---------- Forwarded message ---------- Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce that the African Robotics Network includes members from Ghana, South Africa, and Nigeria, as well as African roboticists working outside of Africa, in America and Europe. We also have several key supporters or "affiliate members" outside of Africa, including prominent leaders in the field of robotics. We would like to encourage you to extend an invitation to AFRON to other interested colleagues, particularly in parts of Africa not already included in the network. There is, of course, no cost and no requirement for joining, except an interest in robotics, and excitement about enhancing robotics-related education, research and industry in Africa. ------------------------------**-------------- Announcing: The African Robotics Network (AFRON) http://robotics-africa.org ** All are welcome to an introductory meeting at ICRA on Tues May 15, ** 12 -1pm , at the Crowne Plaza Hotel - Governors Hall IV, Saint Paul, MN The African Robotics Network (AFRON) is a community of institutions, organizations and individuals engaged in robotics in Africa. AFRON seeks to promote communication and collaborations that will enhance robotics-related education, research, and industry on the continent. To achieve this, AFRON organizes projects, meetings and events in Africa and at Robotics and Automation conferences abroad. Established in April 2012, AFRON hosts a website, Facebook page, and moderated email list. There are no subscription fees or dues. To join, please visit the website above and click "Membership". For the purposes of AFRON, "robotics" is broadly defined to include related areas such as automation, computer vision, signal processing, machine learning, and other related topics. Inaugural Project AFRON USD $10 Robot Design Challenge: This is a competition to develop an extremely low-cost programmable robot for education. More information will be announced in June! Membership. Institutions and individuals may join AFRON as regular or affiliated members. Member institutions are represented by a contact person. ? Regular institutional and individual members are engaged in robotics education, research or industry and have direct links to Africa. Examples of such institutional members include universities, research labs, non-profit organizations and companies in Africa. Examples of such individual members include university faculty and researchers; individuals running robotics programs for tertiary, secondary or primary students; African roboticists in the diaspora, and so on. ? Affiliated members are supportive of the AFRON initiative but may not have direct links to Africa or may not be directly engaged in robotics initiatives on the continent. co-Founders: Ayorkor Korsah <akorsah@ashesi.edu.gh> Asst. Professor, Computer Science, Ashesi University, Accra, Ghana Ken Goldberg <goldberg@berkeley.edu> Professor, IEOR, EECS, Information, UC Berkeley