AI Archives

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

25 September 2024/in Artificial Intelligence, Data Driven Innovation, Human-Robot Interaction, News, Partnership working, Previous Events, Public engagement and outreach, Robots, University of Edinburgh/by Louise Jack

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/

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Fruit farmers can predict crops using AI tool

18 June 2024/in Artificial Intelligence, Heriot-Watt University, News, Partnership working, Research/by Louise Jack

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.

‘AI and Robotics: Transforming society and the workforce’ – Thurs 23 May, 2pm

7 May 2024/in Previous Events/by Louise Jack

The National Robotarium is hosting an exclusive screening of the new film in the Nash Squared Tech Flix series.

‘AI and Robotics: Transforming society and the workforce’, hosted by Group Technology Evangelist David Savage, will explore how the rapid advancement of robots and Artificial Intelligence is impacting employment, regulation, and business-readiness andincludes interviews with Robotarium CEO Stewart Miller, academic co-lead Professor Yvan Petillot, and COO of resident company, medical technology start-up Bioliberty, Conan Bradley.

FREE 🎟 on Eventbrite

Stewart Miller: Britain must grasp the opportunities presented by robotics

18 December 2023/in Artificial Intelligence, News, Scottish Government, UK Government/by Louise Jack

The UK has a major opportunity to position itself at the forefront of the robotics and AI revolution. These technologies promise to reshape industries and provide significant economic benefits, but capturing this potential will require vision, investment and focus from government, academia and business.

Recent research highlighted Edinburgh as the top start-up hub outside London for high-growth companies in AI, digital security and fintech. With academic hubs like the National Robotarium nurturing specialist talent, the ingredients exist for Britain to become a leading developer and exporter of robotic and AI technologies.

The global market for robotics is projected to reach $383 billion by 2032. Meanwhile, PwC estimates AI could contribute more than £200 billion to the UK economy by 2030. To seize a share of these booming sectors, strategic action is needed to foster R&D, translate innovations into commercial technologies and ensure necessary skills are available domestically.

The applications of advanced robotics and AI are near limitless. In factories, automated production lines promise improved quality control and reduced operating costs. Machine-learning algorithms can unlock efficiencies in areas from medical diagnosis to supply chain optimisation. And robots can take over hazardous tasks – from construction to nuclear decommissioning – improving safety and productivity.

The benefits for the services sector are immense too. Chatbots using natural language processing are improving the efficiency of customer service interactions. AI analysis of datasets across finance, retail and other sectors is leading to new data-driven insights.

Pepper, an assistive and rehabilitative humanoid robot

Crucially, embracing these technologies can revive our industries and support levelling-up. The UK has an opportunity to be a producer of robots, and not just a consumer – creating jobs and delivering economic growth. But we need to move fast.

Naturally, there are concerns regarding the need for appropriate regulation as robotics and AI develop. It’s imperative that human values steer the design and application of these technologies. And their implementation must avoid perpetuating biases or compromising privacy.

However, scare stories of runaway autonomous systems are misplaced. In reality, robots will allow people to focus on more satisfying, high-value work – collaborating with ever-smarter machines to find innovative solutions.

The UK Government has ambitious plans to promote AI adoption, but greater effort is required if we’re to build national capability spanning R&D, commercialisation and skills development.
Denmark and South Korea’s investments in their domestic robotics sectors demonstrate what focused strategy can achieve. The UK must now play catch-up and articulate its own long-term vision.

Initiatives like the National Robotarium, which is celebrating its first anniversary since launching its state-of-the art facility in 2022, are working closely with government and industry, and can help make this vision a reality. But broad collaboration is vital, alongside public engagement initiatives to improve understanding of how technology can drive prosperity.

The prize of global leadership in AI and robotics is within reach. But in a rapidly evolving technological landscape, action is urgently required. With the right strategic investments and partnerships, these promising technologies can catalyse innovation across the UK economy.

Originally published in The Herald Business and Technology section, on 15 December 2023

New training centre created to make robots safer and more trustworthy

2 November 2023/in Heriot-Watt University, News, Research, Students, UK Government, University of Edinburgh/by Louise Jack

Funding for a new training centre to make robots safer and more trustworthy has been announced for the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics.

The new UKRI Centre for Doctoral Training in Dependable and Deployable Artificial Intelligence for Robotics – shortened to CDT-D2AIR (pronounced ‘dare’) – will train new PhD students in verification and certification systems for robotics and AI.

