Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing: Distributed Unmanned Aerial Systems for in-situ manufacturing of the built environment
Lead Research Organisation:
Imperial College London
Department Name: Aeronautics
Abstract
Additive Building Manufacturing (ABM) is transforming the construction industry through the 3D printing of buildings and building components. A number of countries are now demonstrating ABM can substantially reduce construction time, material and transport costs, improve worker safety standards and alleviate construction's impact on urban traffic congestion and the environment. ABM also provides geometrical variety at no additional cost. In contrast to most manufacturing sectors, variety is a necessity within construction to satisfy different client requirements and adapt to unique terrain, boundary and laws governing each physical site.
However, current ABM systems are difficult to deploy on construction sites due to their large size and fixed 3D Print build volumes that are not sufficiently flexible to deal with the complexities of most building scenarios, or provide adequate measures for human safety. These ABM technologies are unable to undertake maintenance and repair work, or construct buildings in many urban or elevated sites. They are also not able to be utilised for post-disaster reconstruction activities where their manufacturing speed would be of great assistance.
To address this limitation, this research proposal aims to develop the world's first Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing (Aerial ABM) System consisting of a swarm of aerial robots (Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)) that can autonomously assess and manufacture building structures. Aerial ABM offers major improvements to human safety, speed, flexibility, and manufacturing efficiency compared to existing ABM and standard building construction technologies. We have already developed and demonstrated pilot results using UAS that can extrude 3D Print material during flight and we have developed simulation environments that allow for autonomous planning and execution of manufacturing with swarms of UAS working in collaboratively.
Using the resources of the EPSRC grant, we will co-develop and demonstrate a working Aerial ABM system that will manufacture structural elements such as walls and a freeform building pavilion. This will require innovation and major technical contributions in Hardware, Autonomy as well as in Materials and Structures. Building on the consortium's world-leading expertise in these areas and support from industrial partners (Skanska, Ultimaker, BuroHappold, Dyson and BRE), we aim at delivering the following main research contributions through this grant:
Aerial ABM Hardware
- A novel Aerial ABM robot design with autonomous vision based stabilisation, navigation and mapping of a dynamically changing environment that is optimised for flight and 3D Printing tasks.
Aerial ABM Autonomy
- A framework for autonomous manufacturing that utilises swarm intelligence for collaborative robot-to-robot operations, dynamic task sharing/allocation, adaptive response to context and dynamic environment content involving functions such as new methods of collision avoidance.
- Develop new modes of communication and control that enable the safe co-existence and cooperation of human workers, other robots and Aerial ABM robots on construction sites. Novel research in human-robot interaction, feedback and haptic interface functionalities will enable manufacturing flexibility suitable for construction sites that are always unique in size, shape and contextual complexity.
- An integrated design and real-time structural analysis software that delivers optimal structural integrity from minimal material weight within building design strategies that leverage this free-form manufacturing process to create innovative building design possibilities.
Aerial ABM Materials and Structures
- Development of new high-performance 3D-printable composite material and deposition procedures for the additive manufacture (3D Printing) of free-form light-weight building structures utilising autonomous UAS.
However, current ABM systems are difficult to deploy on construction sites due to their large size and fixed 3D Print build volumes that are not sufficiently flexible to deal with the complexities of most building scenarios, or provide adequate measures for human safety. These ABM technologies are unable to undertake maintenance and repair work, or construct buildings in many urban or elevated sites. They are also not able to be utilised for post-disaster reconstruction activities where their manufacturing speed would be of great assistance.
To address this limitation, this research proposal aims to develop the world's first Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing (Aerial ABM) System consisting of a swarm of aerial robots (Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)) that can autonomously assess and manufacture building structures. Aerial ABM offers major improvements to human safety, speed, flexibility, and manufacturing efficiency compared to existing ABM and standard building construction technologies. We have already developed and demonstrated pilot results using UAS that can extrude 3D Print material during flight and we have developed simulation environments that allow for autonomous planning and execution of manufacturing with swarms of UAS working in collaboratively.
Using the resources of the EPSRC grant, we will co-develop and demonstrate a working Aerial ABM system that will manufacture structural elements such as walls and a freeform building pavilion. This will require innovation and major technical contributions in Hardware, Autonomy as well as in Materials and Structures. Building on the consortium's world-leading expertise in these areas and support from industrial partners (Skanska, Ultimaker, BuroHappold, Dyson and BRE), we aim at delivering the following main research contributions through this grant:
Aerial ABM Hardware
- A novel Aerial ABM robot design with autonomous vision based stabilisation, navigation and mapping of a dynamically changing environment that is optimised for flight and 3D Printing tasks.
Aerial ABM Autonomy
- A framework for autonomous manufacturing that utilises swarm intelligence for collaborative robot-to-robot operations, dynamic task sharing/allocation, adaptive response to context and dynamic environment content involving functions such as new methods of collision avoidance.
- Develop new modes of communication and control that enable the safe co-existence and cooperation of human workers, other robots and Aerial ABM robots on construction sites. Novel research in human-robot interaction, feedback and haptic interface functionalities will enable manufacturing flexibility suitable for construction sites that are always unique in size, shape and contextual complexity.
- An integrated design and real-time structural analysis software that delivers optimal structural integrity from minimal material weight within building design strategies that leverage this free-form manufacturing process to create innovative building design possibilities.
Aerial ABM Materials and Structures
- Development of new high-performance 3D-printable composite material and deposition procedures for the additive manufacture (3D Printing) of free-form light-weight building structures utilising autonomous UAS.
Planned Impact
The three main impact beneficiaries are the construction sector, society at large and the environment. The Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing (Aerial ABM) system proposed in this application can provide substantial benefits by enabling autonomous capabilities of collaborative working with human workers, situational awareness in unknown environments and low-risk manipulation in dangerous settings. These capabilities will benefit the three beneficiaries as follows:
CONSTRUCTION
Construction companies such as Skanska are economically penalised for time over-runs. Our technology has the potential to reduce manufacture time and complexity while expanding capabilities by providing autonomous behaviours and sensing to predict, measure, qualify and expedite construction. This can provide major cost savings and increased profits.
Transportation accounts for 20% of construction costs [1]. Aerial ABM can significantly reduce transportation volumes as only raw material is delivered to site.
UK Government Construction Strategy mandates all construction projects to utilise 3D Building Information Models (BIM) technology by 2016 [2]. Aerial ABM is able to increase building efficiency by integrating BIM more effectively with the construction on site.
SOCIETY
Health and Safety:
"The construction industry is the most dangerous sector in Britain....448 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001. Over the same period, more than 760 construction workers have been killed on British sites." notes the UK Health and Safety Executive in 2014 after seeing an additional 3200 deaths from other construction related matters [3]. An Aerial ABM system can significantly reduce construction's 31% share of all UK worker fatalities [4] by reducing risk to construction workers in hazardous and labour-intensive tasks while allowing continued human participation in safer construction activities.
Increasing Housing Opportunities:
The UK is heading for a housing crisis where people cannot afford to buy or rent as a result of a shortage in housing and high costs of building. A RICS report forecasts house prices to rise 4.5%/yr for the next 5yrs [1]. Charities such as Shelter [5] advocate that the UK must reduce the cost and time of construction in order to make housing and other building services more attainable. Aerial ABM can help reduce the cost and time of urban construction, through a scalable and digital manufacturing process that saves construction time and resources.
Humanitarian:
A fast, effective means to undertake post-disaster re-construction and repair can save human lives directly and indirectly. Aerial ABM robots can commence work well before human workers can operate safely and they can do so in areas that are hard to access by ground. The technology can offer Governments and NGOs versatile, rapidly deployable, and low-cost solutions for emergency response and transitional shelter construction.
ENVIRONMENT
Aerial ABM enables almost zero percent waste construction while its on-site operation reduces transportation volumes. The insights from this project on novel structural and material engineering can also inform building designs requiring less material and lower logistic mass flows. These benefits reduce the embodied energy of buildings and enable reductions in construction's 47% share of the UK's carbon emissions.
[1] BIM Taskgroup, HM Government BIS, 2014
[2] BRE, Construction Site Transport, The Next Big Thing: Why Transport Is Important What You Can Do About It, 2003.
[3] http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/mortgageshome/article-3040143/Housing-shortage-triggering-worrying-upsurge-property-prices-expectations-2-5-rise-2015.html
[4] Daniel Boffey, The needless death of Richard Laco and what it tells us about Britain's perilous building sites, The Observer, 2014
[5] http://england.shelter.org.uk/campaigns/why_we_campaign/the_housing_crisis/building_more_homes/building_more_homes
CONSTRUCTION
Construction companies such as Skanska are economically penalised for time over-runs. Our technology has the potential to reduce manufacture time and complexity while expanding capabilities by providing autonomous behaviours and sensing to predict, measure, qualify and expedite construction. This can provide major cost savings and increased profits.
Transportation accounts for 20% of construction costs [1]. Aerial ABM can significantly reduce transportation volumes as only raw material is delivered to site.
UK Government Construction Strategy mandates all construction projects to utilise 3D Building Information Models (BIM) technology by 2016 [2]. Aerial ABM is able to increase building efficiency by integrating BIM more effectively with the construction on site.
SOCIETY
Health and Safety:
"The construction industry is the most dangerous sector in Britain....448 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan since 2001. Over the same period, more than 760 construction workers have been killed on British sites." notes the UK Health and Safety Executive in 2014 after seeing an additional 3200 deaths from other construction related matters [3]. An Aerial ABM system can significantly reduce construction's 31% share of all UK worker fatalities [4] by reducing risk to construction workers in hazardous and labour-intensive tasks while allowing continued human participation in safer construction activities.
Increasing Housing Opportunities:
The UK is heading for a housing crisis where people cannot afford to buy or rent as a result of a shortage in housing and high costs of building. A RICS report forecasts house prices to rise 4.5%/yr for the next 5yrs [1]. Charities such as Shelter [5] advocate that the UK must reduce the cost and time of construction in order to make housing and other building services more attainable. Aerial ABM can help reduce the cost and time of urban construction, through a scalable and digital manufacturing process that saves construction time and resources.
Humanitarian:
A fast, effective means to undertake post-disaster re-construction and repair can save human lives directly and indirectly. Aerial ABM robots can commence work well before human workers can operate safely and they can do so in areas that are hard to access by ground. The technology can offer Governments and NGOs versatile, rapidly deployable, and low-cost solutions for emergency response and transitional shelter construction.
ENVIRONMENT
Aerial ABM enables almost zero percent waste construction while its on-site operation reduces transportation volumes. The insights from this project on novel structural and material engineering can also inform building designs requiring less material and lower logistic mass flows. These benefits reduce the embodied energy of buildings and enable reductions in construction's 47% share of the UK's carbon emissions.
[1] BIM Taskgroup, HM Government BIS, 2014
[2] BRE, Construction Site Transport, The Next Big Thing: Why Transport Is Important What You Can Do About It, 2003.
[3] http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/mortgageshome/article-3040143/Housing-shortage-triggering-worrying-upsurge-property-prices-expectations-2-5-rise-2015.html
[4] Daniel Boffey, The needless death of Richard Laco and what it tells us about Britain's perilous building sites, The Observer, 2014
[5] http://england.shelter.org.uk/campaigns/why_we_campaign/the_housing_crisis/building_more_homes/building_more_homes
Organisations
- Imperial College London (Lead Research Organisation)
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Collaboration)
- Beihang University (Collaboration)
- Italian Institute of Technology (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia IIT) (Collaboration)
- Technical University of Munich (Collaboration)
- University of Victoria (Collaboration)
- University of Plymouth (Collaboration)
- Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) (Collaboration)
- Sabanci University (Collaboration)
- ETH Zurich (Collaboration)
- UK Centre For Ecology & Hydrology (Collaboration)
- WS Atkins (Collaboration)
- Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Collaboration)
- University of Zagreb (Collaboration)
- Skanska UK Ltd (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD (Collaboration)
- UK Atomic Energy Authority (Collaboration)
- BRE Trust (Building Res Excellence) (Project Partner)
- Dyson Limited (Project Partner)
- BURO HAPPOLD LIMITED (Project Partner)
- Cementation Foundations Skanska Ltd (Project Partner)
- Ultimaker BV (Project Partner)
Publications
A. Farinha
(2020)
Unmanned Aerial Sensor Placement for Cluttered Environments
B.B.Kocer
(2021)
Deep Neuromorphic Controller with Dynamic Topology for Aerial Robots
Braithwaite A
(2018)
Robotics Research
Buckner C
(2022)
AI reflections in 2021
in Nature Machine Intelligence
Butters D
(2021)
Exploring Effects of Information Filtering With a VR Interface for Multi-Robot Supervision.
in Frontiers in robotics and AI
Chen B
(2023)
High performance inorganic fullerene cage WS2 enhanced cement
in Construction and Building Materials
| Title | 3d Printing on an Inflatable Structure |
| Description | Within the Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing (Aerial ABM) project, Aerial Robotics Lab has run a number of workshops together with Architecture Association and brought roboticists and architects together to create the first 3D printed dome using aerial robots. A first version of the proposed dome structure was completed in December 2016. |
| Type Of Art | Artefact (including digital) |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Impact | No impact yet |
| Description | - First successful demonstration of Aerial Additive Manufacturing using multiple drones. - Application of existing multi-agent control system for use in Aerial Additive Manufacturing - Novel shear-thinning materials that can be used for Aerial Additive Manufacturing. - Dynamic landing on moving vehicles with autonomous, vision based drones that use origami-inspired impact protection structures for safe and robust landing. - Impact resilient drones that can operate close to infrastructure elements for monitoring and repair tasks. - Aerial robots that use tensile perching methods to stabilise in flight and around complex infrastructure systems. - Software system for stable and precise manipulation of infrastructure systems. |
| Exploitation Route | - The developed building materials could be used for robotic construction for ground or climbing vehicles. - The developed perching drones can be used for sensor placement, surface sampling, manipulation and surface sensing tasks. - The developed systems can be used for field testing and industrial case studies related to infrastructure management, digital ecology as well as to industry 4.0 workflows. - The developed software can be used for autonomous operation with ground vehicles. |
| Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Agriculture Food and Drink Chemicals Communities and Social Services/Policy Construction Creative Economy Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Education Electronics Energy Environment Manufacturing including Industrial Biotechology Culture Heritage Museums and Collections Security and Diplomacy Transport Other |
| Description | We have developed aerial robotic construction system that enables aerial robots to 3D print building structures autonomously. Our novel perching methods allows aerial vehicles to stably attach to a variety of surfaces including tree branches, wind turbine and pipelines and perform repair tasks. The new drone will have applications in industrial asset management and preventive maintenance. It offers real time condition monitoring of the infrastructure system and reduce cost, risk and time compared to current manual sensing methods. In this project we demonstrated for the first-time additive layer manufacturing techniques using aerial robotics. A flying robot deposited polyurethane as well as cementitious materials from flight. The project has inspired a new approach of building manufacturing and infrastructure repair that has been demonstrated and communicated to the wider public, students and the government. We received the Howard Medal for a publication in construction materials (2021). Scientific publications, talks at conferences and workshops have been used to share the project achievements with the scientific community internationally. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
| Sector | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Agriculture, Food and Drink,Construction,Creative Economy,Education,Energy,Environment,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Other |
| Impact Types | Societal Economic Policy & public services |
| Description | Citation of project by Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| URL | http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/POST-PN-479#fullreport |
| Description | Manufacturing Robotics - The Next Robotic Industrial Revolution |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| URL | http://hamlyn.doc.ic.ac.uk/uk-ras/sites/default/files/Manufacturing%20White%20Paper.pdf |
| Description | Monitoring and measuring research study: impact of MMC on the delivery of homes |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or Improved professional practice |
| Impact | As part of the Government's objective to improve construction productivity and encourage the uptake of MMC in housing delivery, this research project will see data collected across eight of Homes England's sites using MMC. Monitoring the construction of around 1,800 homes across the country over several years, the study will test the performance of different types of MMC to provide long-term, in-depth and verifiable data so that informed decisions about emerging construction technologies can be made. Covering a range of offsite and modular building techniques, modern methods of construction have the potential to be significantly more productive than traditional building methods; allowing homes to be built more quickly, addressing labour and skills shortages and improving the quality, consistency and energy efficiency of newly built homes. The research will explore a range of themes, including cost and pace of build, safety performance, snagging and defect issues, construction wastage, and logistics and energy efficiency performance. It will also seek to learn lessons about how these technologies will be deployed and give confidence to the industry to drive greater uptake of MMC technologies. Working with the Building Research Establishment and University College London, Atkins and Faithful+Gould will collect and monitor data from the developers during the six-year programme and produce annual updates on the research findings, before a final report is published at the end of the build programme. |
| URL | https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-impact-of-mmc-use-on-home-building-delivery-phases/mo... |
| Description | Robotic and Autonomous Systems for Resilient Infrastructure |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| URL | http://hamlyn.doc.ic.ac.uk/uk-ras/sites/default/files/UK_RAS_wp_infrastructure_final_web_retina.pdf |
| Description | Visit by Ministry of Education, Bangladesh for tour of the Aerial Robotics Laboratory - Aerial Robotics and Physical AI |
| Geographic Reach | Asia |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to new or Improved professional practice |
| Description | Aerial Additive Manufacturing: Robotic Construction of Cantilever Structures with Aerial Vehicles |
| Amount | £25,202 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | BB/X004988/1 |
| Organisation | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2022 |
| End | 10/2024 |
| Description | Applied Off-site and On-site Collective Multi-Robot Autonomous Building Manufacturing |
| Amount | £1,201,253 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/S031464/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2019 |
| End | 12/2022 |
| Description | Augmented Reality-Aided Telepresence for Remote Inspection and Monitoring with Aerial Robots |
| Amount | £163,901 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2020 |
| End | 12/2020 |
| Description | Automating Concrete Construction (ACORN) |
| Amount | £1,243,062 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/S031316/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2019 |
| End | 12/2022 |
| Description | DroneHub |
| Amount | SFr. 1,100,000 (CHF) |
| Organisation | Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Start | 05/2023 |
| End | 05/2026 |
| Description | EPSRC ORCA Hub - Partnership Fund |
| Amount | £163,901 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2020 |
| End | 12/2020 |
| Description | EPSRC program grant |
| Amount | £4,448,296 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/R009953/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2018 |
| End | 01/2023 |
| Description | ISCF - Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Hub |
| Amount | £14,635,591 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/R026173/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2017 |
| End | 04/2021 |
| Description | Joint PhD project Enabling Drone Inspection of Future Fusion Facilities |
| Amount | £21,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | UK Atomic Energy Authority |
| Department | Culham Centre for Fusion Energy (CCFE) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2022 |
| End | 12/2026 |
| Description | QMUL EPSRC Core Equipment Bid: Q-Arena - a multidisciplinary research environment for human-centred robotics and interactive engineering |
| Amount | £497,496 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/V035304/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2020 |
| End | 04/2022 |
| Description | Robotic Ecosystems for Future Infrastructures |
| Amount | £150,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | The Royal Society |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 08/2018 |
| End | 08/2023 |
| Description | SAT - Semi Autonomous Teleoperation |
| Amount | £500,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | 102909 |
| Organisation | Innovate UK |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2017 |
| End | 03/2018 |
| Description | Supergen ORE Hub & ORCA Hub Funding Award |
| Amount | £12,500 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Plymouth |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2021 |
| End | 04/2022 |
| Description | Transforming Construction - Research Leadership. Applied Off-site and On-site Collective Multi-Robot Autonomous Building Manufacturing |
| Amount | £1,201,254 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/S031464/1 |
| Organisation | University College London |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2019 |
| End | 12/2021 |
| Description | UAV-based Whale tagging |
| Amount | $300,000 (AUD) |
| Organisation | Australian Antarctic Division |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | Australia |
| Start | 05/2023 |
| End | 02/2025 |
| Title | AquaMAV testing in wing and water tunnels |
| Description | AquaMAV prototypes were tested in wind and water tunnels that are part of the national wind tunnel facility. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The required setup included the design of an automated catapult launcher for the water tank and an automated data collection unit for the wind tunnel. These tools are useful and available for other projects. |
| URL | http://www.nwtf.ac.uk/html/index.html |
| Title | Bioinspired technologies for construction and repair of the built environment |
| Description | Within the Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing (Aerial ABM) project, we take inspiration from biology to create novel printing, perching and flight technologies that are safer, more interactable and efficient. For example in smaller flying robots we take inspiration from house flies to create perching mechanisms based on mechanical intelligence of the body morphology. For larger robotic systems we rely on integration of complex control, sensing, and planning to enhance perching robustness. Inspired by ballooning spider, we have developed perching systems that enable stable motion of drones in 3D space based on strings and magnets. In order to develop efficient printing methods, we are inspired by nest creation methods employed by animals such as Swiftlet in nature. We have developed light weight deposition mechanisms and integrated them into flying drones that can turn Polyurethane foam materials into complex 3D structures that are more flexible in size and location. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | No impact so far. However, the work by Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing has been praised by a large number recognized academics and industrialists in the field, who are keen to collaborate with us on the existing or related future grants. This gives a very positive prospective for the societal and technological impacts of Aerial ABM within the near future. |
| URL | http://science.sciencemag.org/content/352/6288/895 |
| Title | Brahmal Vasudevan Multi Terrain Flight Arena on TerriNet infrastructure with wide reach to European audience. |
| Description | A large enclosed 10x6.2x5.5m flight arena (Arena), equipped with 16 Vicon T40 tracking cameras, capable of tracking multiple flying objects in 6 degrees of freedom, with millimetre accuracy. Tracking data can be used for closed-loop control of vehicles. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | The Arena is the first of its kind in Europe, enabling engineers to test the next generation of aerial robotics for urban environments and extreme conditions. Researchers in the Arena are able to simulate different terrains in the air, the ocean and on land. The space also enables engineers to create extreme conditions such as fire, smoke and heat to simulate how the next generation of drones will perform in harsh environments. The research focus in Arena encompasses two main themes: (i) physical adaptation; (ii) cybernetics adaptation. The physical adaptation includes morphological changes in different environmental conditions for aerial and multi-terrain robots to land, perch, locomote or \"stay still\" in narrow and cluttered spaces. The cybernetical adaptation includes adjustments at the algorithmic level to maintain the stability, avoid the collisions and the track the safe and reliable trajectories. These activities are considered holistically with potential human interactions, neuroscience, and bio-inspiration. |
| URL | https://www.terrinet.eu/robotic_database_show_platform/?id=116 |
| Title | Brahmal Vasudevan Multi-Terrai Aerial Robotics Arena |
| Description | Imperial College London has recently opened the Brahmal Vasudevan Multi-Terrain Aerial Robotics Arena at the Department of Aeronautics. This flight arena is the first of its kind in Europe. The facility is dedicated to the design, development and testing of novel mobile robots for various unstructured and extreme environments. Hosted on the roof of the City and Guilds building, the Robotics Arena has been built based on a £1.25 million gift from Imperial alumnus Mr Brahmal Vasudevan, who graduated in Aeronautical Engineering in 1990. The arena can be configured for various terrains, including air/ground/water and it allows for the setup of simulated challenging environments, industrial scenarios and urban infrastructures. It is designed to allow for experiments including smoke and combustion and it is fully laser rated. The space is equipped with 16 high speed 3D aerial tracking cameras, that can be used to record in real-time the dynamics of robots in air and on ground. A further ten 3D tracking cameras will be positioned in a water tank, which will be used to test novel multi-terrain robots that can move in both air and water. The facility includes one Innovation Room that will be used for work group creative design and robot development. Located next to it is the Robotics Workshop containing 3D printers, micro-manufacturing equipment and a fume hood for component fabrication and assembly. Two outdoor spaces are accessible from the arena for open-air testing. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Particular well suited to design, develop and test mobile robots for unstructured and extreme environments, the space will be dedicated to the creation of future robots for smart cities, for supporting workers in hazardous environments, or for search and rescue missions. It will be used as teaching facility for undergraduates and PhDs and will constitute a showcase space for promoting robotics technologies at Imperial College London with international reach. |
| URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/182375/uk-world-leader-drone-tech-says/ |
| Title | Empa Flight Arena |
| Description | The flight arena is one of the largest and most universal drone testbeds in the world: 7.8 m high, 10 x 10 m arena allows testing all scales of aerial robots. An integrated tunnel and bridge elements allow testing aerial robots in various environmental conditions |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Newly built and fully equipped and protected control room will allow remote operating and hosting multiple visitors (industrial partners, collaborators, guests) High and wide cargo doors allow bringing real-sized infrastructure parts inside for testing (wind turbine blades, solar cell arrays, etc) Large screen allows both creating environment visualization for drone flights and demonstrations |
| Title | Robot Arena |
| Description | Imperial's Department of Computing has installed a robot arena (5x5x5m cage) with motion tracking and control desks in order to conduct multi-disciplinary research and testing in mobile robotics, involving the operation of drones and ground robots. The arena complements the one run by the Aerial Robotics Lab. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | We have been conducting intensive testing and we will be able to run demonstrations to showcase our research. |
| Title | The Drone Hub at NEST |
| Description | The Drone Hub at the NEST research and innovation building in Dubendirf, Switzerland, is a test environment that facilitates the integration and interaction of robots such as drones or climbing robots with infrastructure systems. Leveranging the ability of robots to act autonomously the Drone Hub serves as test-bed to perform challenging tasks and thus lowering both the risks for humans and the cost of operation. This includes inspection of facade elements, repairs of cracks or surface cleaning in areas which are dangerous for human to work. The Drone Hub is open to industry partners for their own needs. A partnership includes: The use of the Drone Hub infrastructure. Join R&D initiatives in aerial robotics, robot autonomy and infrastructure digitalisation. Echange programs and talent recruitment (sabbaticals). Access to technology foresight in aerial robotics and infrastructure robotics and applied AI. Access to the NEST network or partners from research industry and the public sector. Visibility of the logo and use of the NEST infrastructure for events and visits. |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Research finding validation and testing. New scientific theory validation. Improve business operation and efficiency. Worker safety |
| URL | https://www.empa.ch/web/nest/drone-hub?inheritRedirect=true |
| Title | Two large wind blades and water tank at Flight Arena, Empa |
| Description | • Two large wind blade sections arrived from ORE Catapult UK (6m x1.7m; 6mx0.4m). • We are in process of installation of these two wind blades (indoors and outdoors). • Installation of water tank (2m by 1.5m by 0.7m). |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Testbed for development of inspection technology in safe environment(prior to use in real world applications) Realistic testing environment Opportunity for robotic inspection to reduce risk to human workers |
| Title | Cementitious Materials - experiments for Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing |
| Description | This database contains data arising from experiments concerning the development of mortar mixes for Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | One paper has been written and will shortly be submitted for consideration once a target journal has been identified. One conference paper has been published as part of the 37th Cement and Concrete Science conference organised by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, UCL, 11-12 September 2017. |
| Title | Polyurethane foam database for Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing |
| Description | This research database contains experiments relating to the investigation of high and low density polyurethane foams. |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Resulted in a published paper in the Institure of Civil Engineers' Construction Materials and a second paper is currently under consideration by the journal 'Additive Manufacturing'. |
| Description | A Drone Platform for Autonomous Inspection and Repair of ORE Devices |
| Organisation | University of Plymouth |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Aerial robotic platform development for infrastructure monitor and repair. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Leveraging a computer vision-based pipeline to inspect the defect. |
| Impact | • Utilizing the aerial platform for repair in COAST laboratory • Leveraging a computer vision-based pipeline to inspect the defect • Applying a simple material deposition for proof of concept (a spray-type nozzle will be used) • Demonstrating the repair platform at the 13th UK Automatic Control Council (UKACC) International Conference - Control 2022 20-22 April, UoP, Plymouth • Identifying related funding sources |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Aerial Manipulator with Omni-Directional Workspace |
| Organisation | Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | This project aims to emphasize the feasibility of integrating an omni-directional parallel manipulator aboard a quad-rotor drone for the purpose of aerial interactions with the environment. The design will be compared to others which heavily rely on complex flight control and intends to showcase the advantages afforded by the parallel manipulator. The final product will be the result of collaboration between researchers from TU Delft and Imperial College. Robotic arm testing Robotic arm and drone integration Flight test with motion capture system, data collection Data analysis and evaluation |
| Collaborator Contribution | Manufacturing robotic arm |
| Impact | Working on publication. Looking for new funding. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Aerial Robotics Lab and the UK Atomic Energy Authority's Race (Remote Applications in Challenging Environments) |
| Organisation | UK Atomic Energy Authority |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | The collaboration between a team from UK Atomic Energy Authority's Race (Remote Applications in Challenging Environments) and a team from Imperial College aimed at testing the use of drones in the maintenance of the next generation of nuclear power reactors. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Aerial Robotics Laboratory from Imperial College London designed a bioinspired nano aerial vehicle to fly into the reactor. The drone is a quadcopter with the size of the palm of a human hand to minimise turbulences. It is made out of transparent plastic and printed circuit material. To conserve its battery, the drone is able to attach itself with a magnet to the underside of a metal plate held by the robot. Then the drone uses a pulley and cord to lower itself down to the floor like a spider. |
| Impact | This multi-disciplinary collaboration is continuing toward the development of robots that can go into places that are dangerous for humans. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Aerial Robots for exploration of hazardous environments: Robotic perching in Battersea Power Station |
| Organisation | Skanska UK Ltd |
| Department | Cementation Skanska |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Cementation Skanska, also a partner on the same EPSRC project, is in charge of reconstruction of the Battersea Power Station. While they are still in the stage of demolishing of the existing structures in the power station, we have arranged a number of sessions (including a half-day session in November 2016) for testing of our novel perching technologies inside partially demolished structures. Development of efficient perching technologies is one of the key milestone for Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing enabling attachment to elevated structures to make a stable platform for printing. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The partner has been offering a suitable site for testing of aerial construction technologies that are being developed within the Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing project. They are members of the project steering committee where they provide technical feedback and advice for possible improvements. Furthermore, they also have a very useful input into risk assessment documents for our in-flight printing and perching tests that can enhance the safety aspects of aerial robotic constructions. |
| Impact | Creating new influential technologies requires expertise in design, implementation and testing. Cementation Skanska has provided a testing environment that can simulate the situation after natural disasters such as earthquake when a swarm of aerial 3D printers can fly to the disaster zone and start fast shelter printing to accommodate people. |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Aerial robotics for acoustic sensing in complex environments |
| Organisation | University of Zagreb |
| Country | Croatia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Acoustic data collection at upper forest canopies: 1. Aerial robotics platform development for placing the acoustic sensors in complex forested ecosystems 2. Placing acoustic recorders in the upper canopy will revel differences in species composition, which we fail to detect with standard survey methods. Underwater Freshwater Bioacoustics and Waterbird Bioacoustics: 1. SailMAV for can non-invasive acoustic data collection in freshwater ecosystems at a wide spatial extent. 2. Data collection for biotic diversity study. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Accessibility of study sites for placement of acoustic sensors Support in getting permission |
| Impact | Acoustic data collection at upper forest canopies: Output: Significantly higher acoustic activity in the upper canopy Higher species richness in the upper canopy Impact: Development of a new methodology to study biodiversity in the inaccessible upper canopy. Significant differences in upper canopy and shrub layer recordings highlight inefficiency of current study methods and have the potential to drive improvements in field methodologies. Underwater Freshwater Bioacoustics and Waterbird Bioacoustics: Output: During 12 successful missions across eight days SailMAV travelled 32.2 km and collected 2263 minutes of acoustic recordings, 929 of underwater recordings and 1334 of surface bird recordings. Of these, 956 minutes were collected in disturbed sites and 1307 minutes in the protected ornithological area. Impact: Development of a new methodology that can Improve accessibility, increase spatial scale, and reduce invasiveness and personal requirements of field methods. This will in turn increase understanding of threats to freshwater ecosystems and facilitate the development of mitigation strategies. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Aerial-aquatic hitchhiking robots capable of high-performance medium transition and bioinspired redundant adhesion |
| Organisation | Beihang University |
| Country | China |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Joint publication on research study "Aerial-aquatic hitchhiking robots capable of high-performance medium transition and bioinspired redundant adhesion". |
| Collaborator Contribution | Joint publication on research study "Aerial-aquatic hitchhiking robots capable of high-performance medium transition and bioinspired redundant adhesion". |
| Impact | Hydrostatically enhanced hitchhiking device, inspired by the morphology of a remora disc, which works in both air and water. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Atkins Group |
| Organisation | WS Atkins |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | - Development of metrics and data methodologies usable for capturing on-site construction activity related to evaluating MMC performance - Introduction and review of measurement technologies to encourage data-driven approaches to increasing on-site productivity using MMC |
| Collaborator Contribution | - Providing access to a range of construction stakeholders - Guidance on practical feasibility of applying data capture technologies on-site |
| Impact | Project award to monitor and report on MMC performance across Homes England's MMC Pilot Projects |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Autonomous drones for monitoring of river discharge during extreme events |
| Organisation | UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Sheffield University and UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) Research proposal written with EPSRC. Could not get successful but we continue to collaborate together and plan to look for new funding opportunities. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Research proposal. |
| Impact | Not yet. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Autonomous drones for monitoring of river discharge during extreme events |
| Organisation | University of Sheffield |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Sheffield University and UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (UKCEH) Research proposal written with EPSRC. Could not get successful but we continue to collaborate together and plan to look for new funding opportunities. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Research proposal. |
| Impact | Not yet. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | Collaboration with Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (EMPA) |
| Organisation | Empa - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Staff time for meetings to discuss possible and active ORCA Hub projects. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Staff time for meetings to discuss end-user requirements for drones in infrastructure inspection and evaluation. Provide a testing site and materials for a demonstration of aerial inspection. |
| Impact | nil |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | Ecological monitoring of forest environment using biologically inspired aerial drone |
| Organisation | Technical University of Munich |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Provided research facilities: Flight arena, wind tunnel etc and supervision of master students visiting from TUM for development of an aerial platform with a reconfigurable body frame to enhance perching capabilities by detecting curvature and bending of its arms. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Two master students from TUM and their supervision. |
| Impact | 1. Development of an aerial platform with a reconfigurable body frame to enhance perching capabilities by detecting curvature and bending of its arms (Imperial College London). 2. Development of control methods to enable a dynamic, underactuated, reconfigurable system to enable ballistic perching over various structures (TUM). 3. Demonstration in field site in Surrey, UK. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Ecological monitoring of forest environment using biologically inspired aerial drone |
| Organisation | Technical University of Munich |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Provided research facilities: Flight arena, wind tunnel etc and supervision of master students visiting from TUM for development of an aerial platform with a reconfigurable body frame to enhance perching capabilities by detecting curvature and bending of its arms. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Two master students from TUM and their supervision. |
| Impact | 1. Development of an aerial platform with a reconfigurable body frame to enhance perching capabilities by detecting curvature and bending of its arms (Imperial College London). 2. Development of control methods to enable a dynamic, underactuated, reconfigurable system to enable ballistic perching over various structures (TUM). 3. Demonstration in field site in Surrey, UK. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Impact absorbing, lightweight metamaterials with tunable stiffness and density for robotics |
| Organisation | Sabanci University |
| Country | Turkey |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | • Conducting tests of 3D printed biodegradable gliders in flight arena. • Biodegradable gliders will be 3D-printed at Sabanci University in Istanbul, Turkey and transferred to Imperial College London in a closed container. • 3D printed gliders with different shapes (max. dimension of these shapes will be 8 cm × 8 cm × 1 cm, max. weight will be 2 g.), made of sodium alginate, methylcellulose, polyethylene glycol, hydroxypropylcellulose, and a commercial grade micro nutrient fertilizer containing salts of Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, and B, will be attached to drones and their flight path will be tracked. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The design and testing of a metamaterial whose properties can be manipulated at multiple tiers. Polymeric fibers are printed in stretchable negative Poisson's ratio patterns by melt electrowriting to provide means to precisely control mechanical properties of the component. |
| Impact | Working on publication. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | New materials development for robots protection |
| Organisation | Sabanci University |
| Country | Turkey |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Impact absorbing, lightweight metamaterials with tunable stiffness and density for robotics. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Partner propose a series of porous composite, elastomeric parts that i) could be triggered to decrease their density and ii) change their shape and stiffness with the application of pressure and vacuum. |
| Impact | Still in progress |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | RL-based navigation for balloons in wind |
| Organisation | ETH Zurich |
| Department | Institute of Robotics and Intelligent Systems |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Aerial robotics lab provided research facilities to complete the research study "RL-based navigation for balloons in wind". |
| Collaborator Contribution | Student from ETH Zurich visiting Imperial under knowledge exchange program. |
| Impact | The project develop an autonomous balloon-like system that is capable of navigating between two specified locations given a prediction of the surrounding wind field. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Underwater diagnostics with Aerial Drones |
| Organisation | Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Multi-Environment Dual-Robot for Underwater Sample Acquisition (MEDUSA platform) is capable of landing and floating on the water. Water-sampling study will be done in Switzerland at lake monitoring platform of Eawag. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Joint experiment |
| Impact | Ongoing research study |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Visiting Faculty - Barbara Mazzolai (Italian Institute of Technology, IIT) |
| Organisation | Italian Institute of Technology (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia IIT) |
| Country | Italy |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Barbara Mazzolai is Coordinator of the Center for Micro-BioRobotics (CMBR) at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) and Deputy Director at IIT delegate to the Supervision and Organization of IIT Centers Network at the same institute. She collaborates with Mirko Kovac as expert in bioinspired design, soft robotics and smart materials to be integrated in the design and development of aerial robots. She has spent 6 months of sabbatical period at the Aerial Robotics Lab to work on joint publications and joint project proposals. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Joint publication in the Journal of the Royal Society, Interface (Sareh S, et al 2017, ISSN 1742-5662); Joint project proposal submitted to the EU H2020 Call ICT-25-2016-2017 (Hu-DroneS); advisory role on PhD students and Post docs. Distinguished BioRobotics Lecture at Imperial College (June 30, 2017) |
| Impact | Joint publication in the Journal of the Royal Society, Interface (Sareh S, et al 2017, ISSN 1742-5662); Joint project proposal submitted to the EU H2020 Call ICT-25-2016-2017 (Hu-DroneS); advisory role on PhD students and Post docs. Distinguished BioRobotics Lecture at Imperial College (June 30, 2017). The collaboration is multidisciplinary and includes: aerial robotics, soft robotics, material science, biology. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Visiting Faculty - Prof. Afzal Suleman (University of Victoria) |
| Organisation | University of Victoria |
| Country | Australia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Visiting Faculty - Prof. Afzal Suleman (University of Victoria) |
| Collaborator Contribution | Visiting Faculty - Prof. Afzal Suleman (University of Victoria) |
| Impact | Visiting Faculty - Prof. Afzal Suleman (University of Victoria) |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Description | Visiting Faculty - Prof. Afzal Suleman (University of Victoria) |
| Organisation | University of Victoria |
| Country | Australia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Visiting Faculty - Prof. Afzal Suleman (University of Victoria) |
| Collaborator Contribution | Visiting Faculty - Prof. Afzal Suleman (University of Victoria) |
| Impact | Visiting Faculty - Prof. Afzal Suleman (University of Victoria) |
| Start Year | 2016 |
| Title | AERIAL DEVICE CAPABLE OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AND ASSOCIATED METHOD |
| Description | An aerial device (100) capable of controlled flight comprises a first body (110) comprising a lift generator for providing lift to the aerial device (100); a second body (208) comprising a substance dispenser (122) for controllably dispensing a curable substance for additive manufacture; an articulated coupling assembly (200) coupling the first body (110) to the second body (208); an actuator (212; 214; 216) operable to articulate the articulated coupling assembly (200) so as to move the second body (208), and thereby the substance dispenser (122), relative to the first body (110); and a controller operable to control the lift generator, the substance dispenser (122), and the actuator (212; 214; 216). |
| IP Reference | WO2016193667 |
| Protection | Patent granted |
| Year Protection Granted | 2016 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | Device and methodology are used within the EPSRC research grant on Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing |
| Title | AERIAL DEVICES CAPABLE OF CONTROLLED FLIGHT |
| Description | An aerial device (100) capable of controlled flight has a body (110), a rotor (120) arranged to rotate relative to the body; and a deployable sheet (130), the sheet having an undeployed configuration in which the sheet is folded against the body and a deployed configuration in which the sheet is at least partially unfolded away from the body. |
| IP Reference | WO2016193690 |
| Protection | Patent granted |
| Year Protection Granted | 2016 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | Aerial device origami-based system for safe landing will find application in areas with unstructured environments. |
| Title | ROBOTIC VEHICLE |
| Description | A robotic vehicle has legs and propellers to enable it to walk, fly, and or swim. |
| IP Reference | WO2016193666 |
| Protection | Patent granted |
| Year Protection Granted | 2016 |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | Technology used and further developed in larger projects on multi-modal locomotion and aerial additive building manufacturing. |
| Title | Efficient octree-based mapping (supereight) |
| Description | This is an efficient volumetric mapping software suitable for robotic Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping (SLAM) as well as motion planning. See related ICRA 2018 publication. |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2018 |
| Open Source License? | Yes |
| Impact | Various researchers have been using it (see citations of ICRA 2018 paper). Different companies have been using/adapting it too, e.g. my start-up company SLAMcore (see www.slamcore.com) |
| URL | https://github.com/emanuelev/supereight |
| Title | Multi-sensor fusion for drones |
| Description | We have extended previous work, Open Keyframe-based Visual-Inertial SLAM (OKVIS), developed by myself. The framework forms the backbone of our autonomous drone flight software stack. Speficaally, we have developed a method and its implementation that can seemlessly transition between availability or unavailability of GPS, including RTK GPS. This will enable us to precisely navigate drones (centimetre precision). We have furthermore extended OKVIS to accept the Intel Realsense ZR300 RGB-D camera (plus inertial) feed. |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Impact | The framework forms the backbone of our autonomous drone flight software stack. It will enable our drones to navigate with global centimetre accuracy, when GPS is available. This is a necessity e.g. when attempting to use drones to 3D print structure. But applications go far beyond, from surveillance to delivery to military applications with drones. The fact that we have integrated OKVIS with an easily commercially availble and self-contained sensor (the Realsense ZR 300) will speed-up our test and development cycle and would boost software adoption once released (which we might in future). |
| Title | Multicopter model-predictive control |
| Description | We have developed both linear Model-Predictive Controllers (MPC) as well as Nonlinear MPCs for accurate control of multicopter system. The algorithms and software implementation form an essential part in our drone operations. The approach allows for enforcement of both hard and soft constraints of the flight envelope, such that we can achieve both high precision, robustness, and safety. |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Impact | The algorithms and software implementation form an essential part in our drone operations. The approach allows for enforcement of both hard and soft constraints of the flight envelope, such that we can achieve both high precision, robustness, and safety. |
| Description | "Maschinenbau" journal Robotik Industry Interview - Roboter brauchen intelligente Materialien |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Artificial intelligence (AI) is now considered fundamental to development across all industries new products and technologies and creates a unity for companies that master them Competitive advantage. What is still missing, however, is an in-depth discussion of the effects on society in order to better understand the opportunities, but also possible risks. In the interview Empa researchers Mirko Kovac and Aslan Miriyev from the Center for Robotics outline where to go developed AI and robotics research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.springerprofessional.de/en/roboter-brauchen-intelligente-materialien/19610398 |
| Description | 1st AIRPHARO Workshop on Aerial Robotic Systems Physically Interacting with the Environment - A High Payload Aerial Platform For Aerial Infrastructure Repair and Manufacturing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Abstract-The use of aerial robots in construction is an area of general interest in the robotics community. Autonomous aerial systems have the potential to improve safety, efficiency and sustainability of industrial construction and repair processes. Several solutions have been deployed in this domain focusing on problems in aerial manipulation and control using existing aerial platforms which are not specialised for the specific challenges in operating on a construction site. This paper presents a new compact, high thrust aerial platform that can act as a modular, application agnostic base for demonstrating a wide variety of capabilities. The platform has been built and tested flying both with manual controls and autonomously in a motion tracking arena while carrying a payload of up to7.3kgwith a maximum flight time between10-34mins(payload dependent). In the future, this platform will be combined with vision based tracking sensors, manipulators and other hardware to operate in and interact with an outdoor environment. Future applications may include manipulation of heavy objects, deposition of material and navigating confined spaces. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9571052 |
| Description | 1st AIRPHARO Workshop on Aerial Robotic Systems Physically Interacting with the Environment - Workshop: Coordination of Aerial and Spacecraft Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The 1st AIRPHARO Workshop on Aerial Robotic Systems Physically Interacting with the Environment is the successor of the workshops on Research, Education and Development of Unmanned Aerial Systems (RED-UAS), plan to arrange further related workshops. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://sites.google.com/view/airpharo2021/home |
| Description | 1st AIRPHARO Workshop on Aerial Robotic Systems Physically Interacting with the Environment - Zero-footprint eco-robotics: A new perspective on biodegradable robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The AIRPHARO workshop will focus on a high growth area of both research and industry, the use of aerial robots for physical interaction with people and the environment. The scope of the workshop includes technologies, functionalities, regulation and safety issues, applications and education related to aerial manipulation and transportation. The technologies encompass aerial manipulation, soft aerial robots and compliance, bio-inspiration, teleoperation, hybrid aerial/ground/marine interaction, recharging/refueling and multi-robot cooperation with physical interaction. The functionalities include contact inspection, transportation, deployment and retrieval, co-working with humans, sampling and cleaning. The main application areas are inspection and maintenance, agriculture, construction, environment protection, firefighting and healthcare. Regulation and safety issues involving risk analysis, and education including educational prototypes and software tools are also included in the scope. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: design and control of aerial manipulators (AM), autonomy, AM control architectures, biologically inspired AM, perception for physical interaction, navigation, multi-robot collaboration, machine learning for AM, mission planning, AM applications. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9571067 |
| Description | 2 ICRA 2019 Workshop Keynote talks Montreal, Canada |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | ICRA is one of the main robotics conferences. I gave to invited talks at * workshop on Dataset Generation and Benchmarking of SLAM Algorithms for Robotics and VR/AR * and workshop on High Accuracy Mobile Manipulation in Challenging Environments Which includes panel discussions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://icra2019.org/program/workshops-and-tutorials |
