Science Festival: The Rights of the Machine

Date: 
Mon, 04/04/2016 - 20:00 to Tue, 05/04/2016 - 20:45
Location: 
Summerhall, Red Lecture Theatre
Speaker: 
Dr Patricia A. Vargas
Edinburgh Centre for Robotics

The Rights of the Machine

In 2015, two chimpanzees in New York were granted ‘legal person status’ by a court ruling. This action has potentially groundbreaking implications in the field of medical ethics. Do intelligent robotic systems deserve civil rights? Or even human rights? Join Kathleen Richardson from the Campaign Against Sex Robots, and Dr Patricia Vargas, Roboethicist and Director of Heriot-Watt University’s Robotics Laboratory, as they explore the rights of the machine.

Edinburgh's NASA Robot "Valkyrie" at Robotarium East

Submitted by maragon on Fri, 04/03/2016 - 14:10

The morning of monday 29th February 2016, Valkyrie, NASA's R5 Robot, arrived in the School of Informatics. The Edinburgh Centre for Robotics Valkyrie team, Professor Vijayakumar, Dr Fallon, Dr Vladimir Ivan, and PhD students Wolfgang Merkt, Marco Caravagna, Simona Nobili and Yiming Yang welcomed the NASA crew and set up the lab for the new addition to the Robotarium East. The Valkyrie is not ready for display and demos yet, but further information will be provided soon.

Edinburgh Centre for Robotics at BBC micro:bit Live Lesson

Submitted by maragon on Fri, 04/03/2016 - 12:02

Last Wednesday 24th February, Professor Sethu Vijayakumar and PhD students, Alexander Enoch (Edinburgh) and Iris Kyranou (Heriot Watt) were live on BBC micro:bit Live Lesson at 11-11.45am . Professor Sethu Vijayakumar gave an insight of the Valkyrie robot that arrived in Edinburgh last Monday 29th February 2016. Alexander Enoch and Iris Kyranou demoed some of the robots that are part of the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics Robotarium East, such as the prosthetic hand.

Gateway Event: "Market led innovation; the development of the Hi-Traq subsea vehicle from a clean sheet of paper to a working commercial system"

Date: 
Fri, 26/02/2016 - 16:00 to Sat, 27/02/2016 - 17:45
Location: 
2.33, Informatics Forum, University of Edinburgh
Speaker: 
Ralph Manchester
IHC Engineering Business Ltd.

Using the IHC Engineering Business Hi-Traq product development as an example this presentation will try to demonstrate key areas in developing a commercial, innovative technology.

 

 

Edinburgh Centre for Robotics and British Science Association host debate “How Will Robotics Reshape Our Lives in the Next Two Decades”

Submitted by maragon on Tue, 16/02/2016 - 10:51

Will robots take over our jobs in the near future? Will the rise of robots lead to a decrease in human cognitive abilities? These are some of the questions the audience asked at the public debate “How Will Robotics Reshape Our Lives in the Next Two Decades”, an event co-organised by the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics and the British Science Association last Thursday 4th February 2016 at the Informatics Forum, University of Edinburgh.

BBC Live Lesson - Micro:Bit Launch

Date: 
Wed, 24/02/2016 - 11:00 to 11:45
Location: 
London
Speaker: 
Professor Sethu Vijayakumar
Edinburgh Centre for Robotics

 

Professor Sethu Vijayakumar, Director of the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, Alexander Enoch, PhD student at the School of Informatics, and Iris Kyranou, PhD student at Edinburgh Centre for Robotics,  will be part of the BBC micro:bit Live Lesson on 24th February 2016. In conjunction with BBC micro:bit, this Live Lesson aims to encourage Key Stage 3/3rd Level students to get creative, programming and making their very own digital creations in school and at home.

Edinburgh Centre for Robotics student shortlisted for Man AHL Coder Prize 2015

Submitted by maragon on Wed, 10/02/2016 - 14:12

Marian Andrecki, MSc by Research student at Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, was shortlisted for the finals of the Man AHL Coder competition. The top eight entrants have been invited to the Man AHL office in the City of London on 12th February 2016 for the final ‘Code Off’ to establish the winner of the competition and the £5,000 prize. Marian said,

Robot Lab - Edinburgh International Science Festival

Date: 
Sat, 26/03/2016 - 00:00 to Wed, 30/03/2016 - 23:45
Location: 
Learning Centre Level 2, National Museum of Scotland
Speaker: 
Edinburgh Centre for Robotics current students
Edinburgh Centre for Robotics

 

Meet and interact with our current students at Edinburgh Centre for Robotics at the Edinburgh International Science Festival from 26th to 30th March. They will be showing demos and and will be happy to answer any questions you have about robots.

For further information, please visit the Science Festival event page.

Useful links

Current CDT students

CDT in Robotics and Autonomous Systems Open Day

Date: 
Fri, 26/02/2016 - 09:00 to Sat, 27/02/2016 - 15:45
Location: 
Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh Centre for Robotics

 

Find out more about the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Robotics and Autonomous Systems at the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics Open Day on 26th February 2016 at Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh. The morning session will be held at Heriot-Watt University (9:00am) and the afternoon session at the School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh (12:30pm). Please note that EPSRC CDTs in Pervasive Parallelism and Data Science will be part of  the afternoon session at the University of Edinburgh.

Tam Dalyell Prize Lecture at the Science Festival

Date: 
Sun, 10/04/2016 - 18:00 to 19:30
Location: 
Playfair Library
Speaker: 
Professor Sethu Vijayakumar
Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, University of Edinburgh

 

In this year’s Tam Dalyell lecture, Prof Sethu Vijayakumar, Professor of Robotics and Director of the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, looks at how humans and robots will work together in the future. The next generation of robots will work much more closely with humans, other robots and interact significantly with the environment around them. With significant autonomy devolved to the robotic platforms, will we be able to share control in a way we are comfortable with?