Robot Talk

If we want to create smart, adaptable robots, the first thing they need to be able to do is to sense and understand the world around them.

In this episode, I explore how robots sense and perceive the world around them with help from Matt Watson (Opteran Technologies), Dr Perla Maiolino (University of Oxford) and Dr Dimitrios Kanoulas (University College London).

Matthew T. Watson received a Masters in electronic engineering and a PhD in robotics from the University of Sheffield. In 2019 he joined Opteran Technologies as a senior engineer, helping to advance and bring to market Opteran's natural intelligence technologies. His research interests include autonomous mobile robot and UAV trajectory planning and tracking, dynamically stable robot locomotion systems, and computationally efficient approaches to combined robot perception and control.

Dr Perla Maiolino is currently Associate Professor at the Engineering Science Department of the University of Oxford and director of the Soft Robotics lab at The Oxford Robotics Institute. She worked at the development of CySkin Technology, an artificial skin for providing robot with sense of touch. This technology has been shown at the Robots exhibition at London Science Museum in 2017. Her research includes the development of tactile sensing technologies for robots, tactile perception and soft robotics.

Dr Dimitrios Kanoulas is a Lecturer in Robotics and Computation at the University College London (UCL), Department of Computer Science, member of the UCL Robotics Institute, and the PI of the Robot Perception and Learning (RPL) lab. His research aims to apply perception and learning in robotics. In particular, he is developing new estimation and planning algorithms for articulated robots that locomote and manipulate in uncertain environments, including real-time methods for sensing, map building, and self/environment modelling.

Claire asked her guests some extra questions about their careers, their advice, and their favourite robots. In the final clip, we hear from UK roboticists about the robots they'd most like to have in an apocalypse to help them survive.

Claire asked her guests some extra questions about their careers, their advice, and their favourite robots. In the fourth clip, we hear researchers' tips and advice for starting a career in robotics.

Claire asked her guests some extra questions about their careers, their advice, and their favourite robots. In this clip, we hear from UK roboticists about what made them decide to pursue a career in robotics.

As a special treat for the holiday season, Claire asked her guests some extra questions. In the second clip, we hear from UK roboticists about their favourite robot characters from film and television.

As a special treat for the holiday season, Claire asked her guests some extra questions about their careers, their advice, and their favourite robots. In the first clip, we hear from UK roboticists about their career paths.

One of the most fundamental things a robot can do is to move around in its environment, and engineers have developed lots of different solutions to robotic locomotion – legs, wheels, rotors, and everything in between.

In this episode, I'm joined by Dr Romeo Orsolino (Dynamic Robot Systems Group, University of Oxford), Chris Cieslak (BladeBUG), and Dr Chengxu Zhou (Real Robotics Lab, University of Leeds) to talk about the amazing and sometimes surprising ways that robots get moving.

Dr Romeo Orsolino is a postdoctoral researcher at the Oxford Robotics Institute (ORI) focusing on the development of efficient locomotion strategies that allow humanoid and quadruped robots to walk and navigate across complex environments. He has a master's degree in robotics engineering and a PhD in advanced and humanoid robotics. Romeo's research interests encompass a wide range of topics such as artificial intelligence, optimization, dynamics and computer science.

Chris Cieslak is a Chartered Engineer with a Mechanical Engineering degree from Sussex University and a master's degree in Composite Materials from Imperial College. He is a former wind turbine blade designer with over a decade of experience in the industry. Chris firmly believes that now is the time to bring blade maintenance into the 21st century with the BladeBUG robot, applying the deep knowledge and understanding he has gained to ensure that wind farms perform at their maximum efficiency and last the full life span for which they are designed.

Dr Chengxu Zhou is a lecturer in Mobile Robotics at the University of Leeds working on intelligent motion generation for legged robots. He received his PhD degree in Robotics in 2016 from the Italian Institute of Technology. His research focusses on dynamic locomotion of humanoid robots using machine learning technologies and is interested in whole-body coordination in complex environments. His work on humanoid robots as part of the DARPA Robotics Challenge was highlighted by the Journal of Bionic Engineering in 2017.

Of all the different areas that robotics is being applied to, space robotics might be the one that most captures people's imaginations and inspires us to make what seems impossible, possible. From robots in orbit to planetary rovers and wearable tech, in this episode we'll explore the latest developments in space robotics and technology.

In this episode, I'm joined by Xander Hall (Airbus Defence and Space), Dr Arthur Bouton (Surrey Space Centre, University of Surrey) and Steph Pau (Hamlyn Centre, Imperial College London) to talk about the challenges and opportunities for robots in space - present and future.

Xander Hall is a Mission Systems Engineer at Airbus in Stevenage and specialises in robotics, in-orbit servicing and UK national missions. His time at Airbus has seen him work on projects to build >100m reflectors in orbit, perform Mars rover field trials in the Atacama desert in Chile, and develop the RemoveDEBRIS space harpoon (amongst many others). He is passionate about developing the next generation of spacecraft/services and is an advocate for keeping the space environment sustainable.

Dr Arthur Bouton did his PhD in Paris on the topic of compliant wheel-legged locomotion systems. Two years ago, he joined the Future of AI and Robotics in Space (FAIR-SPACE) project at the University of Surrey to work on planetary rover mobility. Robotics is for him the best way to engage with all the engineering topics he is passionate about, from the mechanical design to machine learning and control. Stephanie Pau is a research associate at the Hamlyn Centre at Imperial College London, where she works with medical robotics researchers to create the links with space and industry. She has masters degrees in Electronics and Electronics Engineering from Imperial College and in Healthcare and Design from the Royal College of Art. She worked for 6 years in the space industry as a solutions architect and is now writing a book chapter on the Future of Human Robot Interaction in Space. She recently ran a webinar series, "From PPE to Spacesuits".

It's not an exaggeration to say that robotics research is driving life-saving innovations – robots are already making a difference in clinics and operating theatres around the world. In our first episode, we'll chat to researchers about how robotics is revolutionising medicine and surgery.

In this episode, I'm joined by Dr James Chandler (STORM Lab, University of Leeds) and Dr Matina Giannarou (Hamlyn Centre, Imperial College London) to talk about the exciting world of medical and surgical robotics and find out what they've been working on.

Dr James Chandler is a Research Fellow in the Science and Technologies of Robotics in Medicine (STORM) Lab at the University of Leeds, working on low-cost, soft robotic technology for intravascular and endoscopic applications. He has a master's degree in Automotive Engineering and a PhD in surgical sensing of cancer from the University of Leeds. In his research he is interested in soft and flexible robotic systems for surgery and sensing technologies for identifying tissue disease.

Dr Stamatia (Matina) Giannarou is a Royal Society University Research Fellow at the Hamlyn Centre for Robotic Surgery, Imperial College London, with a PhD in Image Processing. Her research focuses on enhanced surgical vision for navigation during minimally invasive and robot-assisted operations. She leads the Vision for Robotic Surgery research group at the Hamlyn Centre and is the chair of the annual Hamlyn Winter School on Surgical Imaging and Vision. In 2017 she won "The President's Award for Outstanding Early Career Researcher" at Imperial College London.

Robot Talk is a brand new podcast that sits down with some of the UK's top robotics researchers and asks them questions like, "How does that work?", "What's better, legs or wheels?", and "How soon can I get one of these robots in my house?". 

Hosted by Claire Asher, Robot Talk explores the science and technology behind everything from robotic surgery to planetary rovers and self-driving cars, on the last Friday of every month.