National Engineering Day 2024 – Meet our Robotics Engineers

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To mark National Engineering Day (13 November 2024), we have been speaking to our Robotics Engineers about their career paths, engineering role models and what a typical day is like at the National Robotarium…

Hsing-Yu Chen

 

Hsing-Yu Chen

Who’s your engineering role model?

One of my key role models in engineering is Morris Chang, the founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). His technical expertise, leadership and vision have revolutionised the semiconductor industry and made a huge impact on global technology innovation. His emphasis on long-term thinking, collaboration, and focus on excellence in manufacturing processes continues to inspire me in my own work.

What in your mind is an example of good engineering?

An example of engineering that truly inspires me is the development of reusable rockets. This breakthrough in space technology shows us the power of dreaming big and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. The ability to reuse rockets—once thought to be impossible—has the potential to completely reshape the aerospace industry, opening up new possibilities for space travel and exploration.”

What is typical day like as a Robotics Engineer?

A typical day for a robotics engineer begins with problem-solving, addressing challenges and issues related to the robots they are developing. This entails brainstorming innovative solutions to optimize robot performance, troubleshooting both hardware and software components, conducting experiments to validate the robots’ functionality, and delving into data analysis. Given the collaborative nature of their work, engineers often engage in ongoing communication with team members and clients.

What skills are required to be a good engineer?

Beyond technical proficiency, being a good engineer relies on essential problem-solving and critical thinking skills, enabling the identification and resolution of intricate engineering challenges. Equally critical is a commitment to continuous learning and stay attuned with this rapidly evolving field, ensuring that engineers can adapt to new technologies and innovate effectively.

How does engineering improve people’s lives?

Robotics engineering plays a pivotal role in enhancing people’s lives in numerous ways. For instance, the creation of surgical robots and prosthetic limbs improves the quality of medical treatments and enhances the lives of patients. Autonomous vehicles not only increase transportation efficiency but also enhance road safety. Assistive robots simplify daily tasks, making life more convenient and accessible for individuals. These advancements underscore the transformative impact of robotics engineering on our daily existence and overall well-being.

How can engineering help us live and/or work more sustainably?

Robotic engineering offers substantial potential to enhance sustainable living and working in various domains. This can be achieved by automating industrial processes to boost efficiency, optimising resource utilisation to reduce consumption and lower carbon emissions, improving recycling rates through precise sorting, and monitoring environmental changes. These technologies have the potential to create a more environmentally friendly and resilient world.

 

Hari Lakshman

Who are your engineering role models?
The reason I pursued an engineering career was after watching an animated video about Nikola Tesla’s life. Reading about his work, dedication, and passion to keep inventing things inspired me to follow in his footsteps. Another inspiration in my life is Henry Ford, who taught me so much about tech business, optimisation, and efficiency.”

Can you give an example of good engineering that inspires you?
The pyramids are the first engineering marvel that blew my mind; it’s exhausting even to imagine the methods ancient people might have used to build such a magnificent structure. Another marvel is the Chandra X-ray Observatory, which enables scientists to collect data and images for space research. This incredible piece of engineering has revolutionised space science research.”

What does the role of Robotics Engineer involve?
Robotics engineers involve themselves in various fields of engineering. It is always a big learning curve, sometimes building robots feels like creating a human child. We have knowledge in coding, software development, and designing prototypes, which involves an extensive understanding of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and control systems. We try and implement cutting-edge machine learning and AI algorithms to make the robot more intelligent and more efficient. For me, I’m still learning lots and lots to become a fine-tuned robotics engineer.

What skills are required to be a good engineer?
Robotics engineers should have skills such as critical thinking and design thinking, programming, active learning, teamwork, safety skills and leadership qualities.

How does engineering improve people’s lives?
Engineering helps to improve people’s lives in every possible way: economically, and ethically, it helps to improve quality of life, solve societal problems, fight against climate change and more. At the National Robotarium, we use our engineering skills to build robots that can help people with physically or mentally challenging tasks, and improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Ronnie Smith

What is typical day like as a Robotics Engineer?

