Can robots be more than machines?

Swarm robotics studies how large groups of simple robots can cooperate on complex tasks, inspired by bio-systems like ant colonies. Decentralised and tolerant to failures, swarms show strong promise for space exploration and environmental monitoring, yet real-world adoption remains limited. A key barrier is trust: properties like coverage and collision avoidance are often assumed rather than guaranteed. My research develops rigorous mathematical methods to verify such properties, help making swarms reliable for deployment: from finding survivors in ruins to building structures in space.

Robots are leaving the factory and entering our daily lives — but can they do more than just work? This talk explores how robots learn to interact, adapt, and make decisions in unpredictable environments. Inspired by human development, we look at how machines balance needs with curiosity, learn from experience, and even develop simple “personalities” that shape our responses to them. Discover how we’re building robots that don’t just follow instructions — they learn, adapt, and maybe even make friends.

There has been significant growth of robotics globally in many industrial areas for example manufacturing, logistics, household (e.g. robot vacuum cleaners). But what could robotics mean for healthcare and the National Health Service? In this talk Andy will discuss advances in robotics technologies, cutting edge healthcare robotics and the future potential innovation to improve healthcare provision and patient outcomes.