Welcome message from the conference general and program chairs

On behalf of the organizing committee we would like to welcome you to ICRA2011. ICRA2011 is unique in several aspects. First, the conference is held in mainland China for the first time. As witnessed by the world, great economic success has been achieved by China over the past thirty years. The country is becoming more industrialized, and more relevant to robotics and automation. The leaders of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society realized the importance of engagement with China even eight years ago, when ICRA2011 was approved to be in Shanghai, China, which happens to be the largest city of the country.