What you spend most of your time on day to day depends on your own role within the team. Some engineers can spend most of their day at a computer doing design or programming, while others might do largely hands on work building, extending, debugging, and maintaining robots. Since we tend to work on multiple projects at once, most days start by figuring out what to prioritise. For me, a typical day might involve some proposal writing, development work, project team meetings, and monitoring/debugging some of the robots we are testing as part of ongoing projects.

What skills are required to be a good engineer?

Since robotics is such an inter-disciplinary field, I think there is no fixed set of skills to be a robotics engineer. I think a good robotics isn’t necessarily someone who is an expert in all aspects of robotics, but rather someone who has their own strengths in a few core areas and who is interested in learning about the whole robotic system to the point where they can understand how everything fits together. This applies to myself, as I come from mainly a software background, but am keen to use my time at the National Robotarium to learn and become a more “rounded” robotics engineer.

How does engineering improve people’s lives?

Most of the time, when engineers are working on a problem it is in the name of improving our comfort, efficiency, safety, or our general quality of life. Robotics is a field which has the potential to touch on all of these aspects. In my previous role as a PhD student, we worked on assistive robotics and technology for older adults. Through user engagement we worked to understand the ways in which collaborative robotics can enable individuals to live in their own home for longer by automating aspects of daily tasks that might otherwise be impossible to complete alone.

How can engineering help us live and/or work more sustainably?

One of the main ways that robots can aid with sustainability is by being more efficient than the solutions that came before. What is meant by efficiency will of course differ across domains, but for example in manufacturing this might mean process efficiency which increases hourly output for the same or less energy. On the other hand, in agriculture it could be that increased precision in turn leads to increased efficiency, e.g., more accurate and targeted spraying of crops conserves resources.

Can you give an example of good engineering that inspires you?

I would look to the semiconductor industry and the advancement of the transistor-based processor over the past several decades as an example of inspiring engineering. Computers today are using billions of tiny transistors, manufactured at nanometre scale, to perform trillions of mathematical operations every second. This achievement has relied on back-to-back advancements and innovation across materials science, lithography, quantum physics, and of course computer and electronics engineers. To me, this is a shining example of human ingenuity and our ability to work together on a large scale to create technology that is so pervasive and seamless that we are able to take it for granted. 

Rahul Ramachandran

Who are your engineering role models?

The Wright brothers and Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam are two of my biggest role models. The Wright brothers’ achievement in creating the first successful powered airplane inspires me with their relentless pursuit of innovation and their ability to overcome doubt and failure. Similarly, Dr. Kalam’s perseverance and contributions to ISRO, especially his leadership in missions like India’s Mars Orbiter Mission, remind me of the importance of vision and hard work in achieving groundbreaking results. Both have shown me that with determination and passion, it’s possible to change the course of history.

Can you give an example of good engineering that inspires you?

One piece of engineering that really inspires me is the Moog synthesizer. What I love about it is how it simplified the complex technology of earlier electronic instruments, making it easier for musicians to use. The design is so elegant, and the way it combines innovation with simplicity was groundbreaking at the time. The Moog didn’t just change the way music was made; it made a complex tool feel accessible, showing how thoughtful design can open up new possibilities and spark creativity in unexpected ways.

What does the role of Robotics Engineer involve?

Robotics is an interdisciplinary field and because of that robotics engineer’s role depends on one’s engineering background, be it mechanical, electrical, computer science, sociology or applied physics. For example, a robotics engineer with a degree in Mechanical Engineering would work on the design and modelling of robot mechanics, whereas one with a background in electrical and electronics engineering would develop the robot’s battery management system and its sensors and actuators.

What skills are required to be a good engineer?

I believe that to be a good engineer, you must be able to understand the need for an engineering solution to any given problem. It’s not the “what” and “how” but the “why” that comes first.

Be curious, take inspiration from nature and question EVERYTHING! Analytical thinking is very important as is the ability to communicate effectively in a collaborative environment. It is helpful to have an engineering degree, but it is not always necessary if you have the proper knowledge and practical skills.”

How does engineering improve people’s lives?

We live in a world where everything we see has been engineered for us to live a better life, especially in today’s modern digital world, where everything is data-driven. We now have self-driving cars and text-to-speech solutions such as Okay Google, Alexa and Siri which enable us to make calls and play songs using voice commands.

