Cognitive robotics aims to endow robots with intelligent behaviour by providing them with a processing architecture that allows them to learn and reason about how to behave in response to complex goals in a complex world. It draws inspiration from human and animal cognition, focusing on developing robots that can perceive, reason, plan, and act in dynamic environments.
Advances in cognitive robotics are revolutionising industries and services. In manufacturing, they automate tasks like assembly, welding, and quality control, increasing efficiency and precision. Logistics and warehousing benefit from autonomous robots for material handling and delivery, optimising operations. Retail employs robots for inventory management and customer service. Hospitality benefits from robots for room service and cleaning. These applications highlight the versatility and potential impact that cognitive robotics has in improving various industries and enhancing our lives.
The Cognitive Robotics Team is engaging in research in several areas including:
- Machine Learning: Using machine learning techniques to train robots to learn from experience and adapt to new situations.
- Computer and Robot Vision: Developing algorithms for robots to understand and interpret visual information from the environment.
- Control Systems: developing algorithms to control robot movements precisely.
- Motion Planning and Navigation: Enabling robots to plan and execute complex motions in dynamic environments.
- Sensor Fusion: Integrating data from various sensors (e.g., cameras, tactile, lidar, sonar) for accurate perception.
- Human-Robot Collaboration: Designing robots that can work safely and effectively alongside humans.
- Industrial Robotics: Automating manufacturing processes for increased efficiency and precision.
- Social Robotics: Developing robots that can understand and respond to human emotions and social cues.
- Bio-inspired Robotics: Designing robots inspired by the structure and behaviour of biological organisms.
The Cognitive Robotics Team maintains strong links with both industry and academia with current research initiatives funded by Innovate UK, STFC, European Union, Leverhulme Trust, Department of the Economy (NI) and Invest NI, as well as projects funded directly by industry. The team is engaged in a range of national and international research projects in key areas of robotics. Members of the Cognitive Robotics Team lead national projects including the IUK funded Smart Manufacturing Data Hub (£50M), Hartree Centre Northern Ireland Hub (£1.7M), and partners in the IUK funded Industrial Decarbonisation Plan for Northern Ireland and IUK funded SmartNano (£2.5M). The Cognitive Robotics Team is also leading in Proof of Concept technologies with the Neuro-Eye project and are involved in several innovation activities including multiple KTP and Innovation Boost projects.
The team publishes in the areas of cognitive robotics, computer vision, artificial intelligence and machine learning, tactile sensing, biologically-inspired systems and smart manufacturing.
Equipment and facilities
The Cognitive Robotics Lab at the Intelligent Systems Research Centre is equipped with a wide range of advanced robotics platforms, such as:
- Willow Garage PR2
- Robotnik Summit XL
- Metralabs Scitos G5
- Universal Robotics Cobots (UR3, UR5, UR10)
- Schunk manipulators
- Shadow Dexterous Hand
- Several industry standard and custom end-effectors
The laboratory also has 2D and 3D visual and tactile data capture devices:
- Intel RealSense
- Inivation DAVIS346 neuromorphic dynamic vision sensors
- Inilabs DVS128 neuromorphic dynamic vision sensor
- Resonon Pika-L hyperspectral camera
- Specim IQ portable hyperspectral camera
- Vicon tracking system
- SynTouch BioTac tactile sensors
- GelSight tactile sensors
The lab also has full makerspace with 3D rapid prototyping facilities, electronics and electrical workstations and several high-performance workstations with GPUs. The team also can avail of the EPSRC-funded Tier-2 Northern Ireland High Performance Computing Facility, Kelvin-2.