Real & Unreal Worlds: Cutting-Edge Tech in the Wild

We can't all get to the museums and the objects that we want to in the physical world, and you are definitely not allowed take your favourite artefacts home with you! You could if you used virtual reality technology, however, and our Museums in the Metaverse (MiM) project is making good on this promise. MiM let's anyone - really! - curate and publish their own museum, telling their own story. You can even earn money doing so. Come and hear how we have done it!

Imagine a world where robots don’t just react to their surroundings but actually think ahead. Predicting dangers before they happen and making smart, safe decisions. Robots powered by cutting-edge learning techniques can already teach themselves incredible skills—walking, grasping objects, and navigating without colliding. But rather than just reacting, what if we could make them predictive and proactive? By enabling robots with foresight, they can operate smoothly in homes, hospitals, factories, and even bustling city streets. From kitchen assistant robots that anticipate spills and adjust movements to prevent accidents, to elderly care robots that provide proactive support. In this talk we will explore how robots can learn, adapt, and stay safe using predictive intelligence.

What happens when a brand new robot meets a centuries old church? Join me for the behind the scenes adventures of introducing the church's newest artificial co-worker, the intrigued and curious reactions, and how maybe robots won’t take over the world after all?