At the National Robotarium, we are developing solutions such as unmanned underwater robots to undertake the inspection of offshore turbines, which is currently being done by deep-sea scuba divers. We are also improving the quality of life for many people doing repetitive tasks in factories by developing solutions for factory automation, which will enable people to safely undertake less repetitive and more skilled tasks side-by-side with robots.

 

National Robotarium accelerates industry development of wind farm robotics

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The National Robotarium is supporting the development of new artificial intelligence and control systems that could enable underwater robots to operate autonomously in turbulent seas, potentially revolutionising maintenance and repair tasks for offshore wind turbines.

The UNITE project, an EPSRC Prosperity Partnership programme led by Heriot-Watt University in collaboration with Imperial College London, is creating new artificial intelligence and control systems in partnership with geo-data specialist Fugro and Heriot-Watt University spinout Frontier Robotics, supported by the National Robotarium, the UK’s centre for robotics and AI.

“The UNITE project was co-created with Fugro to develop the next generation of autonomy-enabled robotics solutions for offshore inspection and maintenance. We are especially interested in subsea inspection and manipulation in dynamic environments where existing solutions cannot be used.”

– Yvan Petillot, Professor of Robotics at Heriot Watt University and National Robotarium academic lead

“Our trials are showing promising results in enabling underwater robots to maintain stable contact with offshore structures in challenging conditions,” said David Morrison, Project Manager at the National Robotarium. “If successful, the technology could transform offshore wind maintenance, reducing fuel consumption of maintenance missions by up to 97% – from 7,000 litres per day to just 200 litres. This could significantly lower both operational costs and the carbon footprint of maintenance.”

The project demonstrates the National Robotarium’s role in bringing together established companies and emerging innovators. Through its laboratories and testing infrastructure, the facility enables rapid development and validation of commercial solutions. The technology being developed could reduce standard data collection time from three weeks to just three hours.

“With the exponential growth of offshore infrastructure, we need to look towards deploying more AI, robots and autonomy to enable the industry to take advantage of new technologies to work even more efficiently and to scale with the global demand,” said Jonatan Scharff Willners, CEO of Frontier Robotics. “It is great to work closely with Heriot-Watt University, the National Robotarium and Fugro to tackle these highly important problems, which are key components if we want to transition to renewable energy using a greener and more sustainable supply-chain.”

Mark Bruce, Global Product Manager of Next Generation ROV Systems at Fugro, said: “Our USVs and eROV’s deliver unmatched efficiency, hugely reduced environmental impact, and most importantly they eliminate human risk offshore by removing people from harm’s way. Our remote operations centres have been operating for ten years, during which time we have refined and improved our solutions.”

The National Robotarium provides companies with access to laboratories, testing facilities, and specialised equipment, alongside support for commercialisation. Companies working at the facility can connect with researchers, access funding opportunities, and engage with the UK’s broader robotics ecosystem.

The £1.4 million Underwater Intervention for Offshore Renewable Energies (UNITE) project is led by Professor Yvan Petillot from Heriot-Watt University, with Dr. Sen Wang leading Imperial College London’s contributions, and is funded through an EPSRC Prosperity Partnership, part of UK Research and Innovation.

The National Robotarium welcomes contact from energy companies and technology providers interested in exploring the commercial applications of this technology. Email nationalrobotarium@hw.ac.uk or contact our Business Development team.

Robotics: Scotland’s manufacturing opportunity

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By Stewart Miller, CEO of the National Robotarium

In a forward-looking vision for Scotland’s future, the recent Programme for Government highlighted the critical role of advanced technologies in driving our economic growth and enhancing our public services. At the heart of this vision, the National Robotarium was specifically acknowledged as a driver of innovation – signalling the government’s recognition of the role that robotics will play in Scotland’s technological and economic future.

This acknowledgment comes at a pivotal time for Scotland. As we strive to boost our GDP and increase productivity, the role of cutting-edge technologies like robotics becomes increasingly important. The government’s commitment to investing in innovation and advanced manufacturing capabilities demonstrates a readiness to back transformative initiatives that can shape our economic landscape.

The global robotics market is poised for explosive growth; expected to surge from $72 billion in 2022 to an estimated $283 billion by 2032. This represents an unprecedented opportunity for economic growth and job creation. Scotland, with its strong tradition of entrepreneurship coupled with its engineering excellence, is well-positioned to seize this opportunity.