| Description | 2019 International Symposium on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An invitation-only symposium of the top AI and Robotics researchers from around the world to discuss current and future challenges in the field |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://nyuad.nyu.edu/en/events/2019/march/2019-international-symposium-on-robotics-and-artificial-i... |
| Description | 22nd International Conference and Exhibition on Material Science and Engineering - Physical AI for Soft Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Theme: Anticipating Future Trends, New Insights, and Cutting-Edge Technologies in Materials Science and Engineering |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://material-science.materialsconferences.com/ |
| Description | 3 Sat Nano - Drone Underwater Robotic System |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Can drones help to monitor the water quality of large bodies of water closely and scientifically, thereby improving the protection of ecosystems? |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.3sat.de/wissen/nano/211213-drohne-nano-100.html |
| Description | 37th Cement and Concrete Science Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An international conference held at UCL, United Kingdom on the 11th - 12th September 2017, organised by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and Advanced and Innovative Materials Group (AIM). Engagement consisted of an oral presentation followed by questions supported by a conference paper. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.ucl.ac.uk/aim/conference-info/37ccs |
| Description | AI for Good Global Summit 'Wind Industry: Green Energy Robots for Achieving the Planet Net-Zero Future - Aerial Robotics for Off-shore Wind |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | We have less than 10 years to solve the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). AI holds great promise by capitalizing on the unprecedented quantities of data now being generated on sentiment behaviour, human health, commerce, communications, migration and more. The goal of AI for Good is to identify practical applications of AI to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and scale those solutions for global impact. It's the leading action-oriented, global & inclusive United Nations platform on AI. AI for Good is organized by ITU in partnership with 40 UN Sister Agencies and co-convened with Switzerland. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://aiforgood.itu.int/speakers-ai-for-good/ |
| Description | ARUP - collaboration forum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | - series of presentations to explore opportunities between UCL and ARUP for engagement |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Advances in 3D concrete printing and construction automation. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Hosted at Loughborough University, this was a two-day event on advances in 3D concrete printing and construction automation. This consisted of both an international workshop and a technical committee meeting. The event featured a number of expert speakers and provided various opportunities for networking. The speakers shared visions of the future industry from the recently funded 'Transforming Construction' initiatives that underpin the UK's Industrial Strategy: Construction Innovation Hub, and the 'Research Leaders' programme. International speakers presented the latest large-scale 3DCP case studies from across Europe. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Aerial Robotics for Offshore Wind |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | AI for Good Global Summit 'Wind Industry: Green Energy Robots for Achieving the Planet Net-Zero Future' |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Aerial Robotics for Sustainability |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Cambridge branch RAeS talk Cambridge, UK Date: 01/02/2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Aerial Robots demo at BBC One Click TV Program |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In this TV program, we presented an innovative concept for developing multi-modal aerial robotic systems with perching and stabilizing capabilities. At the site, there are over 100 audience and later the program was visible for general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Aerial Tensile Perching and Disentangling Mechanism for Long-Term Environmental Monitoring |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Aerial robots show significant potential for forest canopy research and environmental monitoring by providing data collection capabilities at high spatial and temporal resolutions. However, limited flight endurance hinders their application. Inspired by natural perching behaviours, we propose a multi-modal aerial robot system that integrates tensile perching for energy conservation and a suspended actuated pod for data collection. The system consists of a quadrotor drone, a slewing ring mechanism allowing 360° tether rotation, and a streamlined pod with two ducted propellers connected via a tether. Winding and unwinding the tether allows the pod to move within the canopy, and activating the propellers allows the tether to be wrapped around branches for perching or disentangling. We experimentally determined the minimum counterweights required for stable perching under various conditions. Building on this, we devised and evaluated multiple perching and disentangling strategies. Comparisons of perching and disentangling manoeuvres demonstrate energy savings that could be further maximized with the use of the pod or tether winding. These approaches can reduce energy consumption to only 22\% and 1.5\%, respectively, compared to a drone disentangling manoeuvre. We also calculated the minimum idle time required by the proposed system after the system perching and motor shut down to save energy on a mission, which is 48.9\% of the operating time. Overall, the integrated system expands the operational capabilities and enhances the energy efficiency of aerial robots for long-term monitoring tasks. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/2403.01890 |
| Description | Aerial robotics platforms and proving grounds |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | INTEROPERABILITY IN ROBOTICS & AUTONOMOUS SYSTEMS PROVING GROUNDS London, UK Date: 16/02/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Aerospace & Defense Meetings Sevilla 2021 - Physical AI for Infrastructure Drones |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Unmanned Aerial Systems technologies are becoming an important tool at industrial and infrastructure systems in many different applications. This workshop presents some successful use cases of successful demonstration of state-of-the-art of these technologies in industrial environments. Laboratory for Robotics and Intelligent Control Systems of the University of Zagreb, Aerial Robotics Laboratory of the Imperial College London and GRVC Robotics Laboratory of the University of Seville will present their experience. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZS6i2_VEmzg |
| Description | AlphaGalileo: Bee-like drones ready to print buildings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Bee-like drones ready to print buildings |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.alphagalileo.org/en-gb/Item-Display/ItemId/225160?returnurl=https://www.alphagalileo.org... |
| Description | AlphaGalileo: Skills development in Physical AI could give birth to lifelike intelligent robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The research suggests that teaching materials science, mechanical engineering, computer science, biology and chemistry as a combined discipline could help students develop the skills they need to create lifelike artificially intelligent (AI) robots as researchers. Known as Physical AI, these robots would be designed to look and behave like humans or other animals while possessing intellectual capabilities normally associated with biological organisms. These robots could in future help humans at work and in daily living, performing tasks that are dangerous for humans, and assisting in medicine, caregiving, security, building and industry. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.alphagalileo.org/en-gb/Item-Display/ItemId/200575?returnurl=https://www.alphagalileo.org... |
| Description | An aviary for drone research |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Dübendorf, St. Gallen und Thun, 23.05.2023 - They maintain and repair buildings, observe natural phenomena and transport goods: Drones and robots could play a major role in our lives in the future. With the DroneHub, a kind of aviary is to be created in the NEST research and innovation building on the Empa campus in Dübendorf, where Empa researchers will explore and further develop the interaction of drones, infrastructure and natural habitats together with industrial and academic partners. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-95341.html |
| Description | As well as finding out more about threats to bees, researchers have been inspired to create bee-like drones and to protect our natural pollinators with the help of school students. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | As well as investigating the impact of pesticides on bees, Imperial researchers in the Aerial Robotics Lab have also been inspired by bees when creating drones. The drones' designs are inspired by nature: the flying robots will sense and swoop on damaged infrastructure like bees monitoring and building their hive. They can also alert nearby drones to an issue to rally a team response. Like many flying animals, the drones will also be soft and flexible to minimise impact damage to the building or the drones themselves. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/191248/world-bee-day-buzz-around-imperials/ |
| Description | BBC Click Feature |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Dr Kovac conducted an interview with the BBC for their 'Click' technology feature, with Rob Siddall providing background assistance. The topic of the segment was pollution monitoring, and the interview also featured footage of robot prototypes from the project being tested. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b08hz447/click-air-quality |
| Description | BBC World News |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Interview of Mirko Kovac for BBC World News as Robotics expert with audience of ca. 400 million people. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38505626 |
| Description | BBC World Service - Special edition BBC Click on Drones |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Special edition of BBC click with interview to Dr Mirko Kovac |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p030vxy4 |
| Description | BBC: Flying 3D printer drones work like bees to fix buildings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | BBC: Flying 3D printer drones work like bees to fix buildings A fleet of flying 3D printers has been designed to build and repair structures in-flight. The drones use building methods similar to bees and wasps and were developed by a team at the University of Bath. They could be used in manufacturing and construction in difficult-to-access places like on top of tall buildings, or dangerous locations to help with post-disaster relief construction. The inventors say they could also cut costs and make construction safer. 3D printing has been gaining popularity in the construction industry and project investigator, Dr Richard Ball, said the new materials made use of unique properties needed for "aerial additive manufacturing". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-62993125 |
| Description | BT - BRITISH SCIENCE WEEK DRONE DAY 'Physical Artificial Intelligence for Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | BSW plus we have lots of interest from schools all over the UK. So far our landing page has received over 3000 hits in the past 10 days of launching a short overview video. You can take a look here: Adastral Park - British Science Week (atadastral.co.uk) Drones: How are drones being used in our everyday lives? What are their future benefits and possibilities? Can physical artificial intelligence create lifelike robots? |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://atadastral.co.uk/bsw/ |
| Description | BT British Science Week - Physical Artificial Intelligence for Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | 8000 online viewers! students and family members. At BT Adastral Park where I am usually based, we hold a week long British Science Week (BSW), attracting around 1600 students from the Eastern Region. Due to Covid-19, we are going virtual from 8th - 12th March 2021! We are setting up a web page for schools and families to join us over the five days to explore a subject launched each day: Cyber Security Smart Cities Creative Media Drones Health & Sports Science Each day, there will be an introduction of a pre-recorded video host, leading onto a 5 minute video about the subject. Some "profile" fact pages will also be shown alongside, giving the viewer a chance to get to know each of the presenters and the grads/apprentices who work in the topic space. A Q&A session will be held live each day from 1345 til 1430. A make and do session will also be available, with step by step instructions Then we are giving universities and businesses a chance to get involved, by hosting a 5 minute video about the subject of the day; career "profile" fact pages; and the opportunity to be part of the live Q&A. It's a great publicity opportunity to showcase and celebrate the work in their departments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://atadastral.co.uk/bsw/drones/ |
| Description | Behind-the-scenes @ Centre of Excellence, Infrastructure Robotics Ecosystems |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Brahmal Vasudevan Multi Terrain Aerial Robotics Arena is hosted in the Aerial Robotics Lab and is the first of its kind in Europe. Professor Mirko Kovac, Director of Aerial Robotics Laboratory, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Aeronautics, Imperial College London The Arena enables engineers to test the next generation of aerial robotics for urban environments and extreme conditions. Researchers in the Arena are able to simulate different terrains in the air, the ocean and on land. The space also enables engineers to create extreme conditions such as fire, smoke and heat to simulate how the next generation of drones will perform in harsh environments. This event was part of an exclusive programme of Member-only visits. Each event gives Members of Friends of Imperial College and their guest's unique access to facilities and research departments with our Behind-the-Scenes events in Imperial and beyond! |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.friendsofimperial.org.uk/events/behind-the-scenes-centre-of-excellence-infrastructure-ro... |
| Description | Beihang university - Physical Artificial Intelligence for Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | graduate students, postdocs, and undergraduate students - 45 attendees. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Bio-Inspired Soft Aerial Robotics (workshop) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics RoboSoft 2023 Singapore Date: 03/04/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Bio-gliders: industrious and ephemeral |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Bio-gliders: industrious and ephemeral 04/19/2023 - Empa researchers have developed the sustainable flight sensors from potato starch and wood waste. At the 36th Energy Lunch, our speaker Mirko Kovac, Head of the "Sustainability Robotics" laboratory at Empa, where the bio-gliders were developed, reported on this project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.energie-bewegt-winterthur.ch/feinfuehlig-fleissig-vergaenglich |
| Description | Bio-inspired Drones for Sustainability |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Bio-inspired Drones for Sustainability at Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines The 11th International Symposium on Adaptive Motion of Animals and Machines Understanding mechanism for adaptive behavior of animals helps us realizing adaptive behavior of machines. And experimenting on machines to realize adaptive behavior helps us finding new views on biological systems. These two approaches are "two wheels of a cart" to understand the essence of adaptive intelligence. AMAM 2023 is the 11th international symposium dedicated to interdisciplinary interactions among researchers of fields such as neurophysiology, brain science, biomechanics, neuromechanics, robotics, prosthetics, and other fields related to adaptive behavior of animals and machines. Previous symposia were held in Montreal, Canada (2000); Kyoto, Japan (2003); Ilmenau, Germany (2005); and Cleveland, USA (2008); Awaji, Japan(2011); Darmstadt, Germany(2013); Cambridge, USA(2015); Sapporo, Japan(2017); Lausanne, Switzerland(2019); Virtual Platform(2021). Abstract contributions are invited from all areas pertaining to adaptive motion in animals and machines. Accepted abstracts will be presented in either oral or poster sessions based on assessed suitability by the program committee. Invited talks and some selected speakers will be presented in oral sessions in a single track. We also encourage participants to contribute hardware demonstrations, as part of the 'Robot Zoo'@AMAM2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://adaptivemotion.org/AMAM2023/ |
| Description | Bio-inspired Drones for Sustainability |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar at Sabanci University Istanbul, Turkey Date: 19/06/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Bio-inspired Drones for Sustainability Sciences |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Aerial robotics has become a key enabler of industrial automation and environmental interaction tasks with applications ranging from environmental sensing in forests, over water sampling in lakes to industrial manufacturing and repair. Most aerial robots however are rigid in structure and rely on accurate state estimation and controlled sensor-actuator loops to perform the tasks and navigate through the environment. Natural flyers on the other hand rely not just on flight control but also on smart and adaptive materials to expand their operational flight envelope and to increase the functionality of their wings allowing them to display an impressive range of skills. Recently, the robotics community has started to employ adaptive morphologies, smart materials and soft robotics methods in aerial robotics with the promise of achieving higher levels of system resilience and adaptation to complex or changing environments. In this talk I will present how animal-inspired soft robot design methods can greatly enhance aerial robotics capabilities and how adaptive morphologies and functional materials can be co-evolved in tandem with aerial robotic embodiments. The talk will also include application examples of such soft aerial robots placing sensors in forests, collecting water samples autonomously or landing on wind turbines to perform construction and repair tasks. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://frobio.wordpress.com/ |
| Description | Bioinspired, soft and other novel design paradigms for aerial robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 2024 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) Yokohoma, Japan |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Breaking the Surface: Aerial Robotics for Digital Infrastructure Systems |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | To increase share recent technological advances in Aerial Robotics for Digital Infrastructure Systems. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | BtS Conference (Croatia) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Breaking the Surface Marine Robotics (BtS) serves as a prominent meeting place for experts and students of marine control engineering and signal processing and the marine robotics application areas. Dr Mirko Kovac presented the our latest aerial robotics technologies with highlights on the work on Aerial ABM at this meeting during October 2016. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.marinetraining.eu/content/breaking-surface-2016-8th-international-interdisciplinary-field... |
| Description | CAS-Exkursion: Tamedia jounalists in training |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Physical Artificial Intelligence. On the way to lifelike robots |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | CASCADE workshop series - Integrating scientific measurement and actuation equipment on fixed and rotary wing drones |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Practical experience in the design, testing and simulation of multirotor, VTOL, and STOL drones Design of drone airspace for the future Simulation as part of CASCADE and how we might join it all up as part of the Capstone Case Study Integrating scientific measurement and actuation equipment on fixed and rotary wing drones Holistic design and optimisation of drones and drone missions Shared experience in preparing current safety cases and better ideas of how safety can be managed in the future Engaging the wider public with CASCADE messages, demonstration of technology applications, impact generated by our research + any other topic that does not fit in one of the other categories |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | CGTN Interview with Shini Somara |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | research on drones and forest conservation and monitoring and wanted to make a film about your work for a television programme called Razor on CGTN Europe. Razor is a 30-min weekly science and technology programme, where we feature the latest science, technology and innovation from around the world. CGTN has bureaus in Beijing, Washington DC, Nairobi and most recently London. We reach audiences of 550 million people across 127 countries. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Cambridge Branch: Aerial Robotics for Sustainability Sciences |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Cambridge branch RAeS talk Environmental sciences rely heavily on accurate, timely and complete data sets which are often collected manually at significant risks and costs. Robotics and mobile sensor networks can collect data more effectively and with higher spatial-temporal resolution compared to manual methods while benefiting from expanded operational envelopes and added data collection capabilities. In future, robotics and AI will be an indispensable tool for data collection in complex environments, enabling the digitalisation of forests, lakes, off-shore energy systems, cities and the polar environment. However, such future robot solutions will need to operate more flexibly, robustly and efficiently than they do today. This talk will present how animal-inspired robot design methods can integrate adaptive morphologies, functional materials and energy-efficient locomotion principles to enable this new class of environmental robotics. The talk will also include application examples, such as flying robots that can place sensors in forests, aerial-aquatic drones for autonomous water sampling, drones for aerial construction and repair, and impact-resilient drones for safe operations in underground and tunnel systems. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| URL | https://www.aerosociety.com/events-calendar/cambridge-branch-aerial-robotics-for-sustainability-scie... |
| Description | Children Christmas Lecture at Imperial College |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Mirko Kovac was invited to be the speaker at the annual Children's Christmas Lecture at Imperial College. The event is one of the College's annual prestigious lectures, the aim of which is to demonstrate to children that science can be fun as well as interesting and hopefully they will go on to consider studying science at GCSE, A Level and beyond. The age range of the audience is 11-16, involving schools in London and children of Imperial staff and alumnus who attend as well as members of the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/eventssummary/event_9-11-2016-10-57-45 |
| Description | Children Christmas Lecture at Surrey |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Mirko Kovac was invited speaker to the IET and University of Surrey 2017 Children's Christmas Lecture. The event is organised for schools, with target audience of children between 13 - 18 year olds who are interested in Science, Engineering and Technology. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/iet-christmas-lecture-2017-surrey-tickets-39319167689# |
| Description | ChinaDaily: Scientists design aerial-aquatic robot, inspired by remora fish |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | A team of Chinese scientists along with their international counterparts have designed a robotic drone capable of crossing the air-water boundary and hitchhiking on surfaces. The scientists from Beihang University and Imperial College London drew inspiration from remora fish, a family of species known for their adhesive discs that help them catch a ride on marine creatures including whales and sharks. The unique ability of this fish to hitchhike on moving objects helps it to save effort. The 3D-printed, untethered robot can switch from an underwater drone to an aerial vehicle in less than one second due to the unique design of its propellers that make this transition between mediums faster than most previous aerial-aquatic robots, according to the study published Thursday in the journal Science Robotics. The robot is installed with a remote-controlled suction pad that can stick to wet and dry surfaces with different textures, even on moving objects, according to the study. It can rapidly attach and detach on challenging surfaces both in air and under water, including curved, rough, unfinished, and biofouling surfaces, and achieve long-duration adhesion with minimal oscillation. Untethered drones are good at working in expansive or remote environments, but one obstacle to their application is that their batteries tend to drain quickly. The hitchhiking mode helps solve the energy problem. During application tests, the robot hitched a ride on a swimming host vehicle to obtain seabed images of hermit crabs, scallops, and seaweed. It consumed significantly less energy, spending roughly 19 times less power than it would have spent using self-propulsion, according to the study. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202205/19/WS6285fd74a310fd2b29e5dcb9.html |
| Description | Codex World's Top 50 Innovators 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | How can Robotics and AI support sustainable development? |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.codex.com/worlds-top-50-innovators-2022/#:~:text=Biography-,Prof.,Technology%20(Empa)%20... |
| Description | Construction Site Robotics Symposium (ARUP, London) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Organised by Arup, event brought together a range of leading thinkers to explore opportunities and implications of responding to a future of construction site robotics. Between 50-100 industry and academic participants attending the event generating following collaboration leads. This includes an EPSRC iCASE with ARUP. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Contributed talk: Physical Artificial Intelligence in Untethered Soft Aerial Robots for Safe Environmental Interaction and Perching |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 2023 Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting & Exhibit - Symposium SF06-From Robotic Towards Autonomous MaterialsBoston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Damals.De: Building in flight: 3D printing drones developed |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Building in flight: 3D printing drones developed The concept of building using 3D printing processes is now even conquering the air: Based on the model of bees, swallows and co, researchers have developed flying 3D printers that can construct or repair structures in a sophisticated way. In the future, 3D-printed drones could be used in places that are difficult to access or dangerous - such as on tall buildings or in disaster areas, say the scientists. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.wissenschaft.de/technik-digitales/bauen-im-flug-3d-druck-drohnen-entwickelt/ |
| Description | Digital Journal: Drones are helping to protect the environment in novel ways |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Drones have a number of useful applications, especially in assisting scientists to better understand the planet. This includes environmental and conservation work. Three examples are presented. Drone technology is advancing in novel ways. As an example, researchers have begun to use special computer algorithms to control drones. In addition, drones are being equipped with new types of sensors to take readings or they have advanced cameras that allow 3D models to be produced from images. AI is also making drones safer, such as avoiding collisions and boosting the probability of detecting drones and reducing fault detections. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/science/drones-are-helping-to-protect-the-environment... |
| Description | Digital twins and robotics for a sustainable human habitat |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Building Smart Workshop London, UK Date: 12/07/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Distinguished invited talk: Physical AI for Soft Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 2023 Materials Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting & Exhibit - Symposium SF06-From Robotic Towards Autonomous Materials Boston, Massachusetts, USA |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Drone Days 2021 - Multi-Modal Aerial Robotics For Environmental Sensing and Construction |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | DroneDays is a two-day workshop focused on unmanned aerial vehicles which will be held on 4th and 5th October 2021 in Biograd na Moru, Croatia. The programme consists of keynote lectures and an exhibition area, and is focused on unmanned aerial vehicle applications and end-user industries. It will serve as a meeting place for experts from the industry and academia, end-users, as well as regulatory bodies from the region. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | http://dronedays.fer.hr/en/session/multi-modal-aerial-robotics-for-environmental-sensing-and-constru... |
| Description | Drone Flying at Imperial Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | We have displayed autonomously flying drones at the Imperial Festival, an annual science exhibition for the general public. The audience experienced the direct outcome of our research in a very tangible way: even kids could get the drones to performe actions |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2017,2018,2019 |
| URL | http://www.imperial.ac.uk/festival |