The aim of the centre, delivered in partnership by experts from Heriot-Watt University and The University of Edinburgh, is to ensure that robotics applications in the home and in industry – such as AI assistants to help with independent living or robotic machinery in manufacturing and construction – can interact safely with the environment and users. Postgraduate students in the CDT will be given access to high-spec lab space, robotics equipment and expertise at the National Robotarium as part of their studentship.

The centre is being awarded a share of £117 million funding by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – the UK’s national funding agency for investing in science and research – as one of 12 new Centres for Doctoral Training announced by the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in the week of the AI Safety Summit 2023.

The successful submission, driven by former National Robotarium academic co-lead Professor Helen Hastie, highlighted the opportunity and need for students to be able to build skills and understanding around AI, verification, design and robotics, ensuring the UK is equipped with the knowledge to develop AI-driven robotic technologies that are trustworthy, dependable and ethical for end users and industry. The centre builds on work already being undertaken by the UKRI TAS (Trustworthy Autonomous Systems) Node in Trust, which Professor Hastie and others at Heriot-Watt are involved in.

Professor Ron Petrick, a Professor of Computer Science at Heriot-Watt University and a world-leading researcher in automated planning and robotics, is Director of the new D2AIR Centre for Doctoral Training.

He said: “There is a clear need for robotics and AI systems be certifiable, reliable and capable of interacting safely with people and the environment. While AI methods are being increasingly used in robotics, much of this technology was not originally designed with safety and other important human-centred requirements in mind. Making AI truly applicable to, and deployable in, robotic solutions will require advanced sets of skills and a new way of thinking.”

Professor Petrick said examples such as generative AI assistants – embodied as robots or speakers – that are deployed in the home to help with independent living, had to converse and collaborate safely. Robots that can sense and interact in their environment for manufacturing and construction also had to work in challenging and extreme environments.

“Crucially, in all of these cases, the safety of autonomous systems is key to their deployability, especially when they need to operate around people,” he added.

Professor Petrick said D2AIR would build a new talent pipeline of graduates who can think in new ways around researching, designing, building and deploying dependable and safe robotics solutions.

“This pipeline will increase productivity, catapulting the UK as a world-leader in trustworthy robotics and AI technologies,” Professor Petrick said.

UKRI said £117 million funding in total had been awarded to 12 Centres for Doctoral Training in Artificial Intelligence based at 16 universities. The investment will continue to ensure that the UK has the skills needed to seize the potential of the AI era, and to nurture the British tech talent that will push the AI revolution forwards, UKRI said.

Michelle Donelan, UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, said: “The UK is at the very front of the global race to turn AI’s awesome potential into a giant leap forward for people’s quality of life and productivity at work, all while ensuring this technology works safely, ethically and responsibly.

“The plans we are announcing today will future-proof our nation’s skills base, meaning we can reap the benefits of AI as it continues to develop. At the same time, we are taking the first steps to put the power of this technology to work, for good, across Government and society.”

UKRI Chief Executive, Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, said: “The UK is in a strong position to harness the power of AI to transform many aspects of our lives for the better. Crucial to this endeavour is nurturing the talented people and teams we need to apply AI to a broad spectrum of challenges, from healthy aging to sustainable agriculture, ensuring its responsible and trustworthy adoption. UKRI is investing £117 million in Centres for Doctoral Training to develop the talented researchers and innovators we need for success.”

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Professor Oliver Lemon named as new co-academic lead at the National Robotarium

14 July 2023/in Heriot-Watt University, News, Research, University of Edinburgh/by Louise Jack

The National Robotarium has named Professor Oliver Lemon as its new co-academic lead.

Professor Lemon, whose background is focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI), brings many years of experience developing machine learning and Natural Language Processing (NLP) models, building knowledge to better understand how robots can interact with humans using conversational speech in visual and spatial use-cases. Current projects being led by Professor Lemon include SPRING, based at the facility’s state-of-the-art HRI labs, which is developing Socially Assistive Robotics to perform multi-person interactions in complex environments, specifically with older patients in hospitals and other healthcare settings.

A former Senior Research Fellow at Stanford University and the University of Edinburgh, and Visiting Scientist at NASA, Professor Lemon has extensive experience working with industry. He has led national and international research projects with partners such as PAL Robotics, SoftBank, France Telecom, and BMW, and is Chief AI Officer and co-founder of the conversational AI company Alana AI. The spinout has recently developed advanced vision-and-language conversational AI solutions for blind and partially-sighted people in partnership with RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind) and for stroke patients, as part of the European Commission’s RES-Q+ medical AI project.