However, to fully capitalise on this robotics revolution, Scotland must evolve from being merely an innovator to becoming a manufacturer. This shift is essential if we are to reverse the current trend where the UK lags behind in robotics adoption, with only a 3% growth compared to global leaders like China, which saw a 5% increase of nearly 300,000 robot installations in 2022 alone.

The path forward is clear: we need to establish comprehensive robotics clusters in Scotland – not just centres for research and development, but complete ecosystems that serve all supply chain needs for making robots. These clusters would bring together academia, industry, and government to foster collaboration, drive commercialisation, and create high-skilled jobs.

The Scottish Government has already taken steps in this direction. The recent announcement of a £35 million Manufacturing Property Challenge Programme by Scottish Enterprise is a prime example. This initiative aims to create 1,000,000 sq ft of new industrial space, equivalent to 14 football pitches, to increase innovation and Scotland’s attractiveness to inward investors.

This investment is crucial, as Scotland’s manufacturing sector currently employs around 170,000 people and is responsible for more than half of the country’s international exports. By creating new, high-quality manufacturing spaces, we can attract more high-value manufacturing to Scotland, driving economic growth and increasing productivity.

The benefits of investing in robotics clusters are already evident. As the National Robotarium marks its second anniversary, it has become a hub of fresh ideas, hosting hundreds of professionals and students, incubating exciting start-ups, and driving forward industry-funded projects. Imagine the impact if we could scale this model across Scotland, and indeed the UK, adding robust manufacturing capabilities.

The potential applications of robotics are vast and varied. In healthcare, for instance, researchers at NHS Lanarkshire’s Blantyre LIFE care facility are testing a ‘social robot’ named ARI, designed to aid patients recovering from critical injuries. This project aims to support the self-management of rehabilitation by patients, showcasing how robotics can complement and enhance human expertise in healthcare settings. The collaboration between roboticists and healthcare professionals at Blantyre LIFE demonstrates the potential for robotics to address real-world challenges in our healthcare system.

In the energy sector, our partnership with Fugro on the UNITE project aims to revolutionise the maintenance of offshore wind turbines, improving worker safety and operational efficiency. This directly supports our renewable energy ambitions while creating new, high-skilled jobs.

The success of the National Robotarium in Edinburgh provides a blueprint for what could be achieved not just in Scotland but across the whole of the UK. Our vision extends beyond Scotland’s borders, proposing a network of ten ‘Robotarium’ facilities throughout the UK, each specialising in different sectors and capabilities. This UK-wide network would create a powerful ecosystem of robotics innovation and manufacturing, positioning Britain as a global leader in the field.

To fully realise these opportunities, we need a two-pronged approach: first, building on the Scottish Government’s initiatives here in Scotland, and second, advocating for a coordinated strategy across the entire UK.

In Scotland, our immediate focus should be on investing in advanced manufacturing facilities specifically geared towards robotics production, developing targeted training programmes to build the necessary workforce skills, and creating incentives for businesses to locate their robotics manufacturing operations here. The triple helix of academia, industry, and government in Scotland is crucial to driving innovation and commercialisation, as is supporting Scottish robotics companies in accessing global markets.

Simultaneously, we must work with partners across the UK to replicate and adapt these successful Scottish initiatives, creating a cohesive national strategy that leverages the strengths of each region.

By taking these steps, we can become not just a consumer of robotics technology, but a producer and exporter.

The Scottish Government has shown foresight in recognising the importance of “deep tech” and advanced manufacturing capabilities. Now, we need to build on this vision with concrete action – creating an environment where robotics innovation can thrive and where that innovation can be turned into tangible products manufactured right here in Scotland.

As other nations race ahead in robotics adoption and manufacturing, time is of the essence. Scotland has the talent, the research capabilities, and the innovative spirit. What we need now is the manufacturing infrastructure and supportive policy environment to match.

By embracing this opportunity, we can ensure that Scotland is not just a bystander in the robotics revolution, but a participant and leader. As the UK government refines its industrial strategy, it must recognise what the Scottish Government already has: robotics is not just the future, it’s the present, and it’s an opportunity we cannot afford to miss. The robots are coming – it’s time for Scotland to build them.

