© Pint of Science, 2024. All rights reserved.
Sci-fi fantasies and rampant media speculation have led to widespread concern over the impact of robotic developments. But are these fears ill-founded? Join us at the Safari Lounge for a dose of optimism from some of the UK’s foremost robotics researchers, Prof Ruth Aylett and Dr Subramanian Ramamoorthy. Please note that this event takes place on the lower ground floor and is not accessible for those with impaired mobility.
Welcoming our robotic assistants
Rampant media speculation and science fiction have perpetuated the idea that robots are going to take over the world. This has largely overshadowed the true revolution that is taking place in our labs, where robots are slowly learning to work with humans as assistants. I will envision a future in which robots take up roles beside us in daily tasks like helping with repairs or lending a hand to an overworked nurse. I'll describe how we're building robots with such capabilities, and invite you to ponder how this exercise takes us very quickly from engineering to deeply philosophical questions.
Let’s be friends! Robots in everyday human environments
Robots are sometimes sensationalised as threats to humanity - or at least to our jobs. But maybe these fears are wide of the mark, and robots can play a much more constructive social role around humans. In this talk we look at work towards making robots a useful and helpful part of ordinary human environments, whether that be the home, the workplace or the school. How far have we got? What can we expect in the next ten years?
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.