity and privacy. This focus on legal issues is complemented with research on legal technology to facilitate novel approaches such as legal risk management and visual representations of legal reasoning. He holds a PhD from the University of Oslo, an LLM degree in legal informatics from the University of Hannover, and a German law degree (first state exam). He has practised law in Norway as a corporate lawyer in the automotive industry, primarily working with international commercial contracts. Mahler has been a visiting fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Foreign and Criminal Law in Freiburg, Germany, and the Stanford Centre for Internet and Society. In 2020 he acted as an expert advisor to the European Commission on drafting the upcoming Digital Services Act.

Example of work in the area: Mahler is the legal research leader of the VIROS project (Vulnerability in the Robot Society). For publications, see here.

Past teaching experience: Mahler is the Director of the Master of Laws Program in Information and Communication Technology Law at the University of Oslo. He teaches robot regulation, cybersecurity regulation, legal technology and artificial intelligence.

Dr. Eduard Fosch-Villaronga, Leiden University

Short CV: Eduard Fosch-Villaronga is an Assistant Professor at the eLaw Center for Law and Digital Technologies at Leiden University (NL) where he investigates legal and regulatory aspects of robot and AI technologies, with a special focus on healthcare. Eduard recently published the book ‘Robots, Healthcare, and the Law. Regulating Automation in Personal Care’ with Routledge and is interested in human-robot interaction, responsible innovation, and the future of law.

Eduard is the co-leader of the Ethical, Legal, and Societal Aspects Working Group at the H2020 Cost Action 16116 on Wearable Robots and participates actively at the Social Responsibility Working Group at the H2020 Cost Action 19121 GoodBrother. Eduard served the European Commission in the Sub-Group on Artificial Intelligence (AI), connected products and other new challenges in product safety to the Consumer Safety Network (CSN) to revise the General Product Safety directive.

Previously, he worked as a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Researcher under the LEaDing Fellows at eLaw. (Jan 2019-Dec 2020). He also was a postdoc at the Microsoft Cloud Computing Research Center at Queen Mary University of London (the UK, 2018) investigating the legal implications of cloud robotics; and at the University of Twente (NL, 2017) as a postdoc, exploring iterative regulatory modes for robot governance. Eduard Fosch-Villaronga holds an Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate (EMJD) in Law, Science, and Technology coordinated by the University of Bologna (IT, 2017), an LL.M. from University of Toulouse (FR, 2012), an M.A. from the Autonomous University of Madrid (ES), and an LL.B. from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (CAT, 2011). Eduard is also a qualified lawyer in Spain and his publications are available online.

Example of work in the area: Eduard Fosch-Villaronga’s research addresses legal and regulatory aspects associated with the use and development of robot and AI technologies, focusing particularly on healthcare. The book “Robots, Healthcare, and the Law” partly compiles the research he conducted at the intersection of law, AI, and robotics. He has extensively worked with the legal and ethical implications of wearable robots, social robots for autism-related therapies, and sex robots for care purposes. Lately, Eduard is interested in topics concerning diversity and AI, focusing in particular on how algorithms may exacerbate existing biases against communities that have been traditionally marginalized.

Past teaching experience: Eduard Fosch-Villaronga teaching experience includes the following courses:

Eduard Fosch-Villaronga event organization (selected since 2020):

  1. Fosch-Villaronga, E. & Drukarch, H. G. (2021) LIAISON: Liaising robot development and policy making. Workshop at the European Robotics Forum (ERF) 2021, 13-15 April 2021.
  2. Fosch-Villaronga, E. & Drukarch, H. G. (2021) AI & UN Sustainable Development Goals. Mock Conference for the course Law and AI at Leiden University, 11 March.
Published May 21, 2021 12:19 PM - Last modified May 21, 2021 12:27 PM
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