| Description | DroneHub |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Qatar Government Meeting Dubendorf, Switzerland Date: 06/03/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | DroneHub: Building-drone interface for integrated living |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | LINA Event Dubendorf, Switzerland Date: 30/03/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | EL PAIS: Impresoras 3D que vuelan y trabajan en equipo como las abejas |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Las abejas tienen la habilidad de saber cómo tienen que hacer su trabajo sin que nadie se lo diga. Se dividen para cuidar de las larvas, mantener limpia la colmena y recoger polen para elaborar la miel, todo con un alto nivel de sofisticación. La naturaleza enseña que es posible la construcción colectiva, escalable, robusta y adaptativa. Y la robótica está aprendiendo ahora a aprovechar propiedades similares. Un estudio publicado este miércoles en Nature presenta una flota de drones que se organizan como abejas para hacer trabajos de construcción y reparación en lugares de difícil acceso o peligrosos. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://elpais.com/tecnologia/2022-09-21/impresoras-3d-que-vuelan-y-trabajan-en-equipo-como-las-abej... |
| Description | EMPA Lecture Series in Physical AI: Seminar by Prof. Dr. Salvador Pané i Vidal - Materials for small-scale robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | We live in a world increasingly surrounded by robots such as robotic surgical systems, flying drones, autonomous planetary rovers, and robotic appliances. An emerging family of robotic systems are untethered micro- and nanorobots. These tiny vehicles can move either by harvesting chemical fuels present in their swimming environments or by means of external energy sources. One of the ultimate goals of small-scale robotics is to develop machines that can deliver drugs, or realize other medical missions in confined spaces of the human body. Other applications include water remediation or "on-the-fly" chemistry. The recent rapid developments in small-scale robotics is undeniably related to advances in material science and manufacturing. However, while many applications have been demonstrated, aspects such as complex locomotion, multifunctionality, biocompatibility and biodegradability need to be further investigated for the successful translation of these devices to real applications. To this end, new material-based concepts and novel fabrication schemes are urgently required. In this talk, I will introduce two of my latest developments in small-scale robotics. In the first part, we will show how 3D printed microtemplates can be exploited to produce complex robotic microstructures made of rigid metals, soft polymers and combinations of these. As a result, topologically complex metal-organic structures can be realized with micrometric resolution. I will also demonstrate that metal-organic interlocked micromachines can solve several practical challenges in small-scale robotics. We show that high magnetic responsiveness, drug loading capabilities, biocompatibility, on-demand shape transformation, and multi-locomotion modes can be embedded in a single microrobotic machine. The second part of this talk will be focused on multiferroic small-scale robots. These small-scale robots consist of multiferroic magnetoelectric composite materials, which have the ability to generate an electric field under the application of an external magnetic field. Micro and nanorobots capable of wirelessly delivering electric fields can be used for electrostimulation of cells for the central nervous systems applications, or for bone tissue engineering. Finally, magnetoelectric small-scale robots can also be used for water cleaning applications, such as degradation of organic pollutants or reduction of heavy metals. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.empa.ch/web/s799/physical-ai-seminar-series |
| Description | EMPA Lecture Series in Physical AI: Seminar by Prof. Fritz Vollrath - Spiders and their Webs - in the context of soft-robotics. Unravelling Spider Webs and Silks |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Webs are fascinating examples of Nature's 'Design by Evolution' which is powerful process able to generate highly functional and supremely efficient materials, devices and systems. Silk is an excellent examples for outstanding performance of a natural material, and this talk shall explore a few characteristics and put them into perspective. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://events.empa.ch/Aktuelle%20Veranstaltungen/Tagungen/event.php?vnr=277-110 |
| Description | EMPA Lecture Series in Physical AI: Seminar by Prof. Metin Sitti - Soft-bodied small-scale mobile robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | 57 attendees. Untethered small-scale mobile robots have the potential to revolutionize healthcare, since they have the unique capability of accessing, operating and possibly staying inside hard and currently not possible to reach small spaces inside the human body non-invasively. On the other hand, soft-bodied robots have unique capabilities with compared to their fully rigid counterparts, such as shape changing and programming, physical adaptation, safe operation, and multifunctionality. Using such unique capabilities of soft robots for medical applications, we propose new miniature soft medical robots that are actuated using external magnetic fields. We first developed a shape-programming methodology for 2D magneto-elastic materials, and used such materials to create magnetic soft millirobots inspired by soft-bodied organisms, such as spermatozoids, caterpillars, and jellyfishes. A magneto-elastic sheet-shaped soft robot is demonstrated to be able to have seven or more locomotion modalities to be able to navigate in complex environments, such as inside the human body. Next, a baby jellyfish-inspired magneto-elastic milliswimmer is shown to realize multiple functionalities by producing diverse controlled fluidic flows around its body. Then, an array of cilia-inspired magneto-elastic cilia is developed to generate metachronal waves for efficient biofluid pumping and fluidic object manipulation. Also, various 3D metastructures-based soft robots with specific medical functionalities are introduced under ultrasound type of medical imaging modalities. Finally, liquid crystal elastomer type of stimuli-responsive materials are integrated with magneto-elastic composites towards self-sensing and self-adapting physically intelligent robots at the small scale. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://nccr-robotics.ch/events/empa-robotics-centre-seminar-series-on-physical-ai/ |
| Description | EMPA Press Release: Drones to monitor ecological changes |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | A team of researchers from Empa and Imperial College London developed drones that can attach sensors to trees to monitor environmental and ecological changes in forests. Sensors for forest monitoring are already used to track changes in temperature, humidity and light, as well as the movements of animals and insects through their habitats. They also help to detect and monitor forest fires and can provide valuable data on how climate change and other human activities are affecting the natural world. Placing these sensors can, however, prove difficult in large, tall forests, and climbing trees to place them poses its own risks. Flying robots à la Robin Hood Now, a team of researchers from Empa and Imperial College London has developed drones that can shoot sensor-containing darts onto trees several meters away in cluttered environments like forests. The drones can also place sensors through contact or by perching on tree branches. The researchers hope the drones will be used in future to create networks of sensors to boost data on forest ecosystems and to track hard-to-navigate biomes like the Amazon rainforest. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.empa.ch/web/s604/drohnen-im-wald |
| Description | ENAC Seminar Series by Prof. M. Kovac |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Robotics and AI for Environmental Sensing Environmental sciences rely heavily on accurate, timely and complete data sets which are often collected manually at significant risks and costs. Robotics and mobile sensor networks can collect data more effectively and with higher spatial-temporal resolution compared to manual methods while benefiting from expanded operational envelopes and added data collection capabilities. In future, robotics and AI will be an indispensable tool for data collection in complex environments, enabling the digitalisation of forests, lakes, off-shore energy systems, cities and the polar environment. However, such future robot solutions will need to operate more flexibly, robustly and efficiently than they do today. This talk will present how animal-inspired robot design methods can integrate adaptive morphologies, functional materials and energy-efficient locomotion principles to enable this new class of environmental robotics. The talk will also include application examples, such as flying robots that can place sensors in forests, aerial-aquatic drones for autonomous water sampling, drones for aerial construction and repair, and impact-resilient drones for safe operations in underground and tunnel systems. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://memento.epfl.ch/event/enac-seminar-series-by-prof-m-kovac/ |
| Description | EPFL EESS Environmental Engineering Seminar Series - Aerial Robotics for Environmental and Infrastructure Science |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Environmental and infrastructure sciences rely heavily on accurate, timely and complete data sets which are often collected manually at significant risks and costs. Robotics and mobile sensor networks can collect data more effectively and with higher spatial-temporal resolution compared to manual methods while benefiting from expanded operational envelopes and added data collection capabilities. In future, robotics will be an indispensable tool for data collection in complex environments, enabling the digitalisation of forests, lakes, off-shore energy systems, cities and the polar environment. However, such future robot solutions will need to operate more flexibly, robustly and efficiently than they do today. This talk will present how animal-inspired robot design methods can integrate adaptive morphologies, functional materials and energy-efficient locomotion principles to enable this new class of environmental robotics. The talk will also include application examples, such as flying robots that can place sensors in forests, aerial-aquatic drones for autonomous water sampling, drones with compliant landing systems for landing on wind turbines, drones for aerial construction and repair, and impact-resilient drones for safe operations in underground and tunnel systems. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://memento.epfl.ch/event/eess-talk-on-aerial-robotics-for-environmental-and/ |
| Description | EPFL seminar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Robotics and AI for environmental sensing |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | ETH Robotics & Autonomous Systems Faculty Workshop - Aerial Infrastructure Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | ETH Robotics & Autonomous Systems Faculty Workshop - Aerial Infrastructure Robotics |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | ETH Smart Cities & Mobility Faculty Workshop - Physical AI for Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | ETH Smart Cities & Mobility Faculty Workshop - Physical AI for Aerial Robotics |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Eawag Seminar: Aerial-aquatic drones for water sampling |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Manual water sampling can be expensive, labour intensive and risky, in particular in areas where the environment is hazardous or difficult to access. Mobile robots are starting to be used for such applications, offering a relatively risk-free and low-cost manner to rapidly and systematically observe aquatic phenomena and perform in-situ measurements at a high spatio-temporal resolution. However, most robots are either designed to move in either air or water and are therefore constrained by the limitation of each movement modality. Multi-modal mobility in both air and water and across fluid boundaries allows for unprecedented mission capabilities that cannot be done with only flying or swimming robots. For example, it enables autonomous water sampling in inaccessible coastal areas, mountain lakes, around coral reefs, between floating ice in the arctic sea and during urban flooding situations, where obstacles in the water inhibit access with single-mode robots. However, the conflicting design requirements for operation in air and water has prevented the demonstration of a fully functional and autonomous aerial-aquatic robot. In this talk, I will present how biological inspiration can help in the design of such vehicles and what we can learn from aerial-aquatic animals to build multi-modal robots. I will also present the current state of the Aquatic Micro Aerial Vehicle (AquaMAV) research at Imperial College London where we have developed a family of aerial-aquatic drones for water sampling applications. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.eawag.ch/de/news-agenda/agenda/archiv/detail/?tx_sfpevents_sfpevents%5Bevent%5D=1782&tx_... |
| Description | EcoBuild |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | - Expert panel debating the future role of robotics and artificial intelligence in construction |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Ecobuild Exhibition (Excel, London) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Ecobuild was a four-day event at Excel Exhibition Centre in London bringing professionals and researchers in the field of construction together to exchange ideas and demonstrate potential implementations for our future built environment. Aerial Robotics Lab at Imperial has been invited to give a presentation on "Drones for construction and repair in future cities" as well as the opportunity to display novel technologies developed within Aerial Additive Building Manufacturing project to a wide range of audiences from industry to academia. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Economy and sustainability go hand in hand |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The Swiss Green Economy Symposium was held in Winterthur in early September. The 3-day conference on business and sustainability in Switzerland focused on the topic of "Creating more impact together" and used specific examples to show how cooperation between business, politics, science and NGOs contributes to greater prosperity, protection of the environment and more sustainable coexistence. Empa was a scientific partner at the event. Among the 250 speakers were Empa Director Tanja Zimmermann and Mirko Kovac, head of Empa's Sustainability Robotics lab. Numerous other Empa scientists participated in various innovation forums. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://sges.ch/ |
| Description | Electronics 360: Video: Dart-shooting drone deploys sensor to inaccessible locations |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Researchers from the Imperial College London have created a new deployment method for sensors that uses unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to launch sensors into hazardous environments or inaccessible locations. The drones shoot the sensors like darts to a target location that can be safely approached by a UAV, such as under the forest canopy or up high in a tall tree or an industrial pipeline or oil rig. Typically, these types of sensors would need to be delivered by a human putting the person in threat of injury. Researchers said the drone-sensor system opens new opportunities for industrial and scientific uses. With the system, no physical interaction is needed, and the method is based on mechanical energy storage and ultralight shape memory alloy trigger. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://electronics360.globalspec.com/article/15906/video-dart-shooting-drone-deploys-sensor-to-inac... |
| Description | Empa Leadership Forum - Materials and Technology Centre of Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Empa Leadership Forum - Materials and Technology Centre of Robotics |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Empa Press Release - Digital Day 'A Sustainable Future with "Living" Machines: Collaborative Drones: How Physical Artificial Intelligence will Shape our Interaction with Robots' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | In this insightful conversation with Mirko Kovac, Head of Empa's Materials and Technology Center of Robotics, the role of materials science in the evolution of drone technology was emphasized, as the composition of robots' bodies, morphology and materials is pivotal in developing a fully functional lifelike robot. How do these intelligent, nature-like robots of the future look like? More importantly, how do we develop these? Kovac presented examples for potential applications of drones developed at the center, including flying robots that shoot and place sensor darts in the forest to get insights and collect the necessary data to protect forest ecosystems from depletion. Drones that work synergetic to society and facilitate the inspection of complex construction sites, mining and other hostile environments, are other relevant use cases of life supportive robots. Check out the full interview, hosted by Empa's Head of Communications, Michael Hagmann, to get more details. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://digitaltag.empa.ch/-lebende-machinen |
| Description | Empa-ETHZ Soft robotic workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Empa-ETHZ Soft robotic workshop |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Empa-ETHZ Soft robotic workshop - Physical AI for Soft Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | offers a multidisciplinary training by combining two emerging fields of smart materials and soft robots with meaningful societal and economic impact. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Enabling sustainability with bio-inspired robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Which ideas and visions do researchers bring to life - and how do they do it? Meet the bright minds at Empa's laboratories in this video and livestream series and learn about their solutions that are crucial to tackling the many challenges of our times. Prof. Dr. Kovac and his team at the Sustainability Robotics Lab are working on robots and drones able to react intelligently, autonomously and robustly to their environment. These robots, inspired by nature, can help unlock sustainable development. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF2SrL06Xh8 |
| Description | Enabling sustainability with bio-inspired robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Empa TV: Bright Minds: #1 Mirko Kovac Dübendorf, online Date: 04/07/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | EurekAlert: 3D printing drones work like bees to build and repair structures while flying |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The technology, which has been tested in the lab, could ultimately be used for manufacturing and building in difficult-to-access or dangerous locations such as tall buildings or help with post-disaster relief construction, say the researchers. 3D printing is gaining momentum in the construction industry. Both on-site and in the factory, static and mobile robots print materials for use in construction projects, such as steel and concrete structures. This new approach to 3D printing - led in its development by Imperial and Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories of Materials Science and Technology - uses flying robots, known as drones, that use collective building methods inspired by natural builders like bees and wasps who work together to create large, intricate structures. The drones in the fleet, known collectively as Aerial Additive Manufacturing (Aerial-AM), work co-operatively from a single blueprint, adapting their techniques as they go. They are fully autonomous while flying but are monitored by a human controller who checks progress and intervenes if necessary, based on the information provided by the drones. Lead author Professor Kovac, of Imperial's Department of Aeronautics and Empa's Materials and Technology Center of Robotics said: "We've proved that drones can work autonomously and in tandem to construct and repair buildings, at least in the lab. Our solution is scalable and could help us to construct and repair building in difficult-to-reach areas in the future." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/965223 |
| Description | Eurekalert: Skills development in Physical AI could give birth to lifelike intelligent robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The research suggests that teaching materials science, mechanical engineering, computer science, biology and chemistry as a combined discipline could help students develop the skills they need to create lifelike artificially intelligent (AI) robots as researchers. Known as Physical AI, these robots would be designed to look and behave like humans or other animals while possessing intellectual capabilities normally associated with biological organisms. These robots could in future help humans at work and in daily living, performing tasks that are dangerous for humans, and assisting in medicine, caregiving, security, building and industry. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/icl-sdi110920.php |
| Description | European Robotics Forum 2017 - Talk at Workshop on Aerial Robotics Inspection: from prototypes to Industrial Applications |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The European Robotics Forum is the most influential event of the robotics community in Europe. The event gather together academic researchers, industrial representatives and EU officers to present and discuss robotics trends, future initiatives and funding opportunities. The 2017 edition was held in Edinburgh, from March 22 to 24 (http://www.erf2017.eu). The Aerial Robotics Lab has been invited to participate and give a talk at the workshop organised by the Topic Group on Aerial Robotics. The presentations session was followed by a group discussion on aerial robotics challenges and future opportunities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.erf2017.eu |
| Description | European Robotics Forum: talk at Workshop on Aerial Robotics Inspection: from prototypes to Industrial Applications |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of the project activities during the Workshop on Aerial Robotics Inspection: from prototypes to Industrial Applications at the 2017 European Robotics Forum. Discussion and networking followed the presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.erf2017.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/ERF2017-Schedule-v1.1.pdf |
| Description | Exhibiting SpiderMAV: The Science Museum explores a future driven by autonomous vehicles: Driverless: Who is in control? 12 June 2019 - 6 September 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | SpiderMAV lent to the Science Museum by Imperial Aerial Robotics Lab, currently on view in the "Tomorrow's World Gallery". Flying uses up a lot of battery power, which limits how long a drone can operate. To conserve power, this drone independently finds a place to land, then shoots out strings with magnets on the end to attach itself to metal surfaces. Its design was inspired by how spiders stabilise themselves on a web. It also has different gripping devices, which can be attached to its legs, to help perch on different surfaces. The SpiderMAV is an aerial robotic system inspired biologically by the web construction and locomotion capabilities of arachnids such as Darwin's Bark spider who spins strands of silk to build bridge lines up to 25 meters. While the spiders spray silk strands which drift on air current, the artificial SpiderMAV shoots threaded anchors from launchers allowing the anchor to reach fixed structures (ground bases) from distance and attach to targeted positions. The other end of each thread is wound around a spool mounted onto the MAV and can be actively coiled and uncoiled by the actuated spool. With threads in tension, the MAV in the absence of rotor thrusts is a platform suspended by a number of threads and subjects to pure forces including tensile forces provided by threads and the passive gravity. By rotating spools and adjusting length of each threads, the suspended MAV changes its position and orientation and manoeuvres in the 3D space. This type of thread/cable suspended systems are also referred to as wire/tendon-driven parallel mechanisms. For decades, autonomous vehicles have been heralded as a new technology that could change the way we live our lives. Driverless: Who is in control? opening today at the Science Museum will explore how close we are to living in a world driven by thinking machines. Visitors will have the chance to explore three distinctive zones in the exhibition, Land, Air and Water. Each section will explore the different technology solutions already operating in these environments, the motivations of their developers, and their potential to transform a range of activities and industries. In Air, visitors can explore the stories behind flying drones being developed to deliver goods and services at the speed of flight, from defibrillators for emergency medical response teams to hot dinners for the hungry. This section will also feature autonomous drones being developed to clear minefields by the Mine Kafon project, acrobatic drones that will monitor building sites; and drones that use star-mapping technology to detect endangered wildlife and poachers. It will also feature anti-drone technologies, from wearable jammers to nets fired from bazookas to take down drones used for malicious purposes. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019,2020 |
| URL | https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/about-us/press-office/science-museum-explores-future-driven-autonom... |
| Description | Exhibition at Science Museum - London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | AquaMAV has been featured for a Topic Zone at London Science Museum from February 2017. Topic Zones are single-object displays that highlight a new technology and are displayed for four months, reaching an audience of about 100,000. Technology displayed must be both interesting and ground-breaking. Content is presented via digital interactive displays and visitors are invited to comment on the objects - with internal moderation. The aim is to encourage visitors to discuss cutting-edge science and technology. Two prototypes of AquaMAV are currently exposed in the Science Museum, one prototype is attached to the roof showing the flying modality and the other is in a tank showing the underwater modality. The robots will be exposed for 4 months during the event on Robots. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://antenna.sciencemuseum.org.uk/topiczone/articles/can-flying-diving-robots-help-keep-our-ocean... |
| Description | FARI Brussels Conference: AI, Data, and Robotics for the Common Good |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Are robots sustainable? |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://conference.fari.brussels/ |
| Description | Forbes: Researchers Propose 'Physical AI' As Key To Lifelike Robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Researchers at Imperial College London have proposed "physical artificial intelligence" as a new multidisciplinary area of research that could be vital to producing lifelike intelligent robots in the future. Writing in the Nature Machine Intelligence journal, the team argue that teaching materials science, mechanical engineering, computer science, biology and chemistry as a combined discipline would help students and researchers develop lifelike artificially intelligent robots. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonchandler/2020/11/11/researchers-propose-physical-ai-as-key-to-life... |
| Description | From Robotic Towards Autonomous Materials |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Over the last twenty years, progress in soft robotics has motivated the materialization of physical intelligence through new forms of soft actuators, sensors, and control strategies. But the challenges of power, performance, and control in soft robotics remain limited by available materials. The natural world is inspiring a new generation of materials design paradigms, where multifunctionality not only tightly integrates multiple robotic capabilities, but enables truly autonomous behaviors. The next-generation of autonomous agents should be indistinguishable from materials, as they must truly integrate distributed actuation, perception, control, and energy capabilities. To enable this interdisciplinary vision, this symposium aims to bring several communities together - from materials science and soft robotics to chemistry and mechanics - to build beyond visions of robotic materials to truly autonomous ones. Our symposium is structured around three core tracks. The first - robotic materials - will feature new materials for actuators, sensors, controllers, and energy. Research themes of interest are electrically-driven and chemically powered actuators, new soft material sensing and control strategies, and materials for robotic power. The second track - design and fabrication - will highlight innovations in multifunctional material fabrication, directed assembly of materials across multiple lengths scales, and modeling. The third track - autonomous materials - will explore the emergence of autonomous, self-regulatory, and intelligence in material systems, while exploring emerging areas of embodied energy, and distributed sensorimotor capabilities. Overall, the three tracks will collectively explore new applications for robotic or autonomous materials, including devices for wearables and biomedicine, untethered bioinspired robots, food security, environmental monitoring, and beyond. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.mrs.org/docs/default-source/meetings-events/fall-meetings/2023/f23-call-for-papers-searc... |
| Description | Heat-resistant drone could scope out and map burning buildings and wildfires |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Imperial College London and Empa researchers have built a drone that can withstand high enough temperatures to enter burning buildings. The prototype drone, called FireDrone, could be sent into burning buildings or woodland to assess hazards and provide crucial first-hand data from danger zones. The data would then be sent to first responders to help inform their emergency response. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/245718/heat-resistant-drone-could-scope-burning-buildings/ |
| Description | Hosting schoolchildren for Empa summer camp |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | To encourage students about aerial robotics and educate and inspire them with respect to the current advanced techology. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | ICCV 2017 Workshop: 3D Reconstruction meets Semantics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Workshop talk about current research results for international experts in computer vision |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://trimbot2020.webhosting.rug.nl/events/3drms/ |
