The boutique robotics international series of symposia was first organised in Ljubljana in 1988
Cankarjev dom recently hosted an international conference on advanced robotic kinematics, convening over 150 participants. The ARK conference took place between 30 June and 4 July 2024.
ARK – Advances in Robot Kinematics is a boutique robotics international series of symposia. The idea was envisaged by Prof. Jadran Lenarčič, whose brainchild saw the light of day in 1988. During the premier edition, the organisers agreed that they would organise ARK symposia every two years in the Mediterranean region and the Alps. So far, 18 symposia have been held. The proceedings of the conference are published annually in the form of edited books.
Jadran Lenarčič, the head organiser of the event, commented on the importance of informal in-person meetings among scientific researchers and professors: “You cannot be a successful scientist if you are not linked with colleagues worldwide. When you are in touch with colleagues, you can boost ideas and create joint plans for the future. Friendships play a crucial role because excellent cooperation is only possible among people who nurture affinity for one another. When two different ideas clash, ten new ideas come to life, but that can only happen in direct contact among people who are open and seek knowledge exchange.” Read the full interview here.
A catalyst for scientific developments
Many original scientific achievements in the field of robot kinematics were published at ARKs. However, the essential contribution of these symposia is not only scientific but is primarily cooperation and friendship between scientists who specialise in robot kinematics. This cooperation led to many new scientific problems and solutions, some of which found their way into everyday robotics practice. Robot kinematics is one of the foundations of modern robotics in the design and control of robots. Even today, after 36 years, there is no shortage of scientific problems in this field. Thus, ARK still has a great and prosperous future ahead of it.
The event delved into the most pressing topics in robotics, including robot kinematics analysis, robot kinematics modelling and simulation, kinematic design and control of robots, kinematics theory and methodology, singularity analysis, kinematics in biological systems, humanoid robots, kinematics of parallel and cable robots, redundant and continuum robots, overconstrained mechanisms and compliant mechanisms.
Global scientific events like ARK help strengthen Cankarjev dom’s image as the preferred venue in Slovenia for complex, multi-day events.
Find out more about Cankarjev dom at: https://www.cd-cc.si/.