This article originally featured in The Herald HQ Business Supplement on 3 October 2024.

Renowned author to interview Ameca humanoid robot on-stage at Edinburgh Futures Institute

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Ameca, one of the world’s most advanced humanoids, will take to the stage for a one-on-one interview with nationally decorated author Jeanette Winterson, as part of the Edinburgh Futures Institute (EFI) official launch event.

The robot, recently installed at The National Robotarium, a world-leading centre for robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) at Heriot-Watt University, will share its thoughts on the rapid advancement of AI in society and how people’s lives, work and learning will be impacted by the development of these technologies.

Also speaking at the event, taking place 7 October, is the National Robotarium’s Head of Robotics, Dr Ingo Keller, who will join a panel discussion with Jeanette and Chair JL Williams for a deep-dive into the future of robots and how human trust and relationships robots will evolve as the technology gets increasingly more sophisticated.

‘Jeanette Winterson: In Conversation with Ameca’ kicks-off EFI’s new season of events, Learning Curves, its first since renovation work was completed on the building. It also marks the first joint event delivered by EFI and The National Robotarium, both partner hubs of the Data-Driven Innovation initiative, funded as part of the Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal to make the region the data capital of Europe.

Get your FREE ticket at: https://efi.ed.ac.uk/event/jeanette-winterson-in-conversation-with-ameca/

For more information on EFI’s Learning Curves autumn programme, including links to other events, visit: https://efi.ed.ac.uk/learning-curves-autumn-2024/

The National Robotarium and Blantyre LIFE: The future of robotics-assisted care

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Researchers at the National Robotarium are working with an innovative new health and care facility in Lanarkshire to advance development of the next generation of assistive robotics.

Blantyre LIFE, a ground-breaking care development which opened last year, has already forged an international reputation for pioneering increasingly sophisticated care and expertise in the heart of a community. Several fact-finding missions have been undertaken to see how technology is being used to make day-to-day living easier and safer, including service-users having the opportunity to learn how to live independently as possible in a tech-enabled homes.

Now, in a taste of things that could come, South Lanarkshire University Health and Social Care Partnership have welcomed the arrival of the National Robotarium’s ARI, a ‘social robot’, with human-like characteristics.

Two weeks of research, supported by experts from the Human-Robot Interaction Research group at the National Robotarium, the world-leading centre for robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh campus, have been underway to gather feedback from health and social care staff on an early robot prototype that aims to assist people recovering after critical injury.

Professor Soumen Sengupta, Chief Officer of South Lanarkshire University HSCP said:

“The foundation of our partnership is made up of the human compassion of the expertise of our staff.

“The presence of ARI represents our commitment to both amplifying – not replacing – that expertise with latest technology and working with academic partners in a highly innovative space.

“It also characterises our dedication to helping shape emerging and existing opportunities that rapidly evolving technology could have for the future of health and care delivery.”

The research team is led by the Head of Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) at the National Robotarium Professor Lynne Baillie.

Professor Baillie said:

“We’re developing the ARI robot to support the self-management of rehabilitation by patients. The robot will offer verbal instruction and encouragement during exercise sessions as well as using its human-like limbs to physically demonstrate how to do exercises properly.

“We believe that this engagement can help empower patients to stick with their exercise regime and improve their overall wellbeing.”

Whilst patients aren’t yet involved in the research, Carl Bettosi, a PhD student in HRI at the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics, who is supervised by Professor Baillie, has been working closely with health and social care professionals at Blantyre LIFE to gather data which will inform future versions.

He said: “A key focus of our research is the ability of the robot to make some decisions autonomously and thus reduce the burden on healthcare staff. To do this, we will develop cutting-edge decision-making techniques driven by machine learning.

“It’s amazing to come to a place like Blantyre LIFE and see how technology is being embraced and used alongside hard-earned human expertise and compassion. We hope to work with Blantyre again in the near future.”

The National Robotarium, one of six Data Driven Innovation hubs funded in partnership with The University of Edinburgh, works directly with industry to test and develop robotic, AI and automated technologies, creating innovative solutions to global challenges. Scientists from the facility have been working in tandem with Blantyre LIFE to explore how robotics can support healthcare professionals and improve patient wellbeing.