| Description | ICRA 2017 talk at Workshop IC3 - Industry of the future: Collaborative, Connected, Cognitive. Novel approaches stemming from factory of the future & industry 4.0 initiatives (June 2 2017, Singapore) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | ICRA is the flagship conference of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society. We have submitted the proposal for a talk at the workshop on IC3 Industry of the future which has been evaluated and accepted for the event. During the talk, Dr Kovac has shown the results and the challenges related to the aerial robotics construction for the industry of the future. A group discussion with researchers, industrial representatives and policymakers has followed after the talk. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://sssa.bioroboticsinstitute.it/workshops/IC3_icra2017 |
| Description | ICRA 2020 Competition judge "Self-Assembling and Reconfigurable Systems" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Self-assembly is a process where pre-existing components form a structured system without external control due to the local interaction between the components. It is ubiquitous in many different fields like biology, chemistry, medicine, robotics and materials science. Self-assembly is a very important aspect in biological and robotics systems. This workshop aims to open a dialogue about self-assembly between researchers in biology and robotics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | ICRA Exhibition, London, UK 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Showcasing "aerial additive manufacture" aerial platform. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.icra2023.org/ |
| Description | IDW: On the way to lifelike robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | In order for robots to be able to achieve more than simple automated machines in the future, they must not only have their own "brain". Empa researchers postulate that artificial intelligence must be expanded to include the capabilities of a Physical Artificial Intelligence, PAI. This will redefine the field of robotics and the relationship between man and machine. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://idw-online.de/en/news757713 |
| Description | IEEE ICRA session chair - Aerial Systems Multi-robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Aerial Systems Multi-robots |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://ras.papercept.net/conferences/conferences/ICRA21/program/ICRA21_ContentListWeb_1.html#tudt22 |
| Description | IEEE ICRA workshop on Aerial Robotics - Physical AI for Soft Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | As the flagship conference of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, ICRA will bring together the world's top researchers and most important companies to share ideas and advances in our field. Many important developments in robotics and automation have historically been first presented at ICRA, and in its 39th year, ICRA 2022 promises to take this trend one step further. As the practical and socio-economic impact of our field continues to expand, robotics and automation are increasingly taking the center stage in our lives and will play an important role in the future of work and society, an important focus of this conference. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://ras.papercept.net/conferences/conferences/ICRA21/program/ICRA21_ContentListWeb_1.html#tudt22 |
| Description | IEEE RAS Conference on Soft Robotics - RoboSoft 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | ORCA Hub featured during the RoboSoft2018 full day workshop on "Soft-bodied structures in nature and robotics: towards new trends and opportunities" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://www.robosoft2018.org |
| Description | IROS 2020: Application-Driven Soft Robotic Systems |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Invitation to co-chair a IROS 2020 session |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | http://ras.papercept.net/images/temp/IROS/files/3409.pdf |
| Description | IROS TV interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | IROS TV interview published on YouTube: WebsEdge Science channel (16.k subscriber) and shown at IROS conference at Kyoto, Japan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sje50ezhfew), Oct 2022. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sje50ezhfew |
| Description | IROS workshop: Learning for Localization and Mapping |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Workshop talk in international conference about research results. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://sites.google.com/site/learningforslam/ |
| Description | ITN SMART workshop 2: Integration smart materials in soft robotics - Physical Artificial Intelligence for Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This time the SMART ITN offers a multidisciplinary training by combining two emerging fields of smart materials and soft robots with meaningful societal and economic impact (T-model). The second training event will be organised either virtually (ZOOM) or physically if the current quarantine situation will be eased on 16 - 18 MARCH 2021. The topic is "Integration smart materials in soft robotics" including training sessions on Science Communication and Fundraising skills. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | http://www.smartitn.eu/training-events/smart-workshop-2/ |
| Description | Imperial College London - Sberbank Presentation - Trends, Developments & Applications in Robotics + Advancements in Robotics & Practical Application Set-Up |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | 30 attendees limited due to covid (normally 100 attendees arrive annually) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/business-school/executive-education/custom-programmes/sberbank-corporate-... |
| Description | Imperial College London - Sberbank Presentation - Trends, Developments & Applications in Robotics + Advancements in Robotics & Practical Application Set-Up |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | 30 attendees limited due to covid (normally 100 attendees arrive annually) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/business-school/executive-education/custom-programmes/sberbank-corporate-... |
| Description | Imperial College London Robotics Forum - MSRM Summer School - Physical AI for Aerial Infrastructure Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | a hybrid event that includes online talks and on-site activities in both institutions Imperial College London and TUM, Munich. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07eiieo75oabaa5bf9&llr=xmxiekcbb |
| Description | Imperial College London Robotics Forum Industry Day - Infrastructure Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | This annual event brings together industry players and academics to discuss robotics and discover potential partnership opportunities. The objective of this year's event is to identify challenges and cross-cutting questions that will empower research in robotics for infrastructures, homes, and health. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/events/131734/2021-imperial-robotics-forum-industry-day/ |
| Description | Imperial College London: |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | 3D printing drones work like bees to build and repair structures while flying Imperial College London and Empa researchers have created a fleet of bee-inspired flying 3D printers for building and repairing structures in-flight. The technology could ultimately be used for manufacturing and building in difficult-to-access or dangerous locations such as tall buildings or help with post-disaster relief construction, say the researchers, who publish their work in Nature. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/239973/3d-printing-drones-work-like-bees/ |
| Description | Imperial Festival (London) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Imperial Festival was a two day event where the Aerial Robotics Lab demonstrated new technologies for flight, perching, printing using quadcopter platforms as well as other flying robots to university students and schools. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.imperial.ac.uk/festival/ |
| Description | Imperial Festival 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | ORCA Hub featured during the Imperial Festival (http://www.imperial.ac.uk/festival/) at the Aerial Robotics Lab stand and during the tours in the Aerial Robotics Arena |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://www.imperial.ac.uk/festival/ |
| Description | Imperial Magazine - Soft Robotics Interview |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Mirko Kovac, Professor in Aerial Robotics at the Department of Aeronautics, which houses the Brahmal Vasudevan Aerial Robotics Lab. Today's drones are quite happy in the air above the sea, but they're in trouble when they plunge into the ocean. And while they can take pictures of, say, a problematic component on an oil rig, they can't mend it. Soft robotics take inspiration from everyday life: an outstretched hand; a seabird - or a dead fish" In contrast, soft robotics take inspiration from the ordinary biological structures and processes of everyday life: an outstretched hand, or a seabird diving into the water. Or, indeed, a dead fish 'swimming' upstream. This, it turns out, is a perfect demonstration of soft robotic principles: a system where the compliance of the structure is similar to that of the environment. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/be-inspired/magazine/issue-51/soft-robotics/ |
| Description | Imperial Press Release: Skills development in Physical AI could cultivate lifelike intelligent robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | New research suggests combining educational topics and research disciplines to help researchers breathe life into lifelike intelligent robots. The comment piece suggests that teaching materials science, mechanical engineering, computer science, biology and chemistry as a combined discipline could help students develop the skills they need to create lifelike artificially intelligent (AI) robots as researchers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/208053/skills-development-physical-ai-could-cultivate/ |
| Description | Imperial Press Release: Skills development in Physical AI could cultivate lifelike intelligent robots on November 10 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Skills development in Physical AI could cultivate lifelike intelligent robots on November 10 2020. https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/208053/skills-development-physical-ai-could-cultivate/ https://www.nature.com/articles/s42256-020-00258-y/metrics) Nature Machine Intelligence paper (ranked 2nd of all articles of similar age in Nature Machine Intelligence with similar age: Science Robotics paper (in top 5% of all research output of Altmetric and high attention score in 99% percentile): https://robotics.altmetric.com/details/66446214 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/208053/skills-development-physical-ai-could-cultivate/ |
| Description | Imperial Robotics Forum at ICRA2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The Robotics Forum showcased their latest research at ICRA2023 through exhibitions, demos, presentations and workshops. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/246133/imperial-robotics-forum-icra2023/ |
| Description | India Today: Build it like bob: These bee-inspired drones can 3D print buildings |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Build it like bob: These bee-inspired drones can 3D print buildings In what could be the next phase of civil engineering, a team of scientists have created a unique fleet of 3D printers that can fly like drones and help build and repair structures while in the air. Inspired by bees, the technology is aimed to make manufacturing and building in difficult-to-access, remote and dangerous locations possible. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/build-it-like-bob-these-bee-inspired-drones-can-3d-print-bui... |
| Description | Industrial Strategy all staff event - Rising to the Grand Challenge |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Exhibitor stand of the ORCA Hub at the Industrial Strategy all staff event - Rising to the Grand Challenge, held at the Conference Centre in Westminster. As a part of the event, we participated in the organised marketplace with different exhibitions created by partner organisations and the business industry. The stand has been visited by ministers, senior members, and BEIS staff keen on discussing the Industrial Strategy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Innovations report: Auf dem Weg zu lebensechten Robotern |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Damit Roboter in Zukunft mehr können als einfache Automaten, müssen sie nicht nur über eine eigene Denkleistung verfügen. Die künstliche Intelligenz muss um Fähigkeiten einer physischen künstlichen Intelligenz, PAI, erweitert werden, postulieren Empa-Forscher. Dies werde das Feld der Robotik und die Beziehungen zwischen Mensch und Maschine neu definieren. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.innovations-report.de/fachgebiete/informationstechnologie/auf-dem-weg-zu-lebensechten-ro... |
| Description | Interested Engineering: Animal-inspired flying robots are going to 3D build mid-flight |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Consider the drone bees. These bees, which probably gave their name to today's drones, are also may have inspired by their physical features. Let's learn how. Researchers from Imperial College London and Empa have created a fleet of bee-inspired flying drone printers for 3D printing buildings. The primary purpose of the research is to help the construction industry in hard-to-reach and dangerous places such as high-rise buildings or skyscrapers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/animal-inspired-flying-robots-are-going-to-3d-build-mi... |
| Description | International Workshop on Embodied Intelligence - Physical Artificial Intelligence for Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | This free event brings together a wide range of speakers to discuss the many challenges and opportunities in Embodied Intelligence research! 224 attendees. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://embodiedaiworkshop.wordpress.com/#Plenary |
| Description | Interview with Science News Explorers |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Interview with Science News Explorers: Insect-inspired drones work together to 3-D print structures In the future, such machines might do construction or repairs in hard-to-reach places By Kathryn Hulick January 23, 2023 at 6:30 am Drones already fly and spy. Now, they can build too. For the first time, free-flying robots have 3-D printed structures. A pair of drones working together made a tower taller than a person. Engineers demonstrated this new method of 3-D printing in the lab. They shared their success in Nature on September 22. Mirko Kovac, who co-led the research, says that animal builders inspired him. "Wasps are amazing," he says. "Bees are incredible." These insects work together in swarms to make nests much larger than themselves. Kovac is a roboticist at Imperial College London in England. He also works at Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) in Dübendorf. His co-leader on this project was architect Robert Stuart-Smith of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and University College London in England. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.snexplores.org/article/insect-inspired-drones-3d-print-structures |
| Description | Invited Speaker in IROS'16 workshop "State Estimation and Terrain Perception" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | World-leading researchers in the field of perception / Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) attended this event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Invited Speaker: Aerial Robotics for Infrastructure Systems |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Future infrastructure systems will evolve into complex ecosystems where autonomous aerial, aquatic and ground-based robots will coexist with people and cooperate in symbiosis. To create this human-robot ecosystem, robots will need to respond more flexibly, robustly and efficiently than they do today. They will need to be designed with the ability to move safely close to humans and in contact with infrastructure elements to perform sensing and intervention tasks. Their behaviours will need to be carefully orchestrated to integrate smoothly into the environment and in industry 4.0 workflows. Taking inspiration from natural systems, aerial robotic systems can integrate multi-functional morphology, energy-efficient locomotion principles and advanced perception abilities that will allow them to successfully operate and cooperate in these complex and dynamic environments. This talk will describe design principles and technologies for the development of biologically inspired flying robots that can perform monitoring and manufacturing tasks for infrastructure systems. Examples will include flying robots with perching and aerial sensor-placement abilities, aerial-aquatic drones, drones with compliant landing systems for landing on autonomous cars, drones for aerial construction and repair, soft aerial robots, and origami-based drones for safe interactions with infrastructure elements. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://dronedays.fer.hr/en/session/aerial-robotics-for-infrastructure-systems/ |
| Description | Invited Speaker: Soft Aerial Robotics for Digital Infrastructure Systems |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Future infrastructure systems will evolve into complex ecosystems where autonomous aerial, aquatic and ground-based robots will coexist with people and cooperate in symbiosis. To create this human-robot ecosystem, robots will need to respond more flexibly, robustly and efficiently than they do today. They will need to be designed with the ability to move safely close to humans and in contact with infrastructure elements to perform sensing and intervention tasks. Their behaviours will need to be carefully orchestrated to integrate smoothly into the environment and in industry 4.0 workflows. Taking inspiration from natural systems, aerial robotic systems can integrate multi-functional morphology, new materials, energy-efficient locomotion principles and advanced perception abilities that will allow them to successfully operate and cooperate in these complex and dynamic environments. This talk will describe design principles and technologies for the development of biologically inspired flying robots with adaptive morphology that can perform monitoring and manufacturing tasks for infrastructure and building systems. Examples will include flying robots with perching and aerial sensor-placement abilities, aerial-aquatic drones, drones with compliant landing systems for landing on autonomous cars, drones for aerial construction and repair, and origami-based drones for safe interactions with infrastructure elements. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://web.fe.up.pt/~robot2019/index.php/invited-speakers |
| Description | Invited Speaker: Soft Aerial Robotics for Infrastructure Manufacturing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Future cities and infrastructure systems will evolve into complex conglomerates where autonomous aerial, aquatic and ground-based robots will coexist with people and cooperate in symbiosis. To create this human-robot ecosystem, robots will need to respond more flexibly, robustly and efficiently than they do today. They will need to be designed with the ability to move across terrain boundaries and physically interact with infrastructure elements to perform sensing and intervention tasks. Taking inspiration from nature, aerial robotic systems can integrate multi-functional morphology, new materials, energy-efficient locomotion principles and advanced perception abilities that will allow them to successfully operate and cooperate in complex and dynamic environments. This talk will describe the scientific fundamentals, design principles and technologies for the development of biologically inspired flying robots with adaptive morphology that can perform monitoring and manufacturing tasks for future infrastructure and building systems. Examples will include flying robots with perching capabilities and origami-based landing systems, drones for aerial construction and repair, and combustion-based jet thrusters for aerial-aquatic vehicles. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://pi.is.mpg.de/talks |
| Description | Invited Talk "Soft Aerial Robotics for Digital Infrastructure Systems" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Future infrastructure systems will evolve into complex ecosystems where autonomous aerial, aquatic and ground-based robots will coexist with people and cooperate in symbiosis. To create this human-robot ecosystem, robots will need to respond more flexibly, robustly and efficiently than they do today. They will need to be designed with the ability to move safely close to humans and in contact with infrastructure elements to perform sensing and intervention tasks. Their behaviours will need to be carefully orchestrated to integrate smoothly into the environment and in industry 4.0 workflows. Taking inspiration from natural systems, aerial robotic systems can integrate multi-functional morphology, new materials, energy-efficient locomotion principles and advanced perception abilities that will allow them to successfully operate and cooperate in these complex and dynamic environments. This talk will describe design principles and technologies for the development of biologically inspired flying robots with adaptive morphology that can perform monitoring and manufacturing tasks for infrastructure and building systems. Examples will include flying robots with perching and aerial sensor-placement abilities, aerial-aquatic drones, drones with compliant landing systems for landing on autonomous cars, drones for aerial construction and repair, and origami-based drones for safe interactions with infrastructure elements. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://web.fe.up.pt/~robot2019/index.php/invited-speakers |
| Description | Invited presentation - MOD's Defence Equipment & Support Executive Committee visit to Imperial College |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | A talk on Bio-inspired Aerial Robotics for Future Smart Cities presented for discussion with Defence Equipment & Support Executive Committee. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Invited talk at Behang University, Beijing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Mirko Kovac has been invited to give a talk at Behang University, Beijing |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Invited talk at ETH Zurich |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | An invited talk to discuss the forefront of research in visual localisation and mapping. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Invited talk at Khalifa University (2017) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Mirko Kovac has been invited to give a talk at Khalifa University during the MBZIRC competition. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Invited talk at London CV Meetup |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An invited keynote in a London Meetup attended by leaders in Computer Vision and Robotics research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Invited talk at the 44th Pattern Recognition and Computer Vision Colloquium Prague, April 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The 44th Pattern Recognition and Computer Vision Colloquium, Spring 2019 April 11, 2019 Czech Technical University, Faculty of Electrical Engineering |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://cmp.felk.cvut.cz/cmp/events/colloquium-2019.04.11/ |
| Description | Invited talk at the Swedish Symposium on Image Analysis |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | The SSBA symposium is the premier Swedish event for researchers, industrial professionals and students to meet and learn about the latest developments in the areas of image processing, computer vision, pattern recognition and related fields. This year SSBA will be held at Lindholmen Conference Center, Göteborg, on March 19-20. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://ssba.org.se/ssba2019/ |
| Description | Keynote Lecture at International Conference of Micro Aerial Vehicles |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Mirko Kovac has been invited to give a Keynote Lecture at the 2017 International Conference of Micro Aerial Vehicles (http://www.imav2017.org) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.imav2017.org |
| Description | Keynote at BMVA Symposium on Geometry and Deep Learning London, July 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Visual geometry is one of the areas where applying deep learning is less obvious than in other computer vision problems and has only just started to make an impact. In this meeting, we aim to explore the key challenges in addressing the geometry related tasks with end-to-end learning. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://britishmachinevisionassociation.github.io/meetings/07-19-geometry-deep-learning.html |
| Description | Keynote lecture in International Conference of Micro Aerial Vehicles |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | International Conference of Micro Aerial Vehicles, Toulouse, FR |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Keynote presentation on New Connections: "Robotics and Construction" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | A keynote presentation on New Connections: "Robotics and construction" in an Industry Showcase organised by Centre for Systems Engineering and Innovation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Keynote: Bio-inspired Drones for Sustainability |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Adaptive Motions of Animals and Machines (Amam) 2023 Kobe, Japan Date: 06/06/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Keynote: Robotics Testing Grounds for Sustainability Robotics Innovation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Take-off start up summit Istanbul, Turkey Date: 05/12/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Keynote: Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Keynote at Bilisim Vadisi (Valley of information technology) Istanbul, Turkey Date: 16/06/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Keynotes lectures in CNRS Journées Nationales du GdR Robotique |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | 11.2018 CNRS Journées Nationales du GdR Robotique, Paris, FR |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | LaOpinion: La Inteligencia Artificial se hace humana |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | La nueva frontera en la investigación robótica y en Inteligencia Artificial, que promete tener un gran impacto en las próximas décadas, es la "humanización" de los robots. Se trata de crear máquinas capaces de interactuar como pares con los humanos, a partir de una nueva concepción que integra conocimientos de múltiples disciplinas. Un estudio de investigadores del Imperial College de Londres desarrolla las bases de esta nueva visión. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.laopiniondemalaga.es/tendencias21/2020/11/11/inteligencia-artificial-humana-27371825.htm... |
| Description | Lab Manager: Forest Patrol Drones Could Monitor Environmental and Ecological Changes |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Sensors for forest monitoring are already used to track changes in temperature, humidity, and light, as well as the movements of animals and insects through their habitat. They also help to detect and monitor forest fires and can provide valuable data on how climate change and other human activities are impacting the natural world. However, placing these sensors can prove difficult in large, tall forests, and climbing trees to place them poses its own risks. Now, researchers at Imperial College London's Aerial Robotics Laboratory have developed drones that can shoot sensor-containing darts onto trees several meters away in cluttered environments like forests. The drones can also place sensors through contact or by perching on tree branches. The researchers hope the drones will be used in future to create networks of sensors to boost data on forest ecosystems, and to track hard-to-navigate biomes like the Amazon rainforest. Lead researcher and professor Mirko Kovac, director of the Aerial Robotics Lab from the Department of Aeronautics at Imperial said: "Monitoring forest ecosystems can be difficult, but our drones could deploy whole networks of sensors to boost the amount and precision of environmental and ecological data. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.labmanager.com/news/forest-patrol-drones-could-monitor-environmental-and-ecological-chan... |
| Description | Laboratory of Sustainabilty Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Empa Strategie Klausur Emmetten, Switzerland Date: 13/09/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Live interview on Aljazeera TV |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Live interview of Dr Mirko Kovac on Aljazeera TV as Aerial Robotics expert for the world news. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://twitter.com/aerialrobotics/status/787007134978437120 |
| Description | Living Machine, Genova, Italy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Showcasing our research output in the conference. The development of future real-world technologies will depend strongly on our understanding and harnessing of the principles underlying living systems and the flow of communication signals between living and artificial systems. The conference theme also encompasses biomimetic methods for manufacture, repair, and recycling inspired by natural processes such as reproduction, digestion, morphogenesis, and metamorphosis. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://livingmachinesconference.eu/2023/ |
| Description | Living Machines 2022. The 11th International conference on biomimetics and biohybrid systems |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Bio-inspired Drones for Sustainability |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://livingmachinesconference.eu/2022/our-program/ |
| Description | Living Machines Satellite 2020 Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Living Machines Satellite 2020 Workshop is a virtual workshop entitled "Growing structures: bioinspired innovation insights for architecture and robotics". The organization of a satellite event at Living Machines will be the chance to promote the establishment of many collaborations and initiatives across a variety of disciplines: integrating art and architecture with science and technology is timely and relevant to guide the evolution of our urban environment in a sustainable and effective way. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | http://livingmachinesconference.eu/2020/worshops-lm2020/ |
| Description | Local talk in London (Laura Margcheri) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Laura also talked about her experience at Imperial during a local event on March 8, showing the AcquaMAV. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.facebook.com/events/2602419949830206/ |
