We will consider some of the unique ways that robots will continue to improve our lives in the future, using examples of real-life research currently being carried out at the intersection of biology and robotics.

David Hardman

The two-hour livestream, hosted by the EPSRC UK-Robotics and Autonomous Systems (UK-RAS) Network, will run on YouTube, on Wednesday 23 June, 4pm-6pm BST. Viewers can ask questions and interact with the 16 UK research teams in the chat function.

Research students David Hardman, Leone Costi and Grzegorz (Greg) Sochacki will run demos of BIRL’s latest and most exciting research, including: 

• Robots that use taste to improve their cooking skills. BIRL trained their ‘robot chef’ to prepare an omelette, from cracking the eggs through to plating the finished dish
• The ‘RoboPatient’ teleoperation system that uses its sense of touch to detect and classify hard inclusions within a soft phantom organ (made of silicone rubber). This allows doctors to examine and diagnose patients remotely – even from the other side of the world.

“We are excited to bring you behind the scenes of our cutting-edge research,” said David Hardman. “We will consider some of the unique ways that robots will continue to improve our lives in the future, using examples of real-life research currently being carried out at the intersection of biology and robotics. For example, would you eat breakfast that has been cooked by a robot? Perhaps we can persuade you!”

Visit YouTube and be notified when the livestream starts.