Lisa Farrell, Business Development Manager, said:

“We’re on a mission at The National Robotarium to create new robotics technologies that can support clinicians and healthcare professionals whilst stimulating growth and innovation within the health services. However, it’s crucial that any robotics solutions are developed with the end user in mind.

“Collaborating with facilities like Blantyre LIFE allows us to work closely with experts in health and social care throughout the testing and development stage. Their lived experience helps us understand their priorities when working with patients, allowing us to build robotic systems that are safe, effective, and user-friendly.”

WATCH: Carl and ARI at Blantyre LIFE:

SOLD OUT Doors Open Day at The National Robotarium – Saturday 28 September

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On Saturday 28 September, The National Robotarium will be open to the general public for Doors Open Day!

Visit us at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh campus for a tour of our hi-spec labs for Human-Robot Interaction, Robotics and Autonomous Systems and Precision Laser Applications, watch live demonstrations of our quadruped robotic dogs and advanced conversational humanoid Ameca, and test your own robotics skills through hands-on activities.

REGISTER VIA EVENTBRITE

Advance booking essential.

 

 

The image shows a humanoid robot interacting with a person wearing VR goggles in an indoor setting.

Robots help guide self-managed rehabilitation for stroke and brain injury survivors

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Robotic ‘coaches’ aiding upper limb rehabilitation for stroke and brain injury survivors have been successfully trialled in Vienna, Austria. This international pilot study was led by researchers from the National Robotarium.

The VITALISE (Virtual Health and Wellbeing Living Lab Infrastructure) project, funded by the Horizon Europe programme and led by the National Robotarium’s Human Robot Interaction (HRI) team, has developed a system where socially assistive robots communicate with patients using a headset that detects brain neural activity.

Developed with the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, the robot processes these signals to understand the user’s movement intention during exercises, providing real-time verbal motivation, visual mimicry, and feedback as they complete specific movements.

This research aims to make it easier and more engaging for people to adhere to prescribed self-managed rehabilitation routines by providing personalised support based on individual needs, cognitive capability, and exercise pace.

“We envision a future where patients have access to personalised robotic coaches that support clinicians and experts to deliver even more successful rehabilitation journeys.” – Professor Lynne Baillie

Around 80% of acute stroke and brain injury survivors have an upper limb impairment, limiting arm movement. This often long-term impairment can significantly affect an individual’s independent living and daily activities.

Improving functions after cognitive injuries requires task-specific repetitive exercise. However, 60% of stroke survivors may suffer from forgetfulness, and only 31% complete their prescribed rehabilitation routines. Lack of motivation and immediate progress indicators can contribute to this low exercise uptake.

Over three months, the VITALISE team worked with 16 stroke and brain injury survivors and six therapists to test the robot-assisted rehabilitation system’s ability to understand user intention and provide personalised motivation. They explored whether a robot could detect a person’s intended exercise movement using brain signal data and then mimic that motion in real-time to demonstrate an exercise.

Through questionnaires and interviews, researchers gathered feedback on the robot’s success at motivating exercise, building user trust, and overall ease of use. This evaluation has helped investigate the potential for socially assistive robots with neural interfaces to provide tailored support for self-managed rehabilitation.

The National Robotarium is part of the Data-Driven Innovation initiative, supported by £21 million from the UK Government and £1.4 million from the Scottish Government. The initiative aims to turn Edinburgh into the data capital of Europe and is part of the wider £1.5 billion Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal.

Lynne Baillie, Professor of Computer Science at Heriot-Watt University and academic lead at the National Robotarium for human-robot interaction, assistive living and health, said:

“We know that sustained, repetitive exercises are crucial for recovery after a stroke or brain injury. However, without supervision, it can be challenging for survivors to stay motivated. Our research shows the incredible potential for these technologies to understand users’ needs and empower them to achieve recovery goals.

“At the National Robotarium, our ambition is to develop automated technologies that assist and empower people, including those managing health conditions, to remain independent in their homes for longer. This successful pilot represents an important milestone toward that vision, demonstrating how we can thoughtfully design robotics to deliver better health outcomes for vulnerable groups like stroke and brain injury survivors.”

