Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh are delighted to be founding members of the newly-launched EPSRC UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems Network (UK-RAS Network).

The Network will bring together the UK’s core academic capabilities in robotics innovation under national coordination for the first time and encourage academic and industry collaborations that will accelerate the development and adoption of robotics and autonomous systems.

We are delighted to publish the first edition of the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics Newsletter.  We hope you enjoy finding out about what we do at the Centre. We'll publish the ECR newsletter bi-monthly so keep an eye out for our next newsletter in August. 

Useful links

Edinburgh Centre for Robotics

Robotarium

On Monday 18th May, the Centre was delighted to welcome a delegation from Kawasaki Heavy Industries, to discuss developments and teaming opportunities in Marine Robotics. The visit was a direct result of Professor David Lane's recent keynote speech on 22 April at the Japanese Embassy London's Japan-UK Robotics Seminar http://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/en/event/2015/06/robotics.html 

On Monday 18th May, Professor Nick Taylor escorted a delegation from the Economic and Commercial Office of the Chinese Embassy led by its Head, Minister Counsellor Jin Xu, on a tour of the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics at Heriot-Watt University. They were accompanied by Ruth Moir, Heriot-Watt’s Assistant Principal (International Development) and James Brodie of the China Britain Business Council.

At the beginning of March The Edinburgh Centre for Robotics played host to the BBC's Science editor, David Shukman. He visited both the Heriot-Watt University and University of Edinburgh sites, and got a taste of our current research. It was a great way to showcase the facilities, technology and research that the centre has to offer.

The BBC spent time with a number of academics associated with the centre with Centre co-director Professor David Lane explaining  that there is ''a global race to be the country that develops the best smart robots". 

In February of this year,  Professors David Lane and Sethu Vijayakumar, Directors of the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics spent a week in Japan, a visit organised by The British Embassy’s Science and Innovation department. The visit's main objective was to highlight the strength of UK institutions, industries and start-ups to the Japanese market.

Dr Patricia Vargas, Outreach and Public Engagment lead at the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, has just secured funding from The Royal Society-Newton International Exchanges (Newton Fund) Scheme.

This will support her work which is in collaboration with the Brazilian Neuroscience Institute .

Congratulations Patricia!