Professor Lemon has also supervised three student teams in the Amazon Alexa Simbot Challenge, an artificial intelligence competition focused on conversational agents. In the latest challenge, on embodied AI, the team were the only non-US competitors to be shortlisted in the top ten, and made it all the way through to the final stages.

His appointment follows the departure of Professor Helen Hastie, who has held the position – alongside incumbent Professor Yvan Petillot – since 2020, overseeing the research strategy of the world-leading Robotics and Artificial Intelligence centre, based at Heriot-Watt University. Working closely with co-academic leads at the University of Edinburgh, Professors Adam Stokes and Sethu Vijayakumar, these important roles were created to strengthen academic collaboration between the two partner institutions. The ties between organisations will be further strengthened when Professor Hastie takes up a new post as Head of the School of Informatics at The University of Edinburgh.

Professor Lemon said: “I’m delighted to join the National Robotarium as its new co-academic lead and continue its work developing science-led robotics and AI solutions to address people’s needs.

”As a co-founder of Alana AI, I understand how to bridge the gap between science and industry and move academic research from labs to market, a core delivery theme at the National Robotarium. I look forward to playing a strategic role supporting its mission to advance the adoption of robotics and AI to help people at work and at home. I’m particularly excited to bring the latest advances in Foundation Models and Large Language Models such as ChatGPT into robotics.”

Stewart Miller, Chief Executive Officer at the National Robotarium said: “I’m very pleased to welcome Oliver to the National Robotarium as our new co-academic lead. His extensive experience into language models for robotics, as well as his many years of research into how humans interact with robots, make him a natural successor to Professor Hastie and I’m keen to work with him to develop the next generation of robotics using safe and responsible AI.”

Team EMMA through to semi-finals of Amazon Alexa Challenge

14 February 2023/in Heriot-Watt University/by Louise Jack

A team of robotics researchers from the National Robotarium, supported by Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh, are through to the semi-finals of Amazon’s Alexa Prize SimBot Challenge – an artificial intelligence competition focused on conversational robots.

Team EMMA, the only non-US team to be shortlisted for the competition, have been developing an embodied conversational agent since the challenge launched in October 2021. Since July 2022, they have been competing in the ‘live interactions’ development phase, during which the agent has been interacting with real Amazon Alexa customers who provided real-time ratings, reviews and feedback.

The next stage of the challenge involves using Amazon’s new Echo Show device, which has a screen to show the robot moving around, as well as speakers and a microphone. The SimBot Challenge involves using various kinds of data, including user feedback, to train a virtual robot to follow human commands.

Dr Alessandro Suglia (pictured above, centre), a tenure-track research fellow in Robotics and Autonomous Systems, leads the team and said:

“It’s amazing to reach the semi-finals of such a prestigious and important competition in the artificial intelligence field.

“It was fun – but also challenging – to work through Amazon’s list of missions for our robot. Using spoken instructions only, we had to get it to do things in its virtual world from pouring milk to fixing a fuse box. We are basically developing the AI that underpins these commands and how the robot moves around its environment to do these things for the user.”

The semi-finals phase of the Alexa Prize SimBot Challenge runs from 2nd February to 22nd March 2023. If Team EMMA reach the finals, they will be competing with three other teams for the first prize of $500,000. The team have already received a grant of $250,000 from Amazon to develop their AI prototype.

The other Team EMMA members are Amit Parekh, a second-year PhD student focused on multi-agent negotiation, and three students from the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Robotics and Autonomous Systems. These are Hemanthage Supun Bhathiya, a second year PhD student working on multimodal conversational AI; Maria-Vasiliki (Malvina) Nikandrou, a second year PhD student working on continual learning techniques for vision and language models, and Georgios Michail Pantazopoulos, a first year PhD student developing novel techniques to improve the generalisation skills of multimodal machine learning models.

£1.3m project investigates if robots can be used to build lasers

13 October 2022/in Heriot-Watt University, Research/by Louise Jack

Experts at the new National Robotarium in Edinburgh and their industrial partners have launched a £1.3 million project to work out if robots could be used to help humans build lasers.

Manufacturing lasers is a lengthy and delicate process, with individual components aligned step-by-step as each device is assembled.