Markus Garschall, scientist at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Center for Technology Experience, and Vice President of AAL AUSTRIA, added:

“Especially in the field of eHealth, co-design methods are very helpful and work well. It was important for us to examine the user experience as well as the feasibility of the approach for both people with hemiparesis and physiotherapists.

“At the same time, the transnational collaboration with scientists from Scotland was also very inspiring; we need much more European cooperation and exchange, especially in the healthcare sector.”

The pilot study was funded under the European Union’s Horizon2020 Research and Innovation Programme as part of the larger VITALISE project for advancing rehabilitation infrastructure.

Watch the Vitalise project in action.

VIDEO: What is the Robotics Revolution?

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In March 2024, at the Houses of Parliament, the National Robotarium launched ‘Reaping the Rewards of the Robotics Revolution’, an ambitious policy plan outlining the five steps needed to make the UK an active player in the global robotics economy.

But, what is the Robotics Revolution? And how can the UK play its part?

In our latest video, Chief Executive Officer Stewart Miller, Business Development expert Lisa Farrell, and Dr Lorenzo Conti, Director and Co-Founder of industry residents Crover, outline the success of the National Robotarium model in supporting the development of new robotics technologies, driving homegrown innovations, and futureproofing the UK’s workforce, and economy, for an increasingly roboticised future.

Ben Glasgow

BLOG: “Ameca, do you like Taylor Swift?” Coming face-to-face with one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots.

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The chance for children to meet advanced humanoid robots like Ameca reveals the potential for artificial intelligence to enhance learning in schools, says Schools and Industry Engagement Lead at the National Robotarium,  Michelle McLeod

Last month, we welcomed students from Lasswade Primary and High Schools to the National Robotarium here at Heriot-Watt University to meet Ameca, one of the world’s most advanced humanoid robots.

As robots become more commonplace in classrooms and other child-focused environments, understanding how children form trusting relationships with these machines will be crucial. With this insight, we can design robots to more effectively collaborate with teachers and help to educate children.

We’ve done considerable research on human-robot interaction. One of our studies found that a robot’s ability to reliably perform its intended function is the most significant predictor of whether humans will trust it. In other words, if a robot consistently completes its tasks as expected, humans are more likely to have confidence in the machine.

A similar but separate study by scientists in Sweden, Germany, and Australia, shed some light on how children in particular perceive, and trust robots compared to humans. The research revealed that children tend to trust robots more than humans, believing that when the humans in the study made mistakes they were doing so on purpose, while the robots were not seen as making intentional errors.

So, why is trust between humans and robots so important? Their potential applications in education aside, it is increasingly likely that robots will become ubiquitous in the workplaces of the future so if we can get our young people comfortable living and working with them early, it will make that transition much easier.

This is why we invested in Ameca. We want to use it to engage with people of all ages to try and demystify robotics, to break down the barriers often associated with the apprehension of interacting with a machine that looks a lot like you.

Ameca’s makers, Engineered Arts, designed Ameca so that it mimics human behaviour as realistically as possible, maintaining eye contact and using familiar facial expressions and hand gestures, which are part of how humans interact with each other.

The young people who visited today were clearly awestruck by Ameca. Their eyes lit up when they walked through the door and saw it for the first time, some grinning from ear to ear, one little girl’s mouth dropped open, another mouthed a silent ‘wow’. They were initially unsure how to interact with Ameca but after a little prompting the questions started to flow.

“Would you like to be human?”, “Can you feel emotions?”, “What is 1,000 plus 1,000?”, and even, “Ameca, do you like Taylor Swift?”. (Turns out it does, or at least “can appreciate the emotional depth of her music”.)

The children then drew pictures for Ameca to identify. Most were of simple things like apples, or a spaceship, which it was easily able to recognise. Impressively, it was also able to identify that one child had drawn more irregular than regular pentagons on their page. Ameca’s blatant cheating at ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’, however, making its choice after the child it was playing had revealed his, wasn’t so impressive.

By the end of the visit, the children were posing for selfies with Ameca, and a bond had clearly been formed. One little boy even returned to the room after a break, ran up to Ameca with his arms outstretched and shouted, “Ameca, it’s me, I’m back!”.

