[Access Lunch] Fwd: Special Issue on Robots and Autism

[Kim Baraka]

Hi all,

As some of you requested after my talk today, I am sharing again the call
for papers for the special issue on Robots and Autism that I am
co-organizing. I would be grateful if you could spread the word or consider
submitting if you think your research is relevant.

Thanks!

---

Dear Colleagues,

We cordially invite you to submit a manuscript to the Special Issue in
Paladyn, Journal of Behavioral Robotics (
https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/pjbr), entitled "Robots and Autism:
Conceptualization, Technology, and Methodology". (Deadline: February 29,
2020; no fees for submissions received before 2020.)

Link to the official CfP:
https://www.degruyter.com/view/supplement/s20814836_CFP_Robots_and_Autism.pdf
.

*Call for Papers:*
Increasing prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) emphasizes the
need for impactful research into more advanced and effective technology and
strategies used for intervention, assessment, and training. Social robots
are one technological domain that has been suggested as potentially
effective for individuals with ASD, due to robots’ repeatable and
controllable social behavior, as well as their ability to engage
individuals with ASD. Although existing research has demonstrated promising
results in this domain, many challenges remain to be addressed. From a
design perspective, a better understanding of suitable robot
characteristics, scenarios, and tasks for intervention and assessment is
needed. From a technological perspective, more algorithmic advances in
modeling, sensing, decision-making, and adaptation over interactive
scenarios may unlock more powerful and flexible solutions. From an
empirical perspective, more evidence is required to evaluate deployment,
efficacy, and usability of these technologies in different settings and by
different users (caregivers, teachers, clinicians). Finally, ethical and
philosophical considerations when designing and adopting such technologies
are also notable areas of research needing further examination.

This thematic special issue in Paladyn, Journal of Behavioral Robotics aims
at gathering the latest research addressing some of the above challenges.
It was launched as a follow-up to a web panel discussion (
https://bit.ly/2N568Hr) on the current state of socially assistive robotics
in ASD, held on June 27 and organized by Chartacloud | Robotteca. We
welcome high-quality submissions from authors, regardless of their
affiliation(s) and relationship to the panel. Full paper submissions may
include: original research, focused review papers, and opinion papers. In
addition to full papers, we will also consider submissions of brief
research reports in the form of a communication/note.

Contributions to the Special Issue may address (but are not limited) to the
following aspects:

   - intervention (clinical, school, and home settings)
   - assessment, diagnosis, and monitoring
   - clinician support and training
   - robot embodiment and behavior design
   - algorithms for intelligent robot behavior, including AI and machine
   learning for modeling, perception, and planning of social behavior
   - autonomy and shared control
   - programming interfaces for robot behavior (expert and non-expert)
   - ethical and philosophical issues
   - evaluation studies (hypothesis-driven, exploratory, and long-term)
   - novel applications of robots in the ASD domain

Authors are requested to submit their full research papers, complying with
the general scope of the journal. The submitted papers will undergo the
standard peer-review process before they can be accepted. Notification of
acceptance will be communicated as we progress with the review process.

*Guest editors:*
Kim Baraka (lead GE), Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA /
Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon, Portugal
Rebecca Beights, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, USA / Irabina, Melbourne,
Australia
Marta Couto, INESC-ID, Lisbon, Portugal
Mike Radice (advisory editor), ChartaCloud | ROBOTTECA, Kensington, USA

*How to submit:*
Before submission authors should carefully read the Instruction for
Authors: www.degruyter.com/view/supplement/s20814836_Instructions_for_Authors.pdf
Manuscripts can be written in TeX, LaTeX (strongly recommended) - the
journal’s LATEX template. Please note that we do not accept papers in Plain
TEX format. Text files can be also submitted as standard DOCUMENT (.DOC)
which is acceptable if the submission in LATEX is not possible. For an
initial submission, the authors are strongly advised to upload their entire
manuscript, including tables and figures, as a single PDF file. All
submissions to the Special Issue must be made electronically via online
submission system Editorial Manager: www.editorialmanager.com/paladyn/ All
manuscripts will undergo the standard peer-review process (single blind, at
least two independent reviewers). When entering your submission via online
submission system please choose the option “SI on Robots and Autism:
Conceptualization, Technology, and Methodology”. Submission of a manuscript
implies that the work described has not been published before and it is not
under consideration for publication anywhere else. The deadline for
submissions is February 29, 2020, but individual papers will be reviewed
and published online as they arrive. Contributors to the Special Issue will
benefit from:

   - indexation in SCOPUS
   - NO submission and publication FEES in 2019*
   - fair and constructive peer review provided by experts in the field
   - no space constraints
   - convenient, web-based paper submission and tracking system – Editorial
   Manager
   - quick online publication upon completing the publishing process
   (continuous publication model)
   - better visibility due to Open Access
   - long-term preservation of the content (articles archived in Portico)
   - extensive post-publication promotion for selected papers

*There are no publication or processing fees for papers submitted till the
end of December 2019. Starting 2020, the journal will be subject to an
Article Processing Charge (APC) (only for accepted manuscripts – there
still will be no submission fees). Nevertheless, the journal will be able
to offer high discounts and also the possibility to apply for a waiver,
particularly for authors who do not have funds for publication in an open
access model.

We are looking forward to your submission !!! In case of any questions
please contact Dr. Justyna Żuk (Managing Editor of Paladyn.JBR;
Justyna.Zuk at degruyter.com).

Best regards,

*Kim Baraka, *PhD candidate
Robotics Institute, *Carnegie Mellon University* (Pittsburgh, USA)
Group on Artificial Intelligence for People and Society (GAIPS), *INESC-ID
/ Instituto Superior Té**cnico* (Lisboa, Portugal)
kimbaraka.com
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