Centre for Doctoral Training in Intelligent Sensing and Measurement

The CDT-ISM is run jointly by Glasgow and Edinburgh Universities, both powerhouses in the realm of sensor research. Together they provide a unique research excellence, expertise and depth.
The CDT draws on this expertise to provide high-quality cohort-based training across physics, engineering (Edinburgh and Glasgow) and chemistry (Edinburgh and Glasgow), and in a myriad of sensing applications. In addition PhD supervision is carried out by well-resourced, leading academics.
As a result of this collaboration students can access world-leading microfabrication facilities in the James Watt Nanofabrication Centre and the SMC, rapid prototyping facilities at the University of Edinburgh, and world-class research facilities in the School of Chemistry at Edinburgh.

EPSRC: EP/L016753/1

Edinburgh Centre for Robotics

Robots that can learn, adapt and take decisions will revolutionise our economy and society over the next 20 years. They will work for us, beside us, assist us and interact with us. It is estimated that by 2025 such advanced robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) could have a worldwide economic impact of $1.7 trillion to $4.5 trillion annually, with an emerging market value €15.5Billion.

The Edinburgh Centre for Robotics is leading in the UK effort to realise its industrial potential in this revolution, by producing a new generation of highly skilled researchers, trained to take a central role through technical skill coupled to industry and market awareness.

We produce ‘innovation ready’ postgraduates equipped through technical preparation, and cohort-wide training with scientific, creative, ethical and enterprise skills, in programmes supported by User partners operating in RAS crucial market sectors including oil and gas, defence, renewable energy, healthcare, assisted living, transport, space, automotive, manufacturing, nuclear, digital media and education. 

We create and lead the UK’s innovation pipeline for jobs and growth.

EPSRC: EP/L016834/1

MINIMAL

Biology provides the inspiration for a vision of small low-power devices that are able to learn rapidly and autonomously about environmental contingencies, enabling prediction and adaptive anticipatory action. Larval Drosophila have fewer than 10,000 neurons, yet express a variety of complex orientation and learning behaviours, including non-trivial anticipatory actions requiring context-dependent evaluation of the value of learned cues. Current computational learning theory cannot fully account for or replicate these capacities. We aim to develop a new foundation for understanding natural learning by developing a complete multilevel model of learning in larvae.

EU: FP7

SOPHIA

SOPHIA

This project investigates the design, calibration and testing of the “SOPHIA” (Soft Orthotic Physiotherapy Hand Interactive Aid) system. SOPHIA is a soft robotic device for stroke rehabilitation, more specifically for hand motor impairment recovery. The system will be of a lightweight design, low cost, aesthetically friendly, and it will help patients to recover normal patterns of motion in their hand after a stroke. It will also aid physiotherapists in tracking how the rehabilitation is progressing. The project is funded by the Royal Society/Newton Fund and it is a partnership between Heriot-Watt University (HWU), University of Edinburgh (UoE) and the International Institute of Neuroscience – Edmond and Lily Safra (IIN-ELS) in Macaiba, Brazil. The project is leaded at HWU by Dr Patricia A. Vargas and Prof David Corne together with the PhD student, Alistair McConnell; at IINN-ELS by Dr Fabricio Brasil and Dr Renan Moioli, and at UoE, by Dr Adam Stokes.

The Royal Society: Newton Fund

Robosoft CA

Soft robotics, intended as the use of soft materials in robotics, is a young research field, going to overcome the basic assumptions of conventional rigid robotics and its solid theories and techniques, developed over the last 50 years. Using soft materials to apply forces on the environment, as expected in a soft robot able to locomote, grasp, and perform other tasks, poses new problems at the level of the different components as well as at the whole system level. The technologies for actuating the soft materials have not yet been demonstrated to exist in a general form, although specific effective examples exists. The same is true for sensors embedded in the soft materials and for soft robotic energy suppliers. A Coordination Action for Soft Robotics is extremely necessary and timely in the current and future landscape of robotics and biorobotics and can capitalize on the competitiveness of European research in this new field. A common forum will help soft robotics researchers to combine their efforts, to maximize the opportunities and to materialize the huge potential impact. RoboSoft will create this missing framework for the soft robotics scientists, regardless of their background disciplines, and will enable the accumulation and sharing of the crucial knowledge needed for scientific progress in this field. RoboSoft will not only create and consolidate the soft robotics community, but will also create assets that go beyond the end of the three-year CA.

EU: Cost Action