Ameca has limitations. It hasn’t been created to walk, for example, and does lose focus if too many people speak at once, so it won’t necessarily be the robot we find moving amongst us in the years to come but there is a higher purpose.

Research with school-aged children shows puppets , like a favourite doll or teddy bear, can encourage learning and improve communication and behaviour. Talking to a puppet, as opposed to a person, makes the conversation feel less personal and more pretend. It is a play-based technique sometimes used in therapy to help the child feel less self-conscious and open up.
We believe it’s the same with robots. In terms of interacting with artificial intelligence, for example, Ameca allows children to explore systems in a natural conversational manner, rather than battering questions into something like ChatGPT.

I think the questions the children were asking today showed their curiosity and interest in robotics and AI. That they so quickly adapted to Ameca was interesting, they were talking to it as if it was something more than a robot, as if it had a human personality. That’s a good sign.

Originally published in TES magazine on 24 July 2024.

Adobe stock

Fruit farmers can predict crops using AI tool

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A new AI system that counts flowers on fruit trees is helping farmers to predict harvest sizes months in advance, making crop yields more efficient, sustainable, and profitable.

Developed by researchers at the National Robotarium, alongside scientific partners in Chile and Spain, the system uses images taken with a standard smartphone to accurately estimate the number of flowers on a fruit tree by recognising patterns and features, such as the edges and shapes of petals, even when they overlap or are partially obscured.

When tested on peach orchards in Catalonia, Spain, the AI predicted flower counts with a 90% accuracy – a significant improvement on current manual methods used by farmers, such as counting by eye or taking area samples, which can have error rates of 30-50%.

By providing more precise yield forecasts up to six months before harvest, the system could help growers optimise water use, allocate human and economic resources more efficiently, and better plan harvesting and distribution logistics.

It’s estimated that agriculture uses 65% of the world’s fresh water, almost half of which is wasted, whilst approximately 45% of fruit and vegetables produced for human consumption are lost or wasted every year across the global supply chain.

Researchers from the National Robotarium, the UK’s centre for robotics and AI based in Edinburgh, will validate the AI’s predictions against the actual peach harvest in September 2024. If proven effective, they believe the approach could be adapted for other important crops like apples, pears and cherries, benefiting fruit growers in Britain, Europe and beyond.

The National Robotarium is part of the Data-Driven Innovation initiative, supported by £21 million from the UK Government and £1.4 million from the Scottish Government. The initiative aims to turn Edinburgh into the data capital of Europe and is part of the wider £1.5 billion Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal.

Dr Fernando Auat Cheein is associate professor in robotics and autonomous systems at the National Robotarium. He said:

“In countries all across the world, farmers often rely on manual methods to estimate their yields, which can have a significant error margin. By leveraging the power of AI and the convenience of off-the-shelf technology like smartphones, our approach seamlessly integrates with traditional farming practices, making it easier for growers to embrace and benefit from innovative solutions without overhauling their existing methods.

“Throughout the project, we worked closely with peach farmers in Spain to understand their challenges and ensure the system met their requirements. The farmers appreciated the simplicity and accuracy of the flower counting AI, noting its potential to help them make more informed decisions about crop management, such as targeted pruning and herbicide application. By focusing their efforts on areas of the farm that are expected to yield the most fruit, farmers can optimise resources, reduce their environmental footprint, and maximise both the quantity and quality of their harvest.

“While our research has focused on peaches, the principles behind this technology could be applied to a wide range of fruit crops worldwide, including those grown in the UK. As part of the National Robotarium’s mission to use AI and robotics to drive sustainable and productive agriculture, we collaborate closely with industry partners to develop innovative solutions that tackle real-world challenges, aiming to create tangible benefits for farmers, society, and the environment alike.”

The research project has been developed by academics and researchers from the National Robotarium, the Advanced Center for Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Federico Santa Maria Technical University (Valparaiso, Chile) and Universidad Andres Bello (Chile).

The National Robotarium is at the forefront of driving innovation in agriculture through the application of AI and robotics. Its world-class researchers collaborate with industry partners to develop cutting-edge solutions that address the most pressing challenges facing the agriculture sector, from improving crop yields and quality to reducing environmental impact and enhancing sustainability.

If you’re interested in learning how the National Robotarium can help your sector, please get in touch with our Business Development team.

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