Currently, the process requires dedicated manufacturing lines, which makes it difficult and expensive for the companies that produce lasers to respond quickly to changes in demand from their markets.

The new three-year project, funded by the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), aims to discover if robots could be used to carry out some of the most repetitive and time-consuming assembly and alignment steps in the manufacturing process, which would then free up humans to concentrate on the important testing and quality-control steps.

Announcement of the groundbreaking research project comes as the National Robotarium officially opened the doors to its new state-of-art £22.4 million facility in Edinburgh on 28th September, 2022. Utilising expertise from both Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh, it is the most advanced centre for robotics and AI in the UK and houses extensive world-class facilities for researchers and businesses.

Lasers will play an important role in the newly opened facility – the site has a dedicated laser laboratory, and its projects include developing robots that will use the devices across a wide range of applications, from remote sensing for agriculture through to diagnosis and treatment in medicine.

Researchers from the National Robotarium will be joined in their laser project by industrial experts from optical components manufacturer Gooch & Housego, aerospace giant Leonardo and laser maker Luxinar.

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 £1.3 billion Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal.

Project leader and ultra lab lead at the National Robotarium, Dr Richard Carter, said: “This project will push our understanding of robots’ capabilities to the limit.

“No one knows if robots will be capable of carrying out such complex and intuitive tasks, and so we’ll be working with experienced personnel from throughout the industry to find out.

“Making lasers is a delicate and highly skilled job, with many repetitive steps to make sure each component is aligned as it’s assembled into the device.

“If we can design robots that can carry out many of those repetitive steps then we will be able to improve the quality of the jobs for the talented experts who make these lasers and free them up to work on the important testing and quality assurance steps in the process.”

Dr Carter added: “One of the activities we’ll undertake during this project is to film experts assembling lasers and then ask them questions about what they do at each step.

“So much of the manufacturing process is down to human intuition and experience, and it’s really difficult to teach those factors to a machine.

“If we can develop robots and control systems that can carry out these tasks then the results will have applications in other fields too.”

News of the new project came as the National Robotarium were gold sponsors of the Scotland Automation & Robotics Show, which forms part of the wider Scottish Manufacturing & Supply Chain Conference & Exhibition, at the Scottish Event Campus in Glasgow on 13 October

A firefighter moves through smoke with smart AI-fitted helmet

The National Robotarium teams-up with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service on AI-empowered smart helmet that helps firefighters better locate victims

28 September 2022/in Heriot-Watt University, Research, University of Edinburgh/by Louise Jack

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Pioneering new helmet technology which could help firefighters quickly map their surroundings, navigate hazardous environments and efficiently locate fire-scene victims is being developed by University of Edinburgh researchers at the National Robotarium.

The research breakthrough announcement comes as the £22.4 million National Robotarium facility officially opens its doors today, Wednesday 28 September 2022.

Combining feeds from thermal cameras, radar and inertial sensors mounted on a standard-issue firefighting helmet, the technology uses cutting-edge artificial intelligence to provide wearers with real-time information that can help detect victims, recognise teammates and provide an accurate understanding of their own location.

Developmental field trials of the new technology have been conducted in partnership with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service personnel at its £10.5 million training facility in Newbridge, Edinburgh.

It’s hoped that the first-of-its-kind technology could support firefighters and scene commanders to more safely navigate adverse or low-visibility conditions such as smoke-filled fire scenes and reduce the time it takes to rescue victims.

Developed by researchers at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics and the National Robotarium, a world-leading centre for robotics and artificial intelligence hosted by Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh, the project has received funding from the Scottish Informatics and Computer Science Alliance (SICSA) and the Scottish Funding Council’s SFC Saltire scheme, as well as funding from the University of Edinburgh.

Stewart Miller is CEO of the National Robotarium. Speaking at the opening of the new purpose-built facility today, said: “The development of a smart fire fighting helmet that has the potential to support firefighters and help save lives is an excellent example of the pedigree of research coming from the National Robotarium’s two partner universities, each amongst the most prestigious in Scotland.

“As we open the doors of our dedicated, state-of-the-art facility today, we are able to showcase Scotland and the UK’s role at the forefront of global developments in AI and robotics, and the role of the National Robotarium in championing and developing solutions to some of society and industry’s biggest challenges.”

