The 12th annual RoboCup International Symposium was held during July 15-18 2008 in conjunction
with RoboCup 2008 Competitions and Demonstrations. The symposium represents the core meeting
for the presentation and discussion of sci- tific contributions in diverse areas related to the
main threads within RoboCupSoccer RoboCupRescue RoboCup@Home and RoboCupJunior. Its scope
encompassed but was not restricted to research and education activities within the fields of
artificial intelligence and robotics. A fundamental aspect of RoboCup is promoting science and
technology among young students and researchers in addition to providing a forum for
discussion and excitement about Robotics with practitioners from all over the world. Since its
first edition in 1997 in Nagoya the RoboCup Competitions and Symposium have attracted an
increasing number of researchers and students from all the world and today it is a major event
in robotics worldwide. Due to its interdisciplinary nature and the exploration of various and
intimate c- nections of theory and practice across a wide spectrum of different fields the
sym- sium offered an excellent opportunity to introduce new techniques to various scientific
disciplines. The experimental interactive and benchmark character of the RoboCup initiative
created the opportunity to present learn and evaluate novel ideas and - proaches with
significant potential. If promising they are then rapidly adopted and field-tested by a large
(and still strongly growing) community.
