Instructions for Paper Discussion Sessions


Thank you all for signing into zoom with us. All sessions are now setup!

You can check your zoom session setup as follows:

  • On the pheedloop platform, navigate to your paper discussion session. At the very bottom of the Description you will find the full zoom info (full link, ID, and passwd). The same details will be used to enable the direct zoom window at the top on the day of your presentation.
  • Log into https://zoom.us/ with your RSS zoom user account (using exactly the Email address used for this Email). You should see your scheduled meeting with the same zoom info. (Please do not change any settings!)
  • At the time of your paper discussion, please log into https://zoom.us/ with your RSS zoom user account (or equivalently sign in with your desktop client) and start hosting your zoom meeting – you then have full control.

Guide for your discussion session

The dissemination and discussion of the newest state-of-the-art research in robotics is the most important role of RSS. We therefore let live discussion sessions of all accepted papers take the central part of the RSS virtual program.

The goal of these discussion sessions is to enable a free and open discussion round and exchange - in analogy to poster sessions at previous RSS conferences. The attendees, rather than only passively consuming videos, will want to actively engange and discuss their questions.

Comments on how you may provide content for your discussion sessions:

  • You have all freedom to hold your discussion sessions as you like! This kind of sessions is fully novel at virtual conferences – be creative to make the most of this opportunity, and make it as engaging as possible.
  • You have already prepared substantial material: Your paper, supplementary video, and slides that you used for your pre-recorded presentation. This might typically be enough material and there is no need to prepare much more. An option may be to add just a few more technical slides (equations) as backup if people have specific questions.
  • As at a poster session, you should try to engage people entering your meeting in a direct conversation, and frequently ask if they have specific questions. From time to time you might offer to go briefly through your default set of slides, but always encouraging interrupting questions.

Technical setup

Checking that your session information and zoom meeting is readily setup before July 14

Log into our virtual conference site and search for your session (In the Sessions section, search for your name/title, or choose filter ‘Track Papers’.)

First check the general description and embedded pre-recorded talk. At the very botton of the Description you should also find the full zoom information (link, ID, and passwd). (You could also retrieve and match it by logging into zoom.us with the Email associated to our RSS zoom account.)

Once your session is activated, that same zoom link should also be behind the embedded zoom window.

Starting your zoom meeting on July 14/15/16

We recommend that you start your zoom meeting some minutes before the live paper discussion sessions. And we recommend that – unlike the rest of the conference – you use a desktop client application to start your zoom session directly using the zoom link, and your zoom user email.

Please log into https://zoom.us/ with your RSS zoom user account (or equivalently sign in with your desktop client) and start hosting your zoom meeting – you then have full control.

You’ll have to start it as host at latest 15:00 UTC on the day of your discussion session.

Zoom Meeting setup

Your live paper discussion sessions on July 14, 15, and 16 will be held with zoom meetings that are directly accessible from the virtual conference platform. We have a Business zoom account to serve with all necessary licenses. However, we need your help to ensure you will have full control over your meeting, will be able to start it yourself, and be zoom host.

We offer 3 options to you – but encourage you very much to use the first option:

  1. Preferred Option 1) We enroll you, as corresponding author, as user in our Zoom business account. We then schedule a meeting on your behalf, embed it in the virtual conference platform, and you will start and host the session at the right time on July 14, 15, or 16 yourself. This is the easiest option and will ensure you having full control (being host) of the zoom meeting.
  2. Option 2) You can use your own zoom license, and tell us the meeint URL, meeting ID & meeting passwd to embed in the virtual conference platform. This option is fine, and you have full control over your meeting (being host). But then you need your own license (not a time-limited free license) and ensure to setup the meeting.
  3. Non-preferred Option 3) We let a student helper own your zoom meeting. The student helper starts and hosts the meeting at the right time, but then needs to reach out for you to make you host (otherwise you will not be able to share the screen). We found this to have too many points of failure – but can work it if necessary.

If you are corresponding authors, you should have received an Email inviting you to our Zoom business account – assuming that you follow Option 1. If another author wants to be the lead and host of your paper discussion session, please let us know by Email!

There is a caveat when enrolling as user with our Zoom account: Your email address might already be associated with another professional zoom account (e.g., of your university). You cannot use the same Email address twice to enroll as user to a professional zoom account. Therefore, in that case, please send us an alternative email address to make you user of our zoom.

In case you want to use option 2 or 3 instead, please contact me directly until Wednesday, July 8 with your zoom ID+passwd (or link) to embed.

Best, Marc & RSS 2020 Organization Committee