Based at Heriot-Watt University’s Edinburgh campus, the National Robotarium houses extensive world-class facilities for researchers and businesses. The facility provides a catalyst for entrepreneurship, bringing together academics and global companies, and is expected to deliver sustainable economic benefit to Edinburgh, the UK and beyond.

Dr Chris Lu, Lecturer in Cyber-Physical Systems in the School of Informatics at the University of Edinburgh who is leading the project, said: “Firefighters often operate in environments with very low or no visibility due to the vast amount of smoke released from a fire. This can make detecting the location of potential victims and whereabouts of firefighters very challenging in situations that are often extremely time-sensitive.

“This new technology has the potential to support on-the-ground firefighters and scene commanders to make crucial in-the-moment decisions that can enhance search rescue efficiency, ensure safer collaboration between teammates and, most importantly, improve outcomes for potential victims of fire scenes.

“Our entire sensor rig weighs less than a kilogram and is composed of affordable, off-the-shelf components that can be easily retrofitted to existing standard-issue firefighting helmets. This means it has the potential to be an incredibly efficient and accessible resource to fire and rescue teams in Scotland, the UK and beyond once fully developed.

“We are continuing to expand the capabilities of the technology with the support of the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, to whom we are enormously grateful. Our next ambition is to give the helmet the ability to generate 3D maps and an embedded display, which will provide the wearer with even more spatial awareness. We are actively looking to engage with industry partners to help make this next step a reality.”

Bryan Todd, Group Commander in Training, Safety & Assurance at Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are proud that our staff at our Newbridge Training Centre have been able to support with the trialling of this technology. Safety, Teamwork and Innovation are three of our core values as a service and we always welcome opportunities to work in partnership with higher education organisations and the fantastic work they do in exploring ideas to improve community and firefighter safety.”

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Image of robotics workshop and lab at the National Robotarium

The National Robotarium opens its doors with global collaboration announcement

28 September 2022/in Working with Industry/by Louise Jack

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The National Robotarium, which officially opens today [Wednesday 28 September 2022], has announced a major applied engineering and research collaboration with multi-billion dollar company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).

The pioneering £22.4 million centre for robotics and artificial intelligence is the largest and most advanced of its kind in the UK. The facility will collaborate with TCS on applied engineering and joint research across multiple disciplines including soft robotics, field robotics, co-bot and tele-operations. Significantly, the agreement also covers areas of urgent societal need including social and geriatric care, a sector in which the National Robotarium is already well-known.

Part of the Tata group, India’s largest multinational business group, TCS has partnered with many of the world’s largest businesses for over 50 years to help deliver transformative projects. Operating in 55 countries, TCS generated consolidated revenues of over 25 billion USD in the fiscal year to end March 2022. TCS Research has a dedicated robotics unit that works with various industry segments.

Utilising expertise from both Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh, TCS Research will collaborate with the world-leading National Robotarium to create innovative solutions to global challenges using cutting-edge robotics and AI research, product design and new technology creation.

The agreement with the National Robotarium will build on and support a wider partnership between Heriot-Watt University and TCS which will additionally include education, information technology and innovation developments.

Commenting ahead of the opening ceremony of the facility, Stewart Miller, CEO of the National Robotarium, said: “This exciting collaboration is a fitting milestone to announce during the official opening ceremony of the National Robotarium. The partnership will enable TCS and the National Robotarium to bring together our vast combined experience and expertise, elevating the robotics and artificial intelligence offering of both organisations as a result.

“Together we will deliver applied solutions across a range of challenges informed by TCS’ clients, utilising the unique facilities of our new building and adopting an enhanced approach which aims to de-risk and speed up adoption in the market. We will shortly announce a joint programme of focused research, which will outline some of the future technologies required in the field of robotics and AI.

“This announcement is the first of many for the National Robotarium as we ramp up our global collaborative activities. Britain has a long and rich heritage of delivering cutting-edge innovation on the world stage. The opening of this dedicated, state-of-the-art facility is another important milestone in that story and one which I believe demonstrates Scotland and the UK’s role at the forefront of global developments in AI and robotics.”

Ananth Krishnan, Chief Technology Officer of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), commented: “TCS is delighted to announce this crucial strategic partnership with The National Robotarium. As part of this agreement, we will leverage the TCS Pace™ philosophy and ecosystem to accelerate industrial collaboration and increase the adoption of AI and robotics solutions that can help resolve some of the most important social issues facing the world today. We are truly excited to start working with The National Robotarium and achieving our shared goal of empowering people’s lives with innovative technology.”