| Description | MIT Technology Review: Watch this team of drones 3D-print a tower |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Watch this team of drones 3D-print a tower A mini-swarm's worth of drones have been trained to work together to 3D-print some simple towers. One day, the method could help with challenging projects such as post-disaster construction or even repairs on buildings that are too high to access safely, the team behind it hopes. Inspired by the way bees or wasps construct large nests, the process has multiple drones work together to build from a single blueprint, with one essentially checking the others' work as it goes. One drone deposits a layer of building material, and the other verifies the accuracy of everything printed so far. The drones are fully autonomous while flying, but they are monitored by a human who can step in if things go awry. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/09/21/1059864/drones-3d-print-tower/ |
| Description | Mannheim Multihalle |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Lectures in Stuttgart and Berlin on Frei Otto's Mannheim Multihalle. Chris Williams was part of the original design team and is advising on the future use of and modifications to the structure. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multihalle |
| Description | Maryland Robotics Center PRG Seminar Series - Soft Aerial Robotics for Environmental Sensing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Robotics and Computer Vision. Environmental sensing rely heavily on accurate, timely and complete data sets which are often collected manually at significant risks and costs. Robotics and mobile sensor networks can collect data more effectively and with higher spatial-temporal resolution compared to manual methods while benefiting from expanded operational envelopes and added data collection capabilities. In future, robotics will be an indispensable tool for data collection in complex environments, enabling the digitalization of forests, lakes, off-shore energy systems, cities and the polar environment. However, such future robot solutions will need to operate more flexibly, robustly and efficiently than they do today. This talk will present how animal-inspired soft robot design methods can integrate adaptive morphologies, functional materials and energy-efficient locomotion principles to enable this new class of environmental robotics. The talk will also include application examples, such as flying robots that can place sensors in forests, aerial-aquatic drones for autonomous water sampling, drones with compliant landing systems for landing on wind turbines, drones for aerial construction and repair, and impact-resilient drones for safe operations in underground and tunnel systems. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | http://prg.cs.umd.edu/seminar |
| Description | Materials Research Symposium |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Metamorphic Aerial Robots for Multi-Terrain Mobility |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Materials Science Expo 2021 - Soft Aerial Robotics for Environmental Sensing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Theme: Anticipating Future Trends, New Insights, and Cutting-Edge Technologies in Materials Science and Engineering. The significance of this gathering is to organize researchers, analysts, and young researchers to different controls with the aptitudes and capabilities needed to numerous disciplines with the abilities and competencies required to face the challenges of a fast-evolving world. Keeping pace with quickly developing thoughts and advances through quality session has been the fountainhead of the event of our research project. Direct introductions, applicable information, meet with present and potential researchers, create a sprinkle with higher approaches for treatment and mind, and obtain name acknowledgment at this 2-day conference. wide acclaimed speakers, the most recent systems, advancements, and the most up to this point refreshes in Material Science are signs of this meeting. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://material-science.materialsconferences.com/ |
| Description | Materials science world forum - Soft Aerial Robotics for Environmental Sensing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Materials Science World Forum theme will be Celebrating the Highest Quality Research and Practice in Materials Science will focus on sharing the most recent evidence-based research. There will be resource fair following the conference which will help the participants to learn and engage with different organizations and associations aimed at providing support to the materials research community. Professionals from around the globe will have the opportunity to engage in dialogue, learning and discovery surrounding this field. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://10times.com/e1sz-k04f-p0f2 |
| Description | McKinsey & Co. Advanced EMEA Industries Conference: Our Unmanned Future (Rome, Italy) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | We were invited to present the vision of the Aerial Robotics Lab on "Our Unmanned Future", which included examples on using drones for construction and repair of the built environment. Over 400 professionals from high-impact industries such as Airbus and Ferrari and media professionals have presented and attended this event which had been instrumental in creating links for future project activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Media Interview with CGTN - on Darting Drones |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Forests are often described as the lungs of Earth, covering approximately 31 percent of its surface. Sadly, this area is shrinking rapidly, with an estimated area the size of Greece being destroyed every year. Monitoring the health of these forests plays a crucial role in protecting them, but the sheer scale presents huge challenges. Shini Somara joins Professor Mirko Kovac who leads the aerial robotics lab at Imperial College London, where squads of mini robots are being designed to live in our forests and collect data to meet the challenges of a shifting environment and build artificial intelligence. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.cgtnnow.com/razor/videos/razor-episode-088-digital |
| Description | Meeting with BASF about polyurethane materials for repair tasks |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | meetings and discussions |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Members of the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee visited the Brahmal Vasudevan Multi Terrain Aerial Robotics Arena |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Committee Chair Norman Lamb was joined by fellow MPs Bill Grant, Stephen Metcalfe and former Universities and Science Minister Sam Gyimah, as well as Committee staff members. The visit was part of their inquiry into recreational and commercial drone use. MPs were welcomed by the Provost, Professor Ian Walmsley, who introduced them to Dr Mirko Kovac, Director of the Aerial Robotics Laboratory. He then presented on Imperial's work on drone technology and the challenges facing his team and the wider sector. Dr Kovac outlined his research on the usage of drones for digital infrastructure systems, including diagnostics and repairs, both in the air and underwater. In response to questions from Sam Gyimah and Stephen Metcalfe, Dr Kovac explained that the use of drones for these purposes is widely accepted in the scientific community. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/191908/mps-visit-imperials-aerial-robotics-lab/ |
| Description | Mirage: Skills development in Physical AI could cultivate lifelike intelligent robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | New research suggests combining educational topics and research disciplines to help researchers breathe life into lifelike intelligent robots. The research suggests that teaching materials science, mechanical engineering, computer science, biology and chemistry as a combined discipline could help students develop the skills they need to create lifelike artificially intelligent (AI) robots as researchers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.miragenews.com/skills-development-in-physical-ai-could-cultivate-lifelike-intelligent-ro... |
| Description | NCCR Robotics: Participation as an associate member in NCCR Robotics. One funded grasstoots project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | https://nccr-robotics.ch/team-member/mirko-kovac/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://nccr-robotics.ch/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/INFO-PACK-2020-WEB-200dpi-30jun2020.pdf |
| Description | Nano Werk: On the way to lifelike robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | In order for robots to be able to achieve more than simple automated machines in the future, they must not only have their own "brain". Empa researchers postulate that artificial intelligence must be expanded to include the capabilities of a Physical Artificial Intelligence, PAI. This will redefine the field of robotics and the relationship between man and machine. Artificial intelligence is supposed to make machines perform at ever more amazing levels. A robot that can do little more than a remote-controlled model car has a limited range of applications. But from an automatic machine to an autonomous robot, it is a big, almost revolutionary step. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.nanowerk.com/news2/robotics/newsid=56599.php |
| Description | NanoWerk:A drone for ultrafast transitions between air and water |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | A new robot is capable of switching from an underwater drone to an aerial vehicle in less than one second. The robot also features a suction disc inspired by the remora fish, which enables it to hitchhike on wet or dry moving objects to significantly reduce its power consumption. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.nanowerk.com/news2/robotics/newsid=60683.php |
| Description | NewScientist.com: Robot can fly, swim or hitch a ride by sticking to other objects |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | A robotic drone that can travel through air and water, and also attach itself to larger objects with a suction cup, could be useful for tagging wild animals, say its creators. The suction cup is inspired by the remora fish, which attaches itself to larger marine creatures in a symbiotic relationship where the remora eats parasites that would irritate its host and also gets a ride in return. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.newscientist.com/article/2320472-robot-can-fly-swim-or-hitch-a-ride-by-sticking-to-other... |
| Description | News AZI: 3D-Printed Drones Work Like Bees To Build And Repair Structures While Flying |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | 3D-Printed Drones Work Like Bees To Build And Repair Structures While Flying The technology, which has been tested in the lab, could ultimately be used for manufacturing and building in difficult-to-access or dangerous locations such as tall buildings or help with post-disaster relief construction, say the researchers. 3D printing is gaining momentum in the construction industry. Both on-site and in the factory, static and mobile robots print materials for use in construction projects, such as steel and concrete structures. This new approach to 3D printing-led in its development by Imperial and Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories of Materials Science and Technology-uses flying robots, known as drones, that use collective building methods inspired by natural builders like bees and wasps who work together to create large, intricate structures. The drones in the fleet, known collectively as Aerial Additive Manufacturing (Aerial-AM), work co-operatively from a single blueprint, adapting their techniques as they go. They are fully autonomous while flying but are monitored by a human controller who checks progress and intervenes if necessary, based on the information provided by the drones. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://newsazi.com/3d-printed-drones-work-like-bees-to-build-and-repair-structures-while-flying/ |
| Description | News Article (Blick) : Roboter hüpft wie Flugfisch über Wasserflächen. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Direkt aus dem Wasser in die Luft: Forschende präsentieren eine Art "Flugfisch"- Roboter, der von der Wasseroberfläche starten und gleiten kann. Nützlich wären solche Roboter beispielsweise zur Überwachung von Meeresgebieten. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.blick.ch/news/technik-roboter-huepft-wie-flugfisch-ueber-wasserflaechen-id15512271.html |
| Description | News Article (BusinessStandard) : Robots could build future cities by mimicking nature: Study. News story from "A review of collective robotic construction". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Cities of the future could be built and repaired by robots and drones mimicking the tactics of nature, according to a study. Using robots should reduce human risk, allow tasks to be completed faster and monitoring alongside construction. The robots could collect data on everything they are doing, helping to improve their practices, according to the study published in the journal Science Robotics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/robots-could-build-future-cities-by-mimicking-... |
| Description | News Article (Chemical&EngineeringNews) : Calcium carbide powers water-leaping robot. Researchers harness simple chemistry to propel this robot out of the water and into the air. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Robots that can navigate different types of terrain could help scientists collect information in hard-to-reach places. That navigation can be tricky, however. For example, launching a robot from the water into the air consumes a lot of energy. Taking inspiration from creatures such as the flying squid, researchers at Imperial College London have developed a robot that can propel itself through the air from an aquatic starting point (Sci. Rob. 2019, DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.aax7330). Unlike previous water-leaping robots that rely on heavy compressed gas canisters or external power sources to achieve flight, the new glider uses a lightweight solid fuel-calcium carbide. A small pump on board draws water from the robot's surroundings, allowing the water to react with the calcium carbide to produce acetylene gas. When the gas is ignited, the robot launches into the air via a jet of water and combustion products. The robot can also glide through the air, extending its maximum range to 26 meters. It can carry enough fuel for 10 consecutive launches; when it lands, the chamber begins to refill until it reaches its optimal launch angle, at which point it takes off again. The time between launches-currently about 20 minutes-could be used to collect data or water samples. Raphael Zufferey, the engineer who co-led the new study, says the robot could be used to collect data around icebergs, during floods, or in polluted waters. Giuliana Viglione: This robot can launch itself from the water into the air. Robots like this one that can navigate over different terrains could help scientists collect data in hard-to-reach places. This leaping robot uses a solid fuel called calcium carbide. A small pump on board draws water from its surroundings, and the water then reacts with the calcium carbide to produce combustible acetylene gas. When the gas is ignited, the robot flies into the air, propelled by a jet of water and combustion products. Once airborne, the robot can glide up to 26 meters. When it lands, the chamber begins to refill with water to prepare for relaunch. It can do this 10 times in a row before needing to be refueled. The Imperial College London researchers who built the bot say it could be used to collect data or water samples in polar regions, during floods, or in polluted waters. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://cen.acs.org/analytical-chemistry/Calcium-carbide-powers-water-leaping/97/i37 |
| Description | News Article (FoxNews) : 'Flying fish' robot propels itself out of water and glides through the air. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | A bio-inspired robot can use water from the environment to launch itself into the air, British researchers revealed. The robot can travel 85 feet through the air after taking off and researchers believe it could be used to collect samples in hazardous or otherwise cluttered environments, such as during a major flood. Researchers from the Aerial Robotics Laboratory at Imperial College London devised a system that requires only 0.2 grams of calcium carbide powder in a combusion chamber, with the only moving part being a small pump that delivers water from the environment where the robot sits. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.foxnews.com/tech/flying-fish-robot-propels-water-glides-air |
| Description | News Article (FromPress) : Flying fish' drone actually explodes out of the water. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Drones that can both swim and fly are no longer in the distant future. Imperial College London's Aerial Robotics Lab built a concept for multimodal swimming robot it calls AquaMAV that can jump out of water. The scientists behind AquaMAV presented their findings in a paper published this week in Science Robotics. Source: https://pressfrom.info/us/news/science-and-technology/-323221-flying-fish-drone-actually-explodes-out-of-the-water. According to IEE Spectrum, the AquaMAV combines combustible power and water in order to propel itself. The drone contains calcium carbide powder. When mixed with water, the drone creates acetylene gas, which then gets funneled into a combustion chamber along with air and water. When ignited, the mixture then explodes, forcing the water out of the combustion chamber and propelling the drone into air. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://pressfrom.info/us/news/science-and-technology/-323221-flying-fish-drone-actually-explodes-ou... |
| Description | News Article (IEEE SPECTRUM) : Water Jet Powered Drone Takes Off With Explosions To take off from the water, this drone uses an explosion-powered water jet. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | At ICRA 2015, the Aerial Robotics Lab at the Imperial College London presented a concept for a multimodal flying swimming robot called AquaMAV. The really difficult thing about a flying and swimming robot isn't so much the transition from the first to the second, since you can manage that even if your robot is completely dead (thanks to gravity), but rather the other way: going from water to air, ideally in a stable and repetitive way. The AquaMAV concept solved this by basically just applying as much concentrated power as possible to the problem, using a jet thruster to hurl the robot out of the water with quite a bit of velocity to spare. In a paper appearing in Science Robotics this week, the roboticists behind AquaMAV present a fully operational robot that uses a solid-fuel powered chemical reaction to generate an explosion that powers the robot into the air. The 2015 version of AquaMAV, which was mostly just some very vintage-looking computer renderings and a little bit of hardware, used a small cylinder of CO2 to power its water jet thruster. This worked pretty well, but the mass and complexity of the storage and release mechanism for the compressed gas wasn't all that practical for a flying robot designed for long-term autonomy. It's a familiar challenge, especially for pneumatically powered soft robots-how do you efficiently generate gas on-demand, especially if you need a lot of pressure all at once? An explosion propels the drone out of the water There's one obvious way of generating large amounts of pressurized gas all at once, and that's explosions. We've seen robots use explosive thrust for mobility before, at a variety of scales, and it's very effective as long as you can both properly harness the explosion and generate the fuel with a minimum of fuss, and this latest version of AquaMAV manages to do both: |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/drones/water-jet-powered-drone-takes-off-with-explosion... |
| Description | News Article (Idw) : Flugfisch>>-Roboter kann tauchen und fliegen. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Ein bio-inspirierter Roboter nutzt Wasser aus der Umwelt, um ein Antriebsgas zu erzeugen und von der Wasseroberfläche zu starten. Der Roboter wurde von Forschern des <> entwickelt. Er kann nach dem Start rund 26 Meter weit fliegen und könnte zur Entnahme von Wasserproben in gefährlichen und unübersichtlichen Umgebungen wie bei Überschwemmungen oder bei der Überwachung der Meeresverschmutzung eingesetzt werden, berichtet das Team um Mirko Kovac, der auch das gemeinsame <> an der Empa leitet, in der neuesten Ausgabe des Fachmagazins <>. Roboter, die von Wasser in Luft übergehen können, sind in bestimmten Situationen wünschenswert. Der Start erfordert jedoch viel Energie, was bei kleinen Robotern bislang schwierig zu erreichen war. Jetzt haben Forscher des <> ein System erfunden, das nur 0,2 Gramm Calciumcarbidpulver in einer Brennkammer benötigt. Der einzige bewegliche Teil ist eine kleine Pumpe, die Wasser aus der Umgebung einsaugt, in der sich der Roboter befindet, etwa ein See oder Ozean. Das Wasser wird dann in einer Reaktionskammer mit dem Calciumcarbidpulver zusammengebracht und erzeugt brennbares Acetylengas. Während sich das Gas entzündet und ausdehnt, drückt es das Wasser als Antribsstrahl heraus, der den Roboter aus dem Wasser <> und in einen Gleitflug von bis zu 26 Metern antreibt. <>, erklärt Mirko Kovac, Direktor des <> am Imperial College London und des gemeinsamen <> an der Empa. <> Reichlich Schub Das Team testete den Roboter im Labor, in einem See und in einem Wellentank und konnte dabei zeigen, dass er auch unter eher rauen Bedingungen von der Wasseroberfläche abheben kann. Während ähnliche Roboter oft ruhige Bedingungen benötigen, um aus dem Wasser abzuheben, erzeugt die Neuentwicklung des Teams eine Kraft, die dem 25-fachen seines Gewichts entspricht. Daher steigt die Wahrscheinlichkeit, dass der Roboter die Wellen überwinden und tatsächlich abheben kann. Der nur 160 Gramm leichte Roboter kann nach dem Nachfüllen seines Wassertanks mehrfach <>. Dies könnte es ihm ermöglichen, ohne zusätzliche Energieversorgung auf dem Wasser zu schwimmen und an mehreren Stellen Proben zu entnehmen, was im Vergleich zu einem elektrisch angetriebenen Roboter über grössere Entfernungen erheblich Energie spart. Das Team arbeitet nun mit Forschern der Empa zusammen, um neuartige Roboter aus modernen Materialien zu bauen und Feldversuche mit dem Roboter in verschiedenen Umgebungen durchzuführen, darunter die Überwachung von Ozeanen rund um Korallenriffe und Offshore-Plattformen. <>, ergänzt Raphael Zufferey, Erstautor auf dem Artikel. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://idw-online.de/de/news723310 |
| Description | News Article (Infosurhoy) : flying fish robot uses gas to launch itself 26-metres-out-of-water-and-into-the-air. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Fish out of water for environmental researchers, using robots to collect much-needed water samples can be tricky. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://robotics.altmetric.com/details/66446214/news |
| Description | News Article (NyTechnik) : En kemisk reaktion får den motorlösa farkosten att flyga. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Den lilla glidflygaren kastar sig ur vattnet och kan färdas 26 meter. Drivkraften är en kemisk reaktion, och kalciumkarbiden räcker till 20 hopp. Nu ska den skalas upp. Glidflygplanet får plats i handflatan, och med sin storlek är flygförmågan på upp till 26 meter imponerande. Farkosten har dock ingen motor utan innehåller bara en rörlig del - en pump. Roboten utgår från vattenytan och drivkraften kommer från en kemisk reaktion mellan kalciumkarbid och vatten. Vatten pumpas in i en huvudkammare och en liten del överförs med häverteffekt till en mindre kammare som innehåller kalciumkarbidpulver. Den kemiska reaktionen bildar acetylengas som tvingas in i huvudkammaren och antänds. Kraften hos förbränningen skjuter ut det vatten som finns kvar vilket skickar upp farkosten i skyn. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.nyteknik.se/fordon/en-kemisk-reaktion-far-den-motorlosa-farkosten-att-flyga-6971542 |
| Description | News Article (PopularMechanics) : This Glider Is Powered by a Chemical Reaction-Not an Engine. Science is beautiful.. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Roboticists at Imperial College London and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology have developed a new type of glider that swiftly jumps from sea to air like a flying fish. The small aerial-aquatic glider, which can fit in the palm of your hands, uses a chemical reaction to propel itself out of the water. Water is pumped into a master chamber, and then siphoned into another, smaller chamber containing calcium carbide powder. This chemical reaction creates acetylene gas, which is forced into the main chamber and ignited. The force of this ignition quickly expels water in the chamber, sending the vehicle into the air. Similar robots-like the robotic bee that the team of scientists previously worked on-have used either tethered systems of power or are propelled by internal engines or compressed gas. This newest vehicle, however, has a very simple design with only one moving part: the pump. "It doesn't need any pistons or valves, which are typical for combustion processes or internal combustion engines," lead roboticist Mirko Kovac tells Popular Mechanics. "It uses the property of the fluid, the gas, the water, and this reaction to create the various stages of the combustion." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/robots/a29003643/glider-robot-chemical-reaction/ |
| Description | News Article (ScienceDaily) : 'Flying fish' robot can propel itself out of water and glide through the air. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A bio-inspired bot uses water from the environment to create a gas and launch itself from the water's surface. The robot, which can travel 26 metres through the air after take-off, could be used to collect water samples in hazardous and cluttered environments, such as during flooding or when monitoring ocean pollution. Robots that can transition from water to air are desirable in these situations, but the launch requires a lot of power, which has been difficult to achieve in small robots. Now, researchers at Imperial College London have invented a system that requires just 0.2 grams of calcium carbide powder in a combustion chamber. The only moving part is a small pump that brings in water from the environment the robot is sat in, such as a lake or ocean. The water and the calcium-carbide powder then combine in a reaction chamber, producing a burnable acetylene gas. As the gas ignites and expands, it pushes the water out as a jet, which propels the robot clear of the water and into a glide of up to 26 metres. The details of the robot are published today in Science Robotics. Lead researcher Dr Mirko Kovac, Director of the Aerial Robotics Laboratory at Imperial, said: "Water-to-air transition is a power-intensive process, which is difficult to achieve on a small-scale flying vehicle that needs to be lightweight for flight. "We have used water-reactive chemicals to reduce the materials that the robot needs to carry. Since the chamber fills passively and the environmental water acts as a piston, we can create a full combustion cycle with only one moving part, which is the pump that mixes the water with the fuel." The team tested the robot in a lab, in a lake, and in a wave tank, showing that it can escape from the water's surface even under relatively rough conditions. While similar robots often require calm conditions to leap from the water, the team's invention generates a force 25 times the robot's weight, giving it a greater chance of overcoming the waves. The robot, which weighs just 160 grams, can 'jump' multiple times after refilling its water tank. This could allow it to float on water and take samples at multiple points without additional power, saving energy over longer distances compared to an electrically powered robot. The team are now working with the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) to build new vehicles using advanced materials and begin field trials of the robot in a range of environments, including monitoring the oceans around coral reefs and offshore energy platforms. Raphael Zufferey, first author on the paper said: "These kinds of low-power, tether-free robots could be really useful in environments that are normally time- and resource-intensive to monitor, including after disasters such as floods or nuclear accidents." The tests were carried out in the Brahmal Vasudevan Multi-terrain Robotics Arena, which was founded on a philanthropic gift from Mr Brahmal Vasudevan. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/09/190911142727.htm |
| Description | News Article (ScientificAmercian) : Drenchable Drones, Prickly Cells and Face-Tracked Chimps: Science GIFs to Start Your Week. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Drones and water usually do not mix. (Indeed, some of the most popular drone videos on YouTube feature "epic" water saves.) But a new drone developed by researchers in England is made to move from sea to sky-and back again. This fixed-wing flyer uses a burst of gas to launch out of the water. The researchers say the abilities of Japanese flying squid inspired their design. The amphibious glider can stay afloat, even if the sea is a little choppy (big waves are a problem, though). When it is ready to fly, a water-intake system lets it adjust its angle in preparation for takeoff-and it can fly up to 85 feet after launching from the drink. The researchers hope to bring their jump glider (or future evolutions of the prototype) into rough environments, such as natural disaster zones, to do sampling and monitoring. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/drenchable-drones-prickly-cells-and-face-tracked-chimps-s... |
| Description | News Article (TAGBLATT) : Roboter hüpft wie Flugfisch über Wasserflächen. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Direkt aus dem Wasser in die Luft: Forschende präsentieren eine Art <>- Roboter, der von der Wasseroberfläche starten und gleiten kann. Nützlich wären solche Roboter beispielsweise zur Überwachung von Meeresgebieten. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.tagblatt.ch/newsticker/schweiz/roboter-hupft-wie-flugfisch-uber-wasserflachen-ld.1151218 |
