Robotics and Artificial Intelligence are closely related areas though their research interests and topics diverted in past. Recently, the progress in both areas brings robotics and artificial intelligence together again and higher-level deliberative functions such as action planning are being integrated into usually reactive robotics systems to increase their autonomy as well as to simplify their control. The special track addresses research results on the border between robotics (and general intelligent agents) and AI techniques with the aim to bridge the enlarging gap between the areas.

The goal of the track is bringing researchers for now diverted areas of robotics, intelligent agents, and artificial intelligence back together to work on novel integrated approaches for development of autonomous systems, both physical and virtual.

This track is intended to AI community that applies own results in real environments using physical (robots) and virtual agents as well as to researchers in related areas namely robotics, computer games, and intelligent agents to present own challenges and solutions and to grasp novel AI techniques applicable in real-life problems.

The Florida AI Research Society (FLAIRS) hosts the conference in cooperation with the American Association for Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) since 1988 so FLAIRS is one of the oldest AI conferences. The 34-th conference is organized at DoubleTree Ocean Point Resort&Spa, North Miami Beach, Florida, USA in May 16-19, 2021.

This is already the eigth edition of the special track, the previous editions were organized at 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Papers and contributions are encouraged for any work relating to increasing autonomy and reasoning capabilities of agents either physical (robots) or virtual (such as game characters). We in particular encourage submissions that are integrating approaches and methods from different areas and contribute to bridging more research areas such as robotics, computer games, and intelligent agents. Topics of interest may include (but are in no way limited to):

• system architectures bridging sensory and action elements with reasoning capabilities
• perception, processing and action: sensors, vision, motion systems
• planning domain/world representation for real-life problems
• automated extraction/acquisition of planning domain/world models
• goal reasoning
• life-long autonomy
• motion, path, and action planning
• planning and execution
• robot control and behavior: localization, navigation, planning, simulation, visualization, virtual reality modeling
• evolutionary and cognitive robotics
• entertainment robotics
• applications of autonomous intelligent robots: robots for exploration, service, hazardous environments, …
• intelligent virtual agents, autonomous characters, and computer games

Interested authors should format their papers according to FLAIRS formatting guidelines. The papers should be original work (i.e., not submitted, in submission, or submitted to another conference while in review). Papers should not exceed 6 pages (4 pages for a poster) and are due by February  16, 2021. For FLAIRS-34, the 2021 conference, the reviewing is a double blind process. Please do not disclose your name and affiliation in the paper. Papers must be submitted as PDF through the EasyChair conference system, which can also be accessed through the main conference web site. Note: do not use a fake name for your EasyChair login - your EasyChair account information is hidden from reviewers. Authors should indicate the Autonomous Robots and Agents special track for submissions. FLAIRS requires that there be at least one full author registration per paper and presentation during the conference (on-line presentation will be possible ).

Paper submission deadline: 16th February 2021
Notification of paper decisions: 16th March 2021
AUTHOR registration: 5th April, 2021
Final version of papers due: 5th April 2021

All dates are assumed as midnight anywhere on Earth.

• Roman Barták, Marika Ivanová and Jiří Švancara: Colored Multi-Agent Path Finding: Solving Approaches
• Rafael C. Cardoso, John L. Michaloski, Craig Schlenoff, Angelo Ferrando, Louise Dennis and Michael Fisher: Agile Tasking of Robotic Systems with Explicit Autonomy
• Joseph P. Giordano, Arjun Pherwani, Annie S. Wu and H. David Mathias: Decentralized Swarm Desynchronization via Inter-agent Variation for Logistical Resupply
• Adem Coskun, Jason O'Kane and Marco Valtorta: Deadlock-Free Online Plan Repair in Multi-robot Coordination with Disturbances
• Kristýna Pantůčková and Roman Barták: Compilation-Based Approaches to Parallel Planning
• Sunandita Patra, Paolo Traverso, Malik Ghallab and Dana Nau: Coordination and Control of Hierarchically Organized Interacting Agents
• Mark Roberts, Laura Hiatt, Vivint Shetty, Ben Brumback, Brandon Enochs and Piyabutra Jampathom: Goal Lifecycle Networks for Robotics
• Sota Tsuiki, Keisuke Yoneda and Toshiharu Sugawara: Reducing Efficiency Degradation Due to Scheduled Agent Suspensions by Task Handover in Multi-Agent Cooperative Patrol Problems