| Description | News Article (TechXplore) : 'Flying fish' robot can propel itself out of water and glide through the air. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The robot, which can travel 26 metres through the air after take-off, could be used to collect water samples in hazardous and cluttered environments, such as during flooding or when monitoring ocean pollution. Robots that can transition from water to air are desirable in these situations, but the launch requires a lot of power, which has been difficult to achieve in small robots. Now, researchers at Imperial College London have invented a system that requires just 0.2 grams of calcium carbide powder in a combustion chamber. The only moving part is a small pump that brings in water from the environment the robot is sat in, such as a lake or ocean. The water and the calcium-carbide powder then combine in a reaction chamber, producing a burnable acetylene gas. As the gas ignites and expands, it pushes the water out as a jet, which propels the robot clear of the water and into a glide of up to 26 metres. The details of the robot are published today in Science Robotics. Lead researcher Dr. Mirko Kovac, Director of the Aerial Robotics Laboratory at Imperial, said: "Water-to-air transition is a power-intensive process, which is difficult to achieve on a small-scale flying vehicle that needs to be lightweight for flight. "We have used water-reactive chemicals to reduce the materials that the robot needs to carry. Since the chamber fills passively and the environmental water acts as a piston, we can create a full combustion cycle with only one moving part, which is the pump that mixes the water with the fuel." The team tested the robot in a lab, in a lake, and in a wave tank, showing that it can escape from the water's surface even under relatively rough conditions. While similar robots often require calm conditions to leap from the water, the team's invention generates a force 25 times the robot's weight, giving it a greater chance of overcoming the waves. The robot, which weighs just 160 grams, can 'jump' multiple times after refilling its water tank. This could allow it to float on water and take samples at multiple points without additional power, saving energy over longer distances compared to an electrically powered robot. The team are now working with the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) to build new vehicles using advanced materials and begin field trials of the robot in a range of environments, including monitoring the oceans around coral reefs and offshore energy platforms. "These kinds of low-power, tether-free robots could be really useful in environments that are normally time- and resource-intensive to monitor, including after disasters such as floods or nuclear accidents." |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://techxplore.com/news/2019-09-fish-robot-propel-glide-air.html |
| Description | News Article (TechXplore) : Cities of the future could be built by robots mimicking nature. News story from "A review of collective robotic construction". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Cities of the future could be built by robots mimicking nature. A new review, published today in Science Robotics and co-authored by Imperial researcher Dr. Mirko Kovac, who directs the Aerial Robotics Laboratory in the Department of Aeronautics, looks at the state-of-the-art in robot construction and where we need to go next to make a robot-built environment a reality. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://techxplore.com/news/2019-03-cities-future-built-robots-mimicking.html |
| Description | News Article (The Hindu) : Can robots build future cities? Using robots should reduce human risk, allow tasks to be completed faster and monitoring alongside construction. News story from "A review of collective robotic construction". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Cities of the future could be built and repaired by robots and drones mimicking the tactics of nature, according to a study. Using robots should reduce human risk, allow tasks to be completed faster and monitoring alongside construction. The robots could collect data on everything they are doing, helping to improve their practices, according to the study published in the journal Science Robotics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-in-school/can-robots-build-future-cities/article26563528.ec... |
| Description | News Article (XINHUANET) : Engineers invent tiny "flying fish" robot floating on rough waves. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Engineers at Imperial College London have invented a tiny "flying fish" robot that can use water to create a gas and launch itself from the water's surface, the university said in a release on Wednesday. The study published in Science Robotics journal described a bio-inspired robot that can travel 26 meters through the air after take-off, which can be used to collect water samples in hazardous and cluttered environments, such as during flooding or when monitoring ocean pollution. The only moving part of the robot is a small pump that brings in water from the environment, such as a lake or an ocean. It has 0.2 grams of calcium carbide powder in a combustion chamber. The water and the powder combine to produce a burnable acetylene gas, and the gas, when ignited, could push the water out as a jet, propelling the robot into a glide, according to the study. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-09/12/c_138386536.htm |
| Description | News Article (cash) : Roboter hüpft wie Flugfisch über Wasserflächen. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Direkt aus dem Wasser in die Luft: Forschende präsentieren eine Art "Flugfisch"- Roboter, der von der Wasseroberfläche starten und gleiten kann. Nützlich wären solche Roboter beispielsweise zur Überwachung von Meeresgebieten. Der Start aus dem Wasser in die Luft ist für kleine Roboter eine knifflige Sache, weil er viel Energie benötigt. Das Team um Mirko Kovac von der Forschungsanstalt Empa und dem Imperial College London hat deshalb ein neues, besonders leichtes Antriebssystem entwickelt und mit einem Roboter getestet, wie die Empa am Donnerstag mitteilte. Das Antriebssystem benötigt nur 0,2 Gramm Calciumcarbidpulver in einer Brennkammer. Eine kleine Pumpe bringt das Umgebungswasser in einer Reaktionskammer mit dem Pulver zusammen. Dadurch entsteht brennbares Acetylengas. Wenn das Gas entzündet wird und sich ausdehnt, drückt es das Wasser als Antriebsstrahl heraus. Das ermöglicht den Start von der Wasseroberfläche und einen Gleitflug von rund 26 Metern, wie die Forschenden im Fachblatt "Science Robotics" berichteten. Wenn sich sein Wassertank dann wieder passiv füllt, kann er ein weiteres Mal "hüpfen". Das Forschungsteam testete den Roboter im Labor, in einem See und in einem Wellentank, wie die Empa schrieb. Auch bei Wellengang kann der Roboter demnach abheben. Interessant wäre der Einsatz eines solchen Antriebs beispielsweise bei Robotern, die bei Überschwemmungen Wasserproben sammeln oder die Umweltverschmutzung bei Korallenriffen oder um Offshore-Plattformen herum beobachten sollen: Der "Flugfisch" könnte selbstständig über die Wasserfläche gleiten und an mehreren Orten Proben entnehmen. Im Vergleich zu elektrisch angetriebenen Robotern würde der neu entwickelte Antrieb über grössere Distanzen deutlich Energie sparen. In einem nächsten Schritt wollen die Empa-Forschenden und ihre Kollegen nun Roboter aus verschiedenen Materialien entwickeln, sowie den Roboter in verschiedenen Umgebungen weiter testen. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.cash.ch/news/roboter-huepft-wie-flugfisch-ueber-wasserflaechen-1397757 |
| Description | News Article (cnet) : 'Flying fish' robot propels itself by shooting water out of its butt. The majestic bot can leap out of the water and glide through the air. No need to worry. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Engineers often look to nature for inspiration when creating robots. Just look at Astro the robot dog or the antelope-like SpaceBok. But robots aren't just useful on land. So how about a flying-fish robot? A team with the Aerial Robotics Laboratory at the Imperial College London in the UK has developed a floating robot that can shoot a jet of water out of its rear to propel itself through the air. The robot is shaped like a little airplane. A video released by the college showcases its aerial acrobatics in slow motion. What's innovative about this particular robot is its clever propulsion system. Water and calcium-carbide powder mix together in a reaction chamber, creating acetylene gas that ignites, expands and pushes water out to propel the robot. It's a powerful combination that allows the robot to glide in the air for up to 85 feet (26 meters). "Water-to-air transition is a power-intensive process, which is difficult to achieve on a small-scale flying vehicle that needs to be lightweight for flight," said Aerial Robotics Laboratory director Mirko Kovac. The only moving part is a pump that mixes the water and powder. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.cnet.com/news/flying-fish-robot-propels-itself-by-shooting-water-out-of-its-butt/ |
| Description | News Article (futurism) : WATCH A ROBOT FISH FLY BY SHOOTING WATER OUT OF ITS REAR. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Fish Out Of Water For environmental researchers, using robots to collect much-needed water samples can be tricky. The bot might have trouble navigating around trash while collecting samples from polluted waters, for example, or avoiding ice. Now, researchers from Imperial College London have created a robot fish that can get around such obstacles - by propelling itself over them using a stream of water pushed out its rear end. Full Of Gas The researchers detail their creation of the flying robot fish in a paper published in the journal Science Robotics on Wednesday. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://futurism.com/the-byte/watch-robot-fish-fly-shooting-water-rear |
| Description | News Article (heise online) : Fliegender Roboterfisch: Roboter schießt sich aus dem Wasser. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Forscher in Großbritannien haben einen Roboter entwickelt, der sich aus Wasser in die Luft schießen und dann gleiten kann. Das ist äußerst praktisch. Ein Roboter, der gleichermaßen fliegen und schwimmen kann, wäre ideal, um etwa nach einem Unfall in einem Atomkraftwerk oder einem Chemiebetrieb in kurzer Zeit Proben an mehreren Orten zu entnehmen. Die größte Herausforderung dabei besteht darin, aus dem Wasser wieder in die Luft zu kommen. Britische Forscher haben jetzt eine Lösung präsentiert. Aus dem Wasser schießen Wie das Forschungsteam um Mirko Kovac vom Imperial College London in der aktuellen Ausgabe von Science Robotics berichtet, gelingt der Start aus dem Wasser mithilfe eines Düsenantriebs. Als Treibstoff führt der Roboter Calciumcarbid mit, das mit Wasser reagiert und Acetylen erzeugt. Das wiederum wird in einer Brennkammer elektrisch gezündet und presst einen Wasserstrahl durch eine Düse, der den Roboter in die Luft schleudert. Der geht dort in den Gleitflug über. Mit 53 Milligramm Calciumcarbid habe der 160 Gramm schwere Roboter auf diese Weise 26 Meter fliegend zurückgelegt, berichten die Wissenschaftler. Die 491 Milliliter große Brennkammer, die zu 40 Prozent mit Wasser gefüllt ist, werde dabei innerhalb von 0,2 Sekunden durch eine 6,8 Millimeter große Düse geleert. Danach gehe der Roboter, der wie ein Flugzeug gestaltet ist, in den Gleitflug über. Da die Schubkraft mehr als das 25-fache des Eigengewichts des Roboters betrage, gelinge der Start auch, bei unruhiger Wasseroberfläche, wie sich bei 22 Flugversuchen im Labor und im Freien gezeigt habe. Damit der Roboter sowohl den angetriebenen Flug wie auch den Gleitflug bewältigen sowie auf der Wasseroberfläche sinnvoll operieren kann, seien beim Design einige Kompromisse nötig gewesen, schreiben die Forscher. Je nach Operationsmodus sei etwa die optimale Position des Schwerpunktes unterschiedlich gewesen. Für einen einsatztauglichen Roboter müsste das Design angepasst werden. So könnte etwa die Zeit für das Füllen der Brennkammer mit Wasser durch ein Ventil verkürzt werden, was aber das Gewicht erhöhen würde. Ein Propeller würde die Reichweite im Flugmodus erhöhen. Um überhaupt erst einmal aus dem Wasser zu kommen, scheint der einfache und robuste Düsenantrieb aber eine sehr gut geeignete Methode zu sein. (mho) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/Fliegender-Roboterfisch-Roboter-schiesst-sich-aus-dem-Wasser... |
| Description | News Article (hindustantimes) : Robots could build future cities by mimicking nature: Study. News story from "A review of collective robotic construction". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Cities of the future could be built and repaired by robots and drones mimicking the tactics of nature, according to a study. Using robots should reduce human risk, allow tasks to be completed faster and monitoring alongside construction. The robots could collect data on everything they are doing, helping to improve their practices, according to the study published in the journal Science Robotics. Many animals in groups take cues from and leverage their environment when constructing or repairing their homes. For example, termites, which live in large 'super-organism' colonies, rely on pheromones excreted during deposition of materials to coordinate construction. Analysing these methods of coordination can help researchers design algorithms for how groups of robots and drones could autonomously work together during construction. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.hindustantimes.com/sex-and-relationships/robots-could-build-future-cities-by-mimicking-n... |
| Description | News Article (ibtimes) : Flying Fish Robot From London Could Become The Future Of Sea Travel. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | ove out RC boats; there's a new fish in town! Scientists at the Imperial College of London have developed a leaping, farting fish-bot that that can be used to monitor reefs or ice floes. In a report by the Daily Star, the flying-fish automaton can swim, glide and skip rough waters thanks to its high-powered propulsion system. Mirko Kovac, the director of the Aerial Robotics Laboratory at the Imperial College in London, said that the robot could transition from water to air in seconds. Kovac said that its locomotive principle is based on the "flying fish." According to the bot's blueprints from the journal Science Robotics, the 160-gram fish-bot can manage a flight distance of 26 meters "using 0.2 grams of fuel." It uses calcium carbide pellets with the water it's swimming in to produce acetylene gas. The combustible element turns the miniature "fish" into a gliding, farting jet that can operate in short intervals. Kovac added that the automaton could be useful as an observation tool. He said that the small device could "be used for reef monitoring or arctic sea monitoring." Scientist at the Imperial College of London believes that it could be the future of sea travel. Kovac noted that the method they presented would allow several amphibious vehicles to transition out of the water temporarily. The technology would allow seafarers to navigate under challenging terrains such as rocks and icebergs. It would render traditional aquatic vehicles obsolete if ever the technology pushes through the market. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.ibtimes.com/flying-fish-robot-london-could-become-future-sea-travel-2839144 |
| Description | News Article (innovationsreport) : < |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Ein bio-inspirierter Roboter nutzt Wasser aus der Umwelt, um ein Antriebsgas zu erzeugen und von der Wasseroberfläche zu starten. Der Roboter wurde von Forschern des <> entwickelt. Er kann nach dem Start rund 26 Meter weit fliegen und könnte zur Entnahme von Wasserproben in gefährlichen und unübersichtlichen Umgebungen wie bei Überschwemmungen oder bei der Überwachung der Meeresverschmutzung eingesetzt werden, berichtet das Team um Mirko Kovac, der auch das gemeinsame <> an der Empa leitet, in der neuesten Ausgabe des Fachmagazins <>. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/energie-elektrotechnik/flugfisch-roboter-kann-tauche... |
| Description | News Article (longroom) : 'Flying fish' robot can propel itself out of water and glide through the air. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The robot, which can travel 26 metres through the air after take-off, could be used to collect water samples in hazardous and cluttered environments, such as during flooding or when monitoring ocean pollution. Robots that can transition from water to air are desirable in these situations, but the launch requires a lot of power, which has been difficult to achieve in small robots. Researchers - Imperial - College - London - System Now, researchers at Imperial College London have invented a system that requires just 0.2 grams of calcium carbide powder in a combustion chamber. The only moving part is a small pump that brings in water from the environment the robot is sat in, such as a lake or ocean. The water and the calcium-carbide powder then combine in a reaction chamber, producing a burnable acetylene gas. As the gas ignites and expands, it pushes the water out as a jet, which propels the robot clear of the water and into a glide of up to 26 metres. Details - Robot - Today - Science - Robotics The details of the robot are published today in Science Robotics. Lead researcher Dr Mirko Kovac, Director of the Aerial Robotics Laboratory at Imperial, said: "Water-to-air transition is a power-intensive process, which is difficult to achieve on a small-scale flying vehicle that needs to be lightweight for flight. Chemicals - Materials - Robot - Chamber - Water "We have used water-reactive chemicals to reduce the materials that the robot needs to carry. Since the chamber fills passively and the environmental water acts as a piston,... |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.longroom.com/discussion/1624584/flying-fish-robot-can-propel-itself-out-of-water-and-gli... |
| Description | News Article (msn) : 'Flying fish' drone actually explodes out of the water. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Drones that can both swim and fly are no longer in the distant future. Imperial College London's Aerial Robotics Lab built a concept for multimodal swimming robot it calls AquaMAV that can jump out of water. The scientists behind AquaMAV presented their findings in a paper published this week in Science Robotics. According to IEE Spectrum, the AquaMAV combines combustible power and water in order to propel itself. The drone contains calcium carbide powder. When mixed with water, the drone creates acetylene gas, which then gets funneled into a combustion chamber along with air and water. When ignited, the mixture then explodes, forcing the water out of the combustion chamber and propelling the drone into air. The AquaMAV can fly up to 26 meters in the air, and creates so much force it can even propel itself out of choppy waters. Scientists believe it can be used to collect water samples during natural disasters such as floods or to monitor ocean pollution. You can watch the AquaMAV in action in the video below. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/flying-fish-drone-actually-explodes-out-of-the-water/ar-AA... |
| Description | News Article (nanowerk) : 'Flying fish' robot can dive and fly (w/video)". News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | (Nanowerk News) A bio-inspired bot uses water from the environment to create a propelling gas and launch itself from the water's surface. The robot had been developed by researchers at Imperial College London. It can travel 26 meters through the air after take-off and could be used to collect water samples in hazardous and cluttered environments, such as during flooding or when monitoring ocean pollution, report the team lead by Mirko Kovac, who also heads the joint "Materials and Technology Center of Robotics" at Empa, in the latest issue of Science Robotics ("Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with a water-reactive fuel"). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.nanowerk.com/news2/robotics/newsid=53580.php |
| Description | News Article (scinexx) : Ein Roboter als fliegender Fisch Roboter kann sich aus dem Wasser in die Luft katapultieren. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Von der Natur abgeschaut: Forscher haben einen Roboter konzipiert, der vom Wasser aus in die Luft abheben kann. Als Inspiration für die neue Entwicklung dienten fliegende Fische: Wie diese Tiere kann sich das Gefährt selbst bei Wellengang in die Luft katapultieren und dann im Flug über die Wasseroberfläche hinweggleiten. Künftig könnte der Roboter nach Flugfisch-Vorbild zum Beispiel in Hochwassergebieten zum Einsatz kommen. Roboter unterstützen nicht nur im Haushalt, am Fließband oder im OP-Saal. Sie eignen sich auch für den Einsatz in schwer zugänglichem Gelände - zum Beispiel im Katastrophenfall. Um die technischen Helfer für solche Aufgaben auszurüsten, schauen Forscher immer wieder bei der Natur ab. So gibt es Roboter, die Schaben imitieren oder den Gang von Stabheuschrecken. Andere können springen wie Primaten oder orientieren sich nach dem Fledermaus-Prinzip mithilfe der Echoortung. Auch Raphael Zufferey vom Imperial College London und sein Team haben sich für ihre neueste Entwicklung ein tierisches Vorbild genommen: fliegende Fische. Ihr kleiner Roboter kann sich wie diese Tiere aus dem Wasser katapultieren, kurze Strecken im Gleitflug zurücklegen und dann wieder auf der Wasseroberfläche landen. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.scinexx.de/news/technik/ein-roboter-als-fliegender-fisch/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medi... |
| Description | News Article (suedostschweiz) : Roboter hüpft wie Flugfisch über Wasserflächen. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Direkt aus dem Wasser in die Luft: Forschende präsentieren eine Art <>- Roboter, der von der Wasseroberfläche starten und gleiten kann. Nützlich wären solche Roboter beispielsweise zur Überwachung von Meeresgebieten. Der Start aus dem Wasser in die Luft ist für kleine Roboter eine knifflige Sache, weil er viel Energie benötigt. Das Team um Mirko Kovac von der Forschungsanstalt Empa und dem Imperial College London hat deshalb ein neues, besonders leichtes Antriebssystem entwickelt und mit einem Roboter getestet, wie die Empa am Donnerstag mitteilte. Das Antriebssystem benötigt nur 0,2 Gramm Calciumcarbidpulver in einer Brennkammer. Eine kleine Pumpe bringt das Umgebungswasser in einer Reaktionskammer mit dem Pulver zusammen. Dadurch entsteht brennbares Acetylengas. Wenn das Gas entzündet wird und sich ausdehnt, drückt es das Wasser als Antriebsstrahl heraus. Das ermöglicht den Start von der Wasseroberfläche und einen Gleitflug von rund 26 Metern, wie die Forschenden im Fachblatt <> berichteten. Wenn sich sein Wassertank dann wieder passiv füllt, kann er ein weiteres Mal <>. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.suedostschweiz.ch/wirtschaft/2019-09-12/roboter-huepft-wie-flugfisch-ueber-wasserflaeche... |
| Description | News Article (swissinfo) : Roboter hüpft wie Flugfisch über Wasserflächen. News story from "Consecutive aquatic jump-gliding with water-reactive fuel". |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Direkt aus dem Wasser in die Luft: Forschende präsentieren eine Art "Flugfisch"- Roboter, der von der Wasseroberfläche starten und gleiten kann. Nützlich wären solche Roboter beispielsweise zur Überwachung von Meeresgebieten. Der Start aus dem Wasser in die Luft ist für kleine Roboter eine knifflige Sache, weil er viel Energie benötigt. Das Team um Mirko Kovac von der Forschungsanstalt Empa und dem Imperial College London hat deshalb ein neues, besonders leichtes Antriebssystem entwickelt und mit einem Roboter getestet, wie die Empa am Donnerstag mitteilte. Das Antriebssystem benötigt nur 0,2 Gramm Calciumcarbidpulver in einer Brennkammer. Eine kleine Pumpe bringt das Umgebungswasser in einer Reaktionskammer mit dem Pulver zusammen. Dadurch entsteht brennbares Acetylengas. Wenn das Gas entzündet wird und sich ausdehnt, drückt es das Wasser als Antriebsstrahl heraus. Das ermöglicht den Start von der Wasseroberfläche und einen Gleitflug von rund 26 Metern, wie die Forschenden im Fachblatt "Science Robotics" berichteten. Wenn sich sein Wassertank dann wieder passiv füllt, kann er ein weiteres Mal "hüpfen". Das Forschungsteam testete den Roboter im Labor, in einem See und in einem Wellentank, wie die Empa schrieb. Auch bei Wellengang kann der Roboter demnach abheben. Interessant wäre der Einsatz eines solchen Antriebs beispielsweise bei Robotern, die bei Überschwemmungen Wasserproben sammeln oder die Umweltverschmutzung bei Korallenriffen oder um Offshore-Plattformen herum beobachten sollen: Der "Flugfisch" könnte selbstständig über die Wasserfläche gleiten und an mehreren Orten Proben entnehmen. Im Vergleich zu elektrisch angetriebenen Robotern würde der neu entwickelte Antrieb über grössere Distanzen deutlich Energie sparen. In einem nächsten Schritt wollen die Empa-Forschenden und ihre Kollegen nun Roboter aus verschiedenen Materialien entwickeln, sowie den Roboter in verschiedenen Umgebungen weiter testen. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://www.swissinfo.ch/ger/roboter-huepft-wie-flugfisch-ueber-wasserflaechen/45223598 |
| Description | News Atlas: Drone deploys sensors by shooting them as darts |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | When conducting environmental studies in hard-to-access locations, scientists will often set up wireless networks of small data-logging sensors. Deploying those sensors can be difficult and even dangerous work, though, which is why a dart-shooting drone is being developed to do the job. Although drones have already been experimentally used for the placement of environmental sensors, the deployment methods have involved either dropping the sensors onto the ground, or sticking them onto vertical surfaces using an attached appendage such as a mechanical arm. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://newatlas.com/drones/sensor-dart-shooting-drone/ |
| Description | ORCA Demonstration @NREC: "Mixed-reality Enhanced Telepresence for Remote Inspection and Monitoring with Multiple Aerial Robots" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | An Imperial College London team led by Dr. Mirko Kovac also demonstrated autonomous UAV sensor placement using drones equipped with a winch-tethered magnet and passive wheels capable of perching on and sliding along both vertical and horizontal surfaces. Equipped with sensors and cameras, the drones were then able to carry out an on-surface inspection. A combined team from Imperial College London and the University of Edinburgh used a Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) sensor combined with a precise robotic manipulator to carry out an inspection to evalutate wall thickness and to look for cracks and other material weaknesses. The data from the scan created a material defect map for the operator during the inspection. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://orcahub.org/innovation/capability-demonstrations/2019-demonstrations-1 |
| Description | Opening of the Brahmal Vasudevan Multi-Terrain Aerial Robotics Arena |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | On October 20, 2017, the Aerial Robotics Lab has organised on official ceremony for the opening of the new Multi-Terrain Aerial Robotics Arena at Imperial College London. The development of the Arena is thanks to a £1.25 million gift from Imperial College alumnus Mr Brahmal Vasudevan. The Arena is the first of its kind in Europe, enabling engineers to test the next generation of aerial robotics for urban environments and extreme conditions. The researchers in the Arena can simulate different terrains in the air, the ocean and on land. The space also enables the engineers to create extreme conditions such as fire, smoke, and heat to simulate how the next generation of drones will perform in harsh environments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/182375/uk-world-leader-drone-tech-says/ |
| Description | Orientation in the technology jungle |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Orientation in the technology jungle 22.09.2023 | SATW / EMPA The new "Technology Outlook" of the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW) brings together the most important findings of numerous experts from science and industry for the Switzerland of tomorrow. In the areas of "Energy and Environment", "Manufacturing Processes and Materials" and "Life Sciences", a total of eleven Empa researchers contributed to the classification of the most important technology trends and their impact on industry and society. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.empa.ch/de/web/s604/satw-technology-outlook-2023 |
| Description | PRG Seminar Series on Robotics and Computer Vision |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Soft Aerial Robotics for Environmental Sensing |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Paper plane design and launch competition workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Attendees were introduced into aircraft design and how the principles apply to paper planes. They could the make their own designs for a flight distance competition. The planes were launched at the same speed and angle and the landing point marked for every attempt. Participants could learn about the effect of changes to the design by launching them consecutively in a repeatable way. A podium for the top three was held for additional engagement. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Peer Review: IEEE T-RO 20-0376 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | the IEEE Transactions on Robotics (T-RO). Entitled "SLAAM: Simultaneous Localization And Additive Manufacturing", by Jinbo Li, Pierre-Lucas Aubin-Fournier, Krzysztof Skonieczny, the revised paper is |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Physical AI for Soft Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | MRS SF06 - From Robotics Towards Autonomous Materials 29th Nov 2023 Aerial robotics has become a key enabler of industrial automation and environmental interaction tasks with applications ranging from environmental sensing in forests, over water sampling in lakes to industrial manufacturing and repair. Most aerial robots however are rigid in structure and rely on accurate state estimation and controlled sensor-actuator loops to perform the tasks and navigate through the environment. Natural flyers on the other hand rely not just on flight control but also on smart and adaptive materials to expand their operational flight envelope and to increase the functionality of their wings allowing them to display an impressive range of skills. Recently, the robotics community has started to employ adaptive morphologies, smart materials and soft robotics methods in aerial robotics with the promise of achieving higher levels of system resilience and adaptation to complex or changing environments. In this talk I will present how animal-inspired soft robot design methods can greatly enhance aerial robotics capabilities and how adaptive morphologies and functional materials can be co-evolved in tandem with aerial robotic embodiments. The talk will also include application examples of such soft aerial robots placing sensors in forests, collecting water samples autonomously or landing on wind turbines to perform construction and repair tasks. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.mrs.org/meetings-events/fall-meetings-exhibits/2023-mrs-fall-meeting/symposium-sessions/... |
| Description | Physical Artificial Intelligence for Aerial Robotics - University of Beijing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Environmental and infrastructure sciences rely heavily on accurate, timely and complete data sets which are often collected manually at significant risks and costs. Robotics and mobile sensor networks can collect data more effectively and with higher spatial-temporal resolution compared to manual methods while benefiting from expanded operational envelopes and added data collection capabilities. In future, robotics will be an indispensable tool for data collection in complex environments, enabling the digitalisation of forests, lakes, off-shore energy systems, cities and the polar environment. However, such future robot solutions will need to operate more flexibly, robustly and efficiently than they do today. This talk will present how animal-inspired robot design methods can integrate adaptive morphologies, functional materials and energy-efficient locomotion principles to enable this new class of environmental robotics. The talk will also discuss how integrated Physical Artificial Intelligence can contribute to the development of novel aerial robots. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Physical Artificial Intelligence for Infrastructure Drones: DRONE & ROVs: 25-26 FEBRUARY 2021: LONDON |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The conference will bring together researchers and practitioners to discuss and address the current and emerging issues and challenges, as well as share successes and state-of-the-art and practice, in using unmanned aerial vehi-cles (UAVs), remote control vehicles (RCVs) and remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) for asset and sys-tem integrity inspection and management onshore, offshore and subsea. It will feature keynote and invited papers providing broader overviews of the main contemporary themes as well as more focused presentations addressing specific issues of practical relevance. Ample opportunities for informal discussions, sharing of insights across differ-ent fields and applications and networking will be available. The challenges associated with inspecting and main-taining the integrity of onshore, marine, offshore and subsea infrastructures and systems evolve quickly calling for development of new, and enhancement of existing, technologies. Onshore, we are witnessing the rapid expansion of using unmanned aerial vehicles for asset management of bridges, dams, pipelines, roads, railways and many oth-er infrastructures. Subsea, wells are being drilled at greater depths, pressures and temperatures, requiring en-hanced assessment of the integrity of structures and systems in such extreme conditions. There is a push to expand operations into new locations such as the Arctic, where environmental and operational conditions are considerably harsher. Many assets in the North Sea are rapidly reaching or have already exceeded their original design life and safe but affordable life extension and decommissioning are becoming major objectives. The recent rapid develop-ments in renewable energy technologies have introduced new challenges of maintaining at minimum cost the relia-bility and integrity of structures and equipment in remote locations and subjected to extreme loads and environ-mental conditions. There are also exciting new opportunities, but also significant challenges and uncertainties, in applying vision-based structural health and condition monitoring to safety and structural integrity. These and many additional traditional and emerging themes will be covered during the conference through survey, focused and/or case study presentations from the world-leading practitioners and researchers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://10times.com/drones-rovs-london |
| Description | Pint of Science Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | I (Rob Siddall) spoke for 30 minutes and did a small live demonstration to an audience of around 50, about the Aquatic Micro Air Vehicles Research. The talk generated a great deal of interest, and I was invited to repeat it again later in the year by the organisers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://pintofscience.co.uk/event/robotic-presents-and-bionic-futures |
| Description | Plenary talk at the World of Drones Congress 2017, Brisbane |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The Aerial Robotics Lab has been invited to give a talk at the inaugural World of Drones Congress (WoDC) 2017, which has been held from 31 August to 2 September 2017 in Brisbane, Australia. Over 630 delegates from across the Asia Pacific and beyond attended and the congress featured a fascinating Expo with over 30 exhibitors from Australia, China and Japan. The program included the launch of Australia's very first state-wide Drones Strategy by the Premier of Queensland and the first Australian National Drone Safety Forum. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.worldofdrones.com.au |
| Description | Podiumsgespräch Vernissage Technology Outlook |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | SATW Technology Outlook - Zukunftsweisende Technologien für die Schweiz Zurich, Switzerland Date: 15/09/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Poster presentation at ICRA 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Poster presentation during the 2018 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA): "Bioinspired aquatic micro air vehicle for environmental monitoring and disaster relief" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation and demo |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Gammon Construction Imperial visit |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation and demo COEBIT |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | 09/18. Presentation at COEBIT (Centre of Excellence for Bio-Inspired Technology) meeting |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation and demo Delegations from the french embassy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | with Prof. Nozha Boujemaa, Director of DATAIA Institute |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation and demo Imperial festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Public event with Imperial Festival |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation and demo Italian AI experts and ministry representatives |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | 31/01/19. Lab visit from committee of Italian AI experts and ministry representatives |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation and demo Microsoft |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Yearly tour for CEOs, Research Directors, and other leaders from their university partners |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation and demo Oxford animal flight group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 08/10/18. Visit to Oxford animal flight group for small symposium |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation and demo Paul Pounds |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | University of Queensland, Australia |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation and demo Science museum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 22/10/18-26/10/2018. Science museum outreach: showcasing research, interacting with visitors, helping children design robots |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation and demo Trenton Jerde |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | editor for Nature Machine Intelligence |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation and demo World of Drones Congress |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | 13/12/18. Lab visit from Australian "World of Drones Congress" organisers (largest industrial drones conference in Australasia) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation and demo Zaman Ahmad |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Cyber Training Firm, Malaysia |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Presentation to the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland at the University of Strathclyde |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Group presentation to staff members at the University of Strathclyde. Ptesentation given by Dr Shamsiah Awang Ngah. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Press release in Telez |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | annoucement of EMPA collaberation |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.telez.ch/neues-drohnenlabor_14813/# |
| Description | Press release: Biodrones Delicate, diligent, transient |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Their task is to monitor the condition of ecosystems, for instance in the forest floor - and crumble to dust when their work is done: bio-gliders modeled on the Java cucumber, which sails its seeds dozens of meters through the air. Empa researchers have developed these sustainable flying sensors from potato starch and wood waste. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.empa.ch/web/s604/umweltbeobachtung-mit-drohnen |
| Description | Press release: ERC President visits Imperial as latest European grant award success celebrated |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The President of the ERC, Professor Maria Leptin, visited Imperial this week to meet some of the College's previous ERC grant award winners and discover the impact of the European funded research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/234735/erc-president-visits-imperial-latest-european/ |
| Description | Press release: ProteusDrone: A shape-shifting soft drone |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Dübendorf, St. Gallen und Thun, 21.03.2022 - Mirko Kovac has been awarded an ERC Consolidator Grant from Horizon Europe, the EU's key funding program for research and innovation. Kovac, a researcher at both Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, and Imperial College London, is designing metamorphic drones for use in complex environments like the arctic. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.admin.ch/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-87692.html |
| Description | RFA Colloquim Resources and Pollutants + Energy - Autonomous drone-based sensor placement in complex environments |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Abstract: Environmental and infrastructure sciences rely heavily on accurate, timely and complete data sets which are often collected manually at significant risks and costs. Robotics and mobile sensor networks can collect data more effectively and with higher spatial-temporal resolution compared to manual methods while benefiting from expanded operational envelopes and added data collection capabilities. In future, robotics will be an indispensable tool for data collection in complex environments, enabling the digitalisation of forests, lakes, off-shore energy systems, cities and the polar environment. However, such future robot solutions will need to operate more flexibly, robustly and efficiently than they do today. This talk will present how animal-inspired robot design methods can integrate adaptive morphologies, functional materials and energy-efficient locomotion principles to enable this new class of environmental robotics. The talk will also include application examples, such as flying robots that can place sensors in forests, aerial-aquatic drones for autonomous water sampling, drones with compliant landing systems for landing on wind turbines, drones for aerial construction and repair, and impact-resilient drones for safe operations in underground and tunnel systems. Short biography: Prof. Mirko Kovac is director of the Aerial Robotics Laboratory, full professor at Imperial College London and Royal Society Wolfson Fellow. He is also heading the Materials and Technology Centre of Robotics at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) in Zürich. His research group focusses on the development of novel, aerial robots for distributed sensing and autonomous manufacturing in complex natural and man-made environments. Prof. Kovac's particular specialisation is in robot design, hardware development and multi-modal robot mobility. Before his appointment in London, he was post-doctoral researcher at Harvard University and he obtained his PhD at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL). He received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ) in 2005. Since 2006, he has presented his work in >70 international proceedings and journals, has won several best paper awards and has delivered >30 keynote lectures. He also regularly acts as advisor to government, investment funds and industry on robotics opportunities. The following information couldn't be added to Exchange: time zone:Floating |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | RFA SEMINAR: SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT. Digital fabrication in the construction industry - materials science perspective |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Aerial additive manufacturing |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Radio interview for BBC Earth feature on bio-inspired drones: The birds, the bees and the robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Radio interview for BBC Earth feature on bio-inspired drones: How biology is influencing technology to help us better understand nature. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.bbcearth.com/blog/?article=the-birds-the-bees-and-the-robots |
| Description | Research Colloquium (ETH Zurich) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Dr Mirko Kovac presented our novel 3D printing and aerial construction technologies arising from Aerial ABM at the Research Colloquium on Building Technologies at ETH Zurich in January 2017. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Research Talk (Livorno, Italy) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | In April 2016, Dr Mirko Kovac talked about the use soft materials in aerial robots to enhance the flight performance as well as creating support structures inspired by birds in nature. The talk attracted a large number of audience and his team were invited to write a book chapter on Soft Aerial Robots. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.robosoftca.eu/information/events/soft-robotics-week-2016 |
| Description | Research Talk (Perugia, Italy) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Dr Mirko Kovac presented the progress on 3D printing materials within the Aerial ABM project at the International Conference on Smart and Multifunctional Materials, Structures and Systems in Perugia, Italy. This presentation initiated new discussions for possible collaboration with colleagues at the Italian Institute of Technology on 3D printing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://2016.cimtec-congress.org/ |
| Description | Research Visit to EMPA-Nest in Zurich |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation and tour of EMPA nest facility, regarding potential collaborations between Imperial and ETH Zurich |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | RoboSoft 2021 - Workshop "Material Intelligence" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | 300 attendees. The role of soft, adaptive matter in Robotics is intensively growing with the increasing demand for compliant, intelligent, and collaborative robotic behavior. The development of intelligent material systems combining actuation, sensing, and computation has become one of the grand challenges for realizing this vision of next-generation soft robotics. Material intelligence, the concept of material-level acquisition and application of knowledge and skills, embodies a critical synergy of sensing, actuation, and computation with the potential to redefine our expectations of material behavior. However, this idea's advancement faces several challenges due to the technical breadth, complex implementation, and conceptual paradigm shift of material behavior it requires. In addition, physical integration of these capabilities and concepts is inherently interdisciplinary, requiring input and the development of a common language across numerous disciplines, including Materials Science, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Bioengineering, Architecture, and others. The present workshop aims to host "under one roof" the leading researchers in the fields of soft-material actuation, sensing, and computation to create a dialogue on state of the art, identify technical/conceptual barriers, and outline key challenges and opportunities for Material Intelligence. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.material-intelligence.com/ |
| Description | Robotics 2021 3rd World Conference on Robotics and AI - Physical Artificial Intelligence for Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Robotics 2021 3rd World Conference on Robotics and AI |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.scientificfederation.com/robotics-artificial-intelligence/program.pdf |
| Description | Robotics Center PRG Seminar Series - Soft Aerial Robotics for Environmental Sensing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Our talks are also sponsored by the Maryland Robotics Center and they have an audience of about one hundred people coming from Computer Science and Engineering. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | http://prg.cs.umd.edu/seminar |
| Description | Robotics Testing Grounds for Sustainability Robotics Innovation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Robotics and industrial automation sectors are coming together in Bilisim Vadisi. At the Robotics and Industrial Automation Technologies Sector Meeting, new generation technologies and solutions will be discussed and companies will share their experiences. ? June 16, 2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ozge-akbulut-685b827_looking-forward-to-prof-mirko-kovacs-industrial-... |
| Description | Robotics and Autonomous Systems in UK Manufacturing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The aim work of this workshop was to address the knowledge gap between RAS researchers, policy and the manufacturing communities. The specific objectives were to: -Identify to the state of the art in RAS and how these technologies can address real-world manufacturing challenges. -Identify areas of added value for RAS that can have long term impact on UK manufacturing. -Support new collaborations between technology and application communities. -Develop a strategy for RAS to support UK manufacturing. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://hamlyn.doc.ic.ac.uk/uk-ras/events/manufacturing-workshop-AMRC |
| Description | Royal College Physicians Society - Physical Artificial Intelligence for Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Royal College Physicians Society - Physical Artificial Intelligence for Aerial Robotics - 51 delegates joined online |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://player.rcplondon.ac.uk/ |
| Description | Royal Society (London) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The event was hosted by prof. Brian Cox at the Royal festival hall who was running a debate on Artificial Intelligence. Dr Mirko Kovac ran a 10 minutes presentation and live demo showing in-flight arm stabilization of a robotic arm methods for drones. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.imperial.ac.uk/festival/ |
| Description | SMART workshop 3: APPLICATIONS OF SMART MATERIALS AND SOFT ROBOTICS |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Soft Aerial Robotics for Sustainable Development |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | http://www.smartitn.eu/training-events/smart-workshop-3/ |
| Description | SRF online video - How drones protect us from toxic blue-green algae |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | How drones protect us from toxic blue-green algae In order to be able to effectively control the ecology of large bodies of water, ecologists from the Swiss Eawag are working with robotics to test the use of an on-water-under-water drone. I would love to have ten of them!" Aquatic ecologist Francesco Pomati from the Eawag research institute is enthusiastic about the first field test of the "Medusa system". A drone that can both fly and land on the water surface and drop an underwater module. What inspires me the most is the idea of creating robots that can move like artificial creatures in nature. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.srf.ch/wissen/klimaerwaermung/oekologie-unserer-gewaesser-wie-drohnen-uns-vor-giftigen-b... |
| Description | Sberbank Executive Education day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | This cohort is organised by the Imperial Business School and it's purpose is to educate the Sberbank employees with the technologies and capabilities developed in Aerial Robotics. This is an ongoing cohort group from the previous year. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Science Daily: A swarm of 3D printing drones for construction and repair |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | A swarm of 3D printing drones for construction and repair An international research team led by drone expert Mirko Kovac of Empa and Imperial College London has taken bees as a model to develop a swarm of cooperative, 3D-printing drones. Under human control, these flying robots work as a team to print 3D materials for building or repairing structures while flying, as the scientists report in the cover story of the latest issue of Nature. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/09/220922103202.htm |
| Description | Science Museum Autonomous Vehicles Interactive Exhibition |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Took part in the 5 day interactive Science Museum event on Autonomous vehicles. Several laboratory members worked through case studies on designing autonomous vehicles for practical use with the general public. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Science Museum London, Invited exhibitor for Antenna Gallery |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Discover more in this cutting-edge exhibition through interactive exhibits, thought-provoking objects and even a retro robot car. Driverless will give you a unique glimpse into the AI-driven tech that could shape the habits, behaviour and society of tomorrow. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/see-and-do/driverless-who-is-in-control |
| Description | Science Robotics Interview with Alex Broz |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Science Robotics is continually working to improve their service to authors and the dissemination of the research in our multidisciplinary journal. We aim to provide a forum for the latest technological advances and the critical social, ethical and policy issues surrounding robotics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | ScienceDaily: Drones that patrol forests could monitor environmental and ecological changes |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Sensors for forest monitoring are already used to track changes in temperature, humidity and light, as well as the movements of animals and insects through their habitat. They also help to detect and monitor forest fires and can provide valuable data on how climate change and other human activities are impacting the natural world. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201103112526.htm |
| Description | ScienceDaily: Skills development in Physical AI could give birth to lifelike intelligent robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The research suggests that teaching materials science, mechanical engineering, computer science, biology and chemistry as a combined discipline could help students develop the skills they need to create lifelike artificially intelligent (AI) robots as researchers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/11/201110112512.htm |
| Description | Sciencenewsnet.in: On the way to lifelike robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Artificial intelligence is supposed to make machines perform at ever more amazing levels. A robot that can do little more than a remote-controlled model car has a limited range of applications. But from an automatic machine to an autonomous robot, it is a big, almost revolutionary step. Robotics researchers Mirko Kovac and Aslan Miriyev, who both work at Empa's "Materials and Technology Center of Robotics" in Dübendorf and at the "Aerial Robotics Lab" of Imperial College London, are convinced that one decisive component can make this evolutionary step possible: Physical artificial intelligence, PAI for short. Only when the artificial intelligence of a digital "brain" is merged with an intelligent body could new types of robots be created that have properties comparable to those of intelligent living organisms. They have now published their concept in the latest issue of the renowned scientific journal Nature Machine Intelligence. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://sciencenewsnet.in/on-the-way-to-lifelike-robots/ |
| Description | Scienmag: Skills Development In Physical AI Could Give Birth To Lifelike Intelligent Robots SCIENCE EDUCATION |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The research suggests that teaching materials science, mechanical engineering, computer science, biology and chemistry as a combined discipline could help students develop the skills they need to create lifelike artificially intelligent (AI) robots as researchers. Known as Physical AI, these robots would be designed to look and behave like humans or other animals while possessing intellectual capabilities normally associated with biological organisms. These robots could in future help humans at work and in daily living, performing tasks that are dangerous for humans, and assisting in medicine, caregiving, security, building and industry. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://scienmag.com/skills-development-in-physical-ai-could-give-birth-to-lifelike-intelligent-robo... |
| Description | Seoul National University - Physical Artificial Intelligence for Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Seoul National University - Physical Artificial Intelligence for Aerial Robotics - 27 postgraduate students attended this presentation. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Soft Aerial Robotics: Metamorphic Aerial Robots for Multi-Terrain Mobility |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics RoboSoft 2023 Singapore Date: 03/04/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | energie bewegt winterthur - 36. Energie-Lunch Date: 02/03/2023 A group of professionals. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | AI for Good Global Summit Geneva, Switzerland Date: 04/07/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Seminar at MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, US Date: 27/10/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Deep Dive Series - The Future of Robotics & AI (Liechtenstein Bankers Association) Vaduz, Liechtenstein Date: 23/05/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | INRIA Rennes, France Date: 16/02/2024 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Swiss Green Economy Symposium Winterthur, Switzerland Date: 07/09/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | AI.BAY conference 2023 Munich, Germany Date: 23/02/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics for Digital Construction |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Building Smart Workshop London, UK Date: 12/07/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability Robotics for Environmental Sensing |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | ENAC Seminar Series Lausanne, Switzerland, online Date: 25/04/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Sustainability robotics, AI for Good Global Summit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Environmental sciences rely heavily on accurate, timely and complete data sets which are often collected manually at significant risks and costs. Robotics and mobile sensor networks can collect data more effectively and with higher spatial-temporal resolution compared to manual methods while benefiting from expanded operational envelopes and added data collection capabilities. In future, robotics and AI will be an indispensable tool for data collection in complex environments, enabling the digitalisation of forests, lakes, off-shore energy systems, cities and the polar environment. However, such future robot solutions will need to operate more flexibly, robustly and efficiently than they do today. This talk will present how animal-inspired robot design methods can integrate adaptive morphologies, functional materials and energy-efficient locomotion principles to enable this new class of environmental robotics. The talk will also include application examples, such as flying robots that can place sensors in forests, aerial-aquatic drones for autonomous water sampling, drones for aerial construction and repair, and impact-resilient drones for safe operations in underground and tunnel systems. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://aiforgood.itu.int/event/replay-sustainability-robotics/ |
| Description | Swiss Drone Days |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Bio-inspired Drones for Infrastructure Systems and Natural Environments |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Swiss Robotics Day, Zurich, Switzerland |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Swiss Robotics Day is Switzerland's premier exhibition on robotics for service sectors. It brings together professionals and enthusiasts, fostering connections, sharing ideas, creating business opportunities, and attracting talent. We showcase our aerial platform during the event. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://swissroboticsday.ch/ |
| Description | Swiss Robotics Days 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | DroneHub: Building-drone interface for integrated living |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Swissengineering FAEL autumn seminar "Artificial Intelligence" - Material Intelligence and Infrastructure Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Artificial intelligence is not a new topic. Many structures come from artificial neural networks from the 80s. Interestingly, this phase has been retrospectively dubbed the Renaissance because the first conference on the subject of "Artificial Intelligence" took place in 1956. The present flare is so to speak, the third wave. A decisive milestone was the so-called "Convolutional Neural Networks" about 10 years ago. In addition, large networks with huge data sets allow nowadays a very extensive training of corresponding algorithms. The areas of application extend to actually all fields of science. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://admin.webmembership.ch/swissengineering/static/documents/event/6836/7a33b262-4ecb-44c2-8b42-... |
| Description | Swissinfo.ch: Air to water drone uses taxis to save energy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | An international research team with Empa participation has developed a drone that can both glide through water and fly through the air. To save energy, it attaches itself to other objects for a ride. As the researchers led by Li Wen from Beihang University in China report in the specialist magazine "Science Robotics", the robot has a suction disk based on the example of a remora. These are fish that use a suction plate to attach themselves to sharks or other large fish in order to use them as a sort of taxi. The robot uses this device to attach itself to wet or dry moving objects, thereby significantly reducing its power consumption. In fact, the 3D-printed robot consumes almost twenty times less energy in the water than with a self-propelled robot thanks to this suction strategy, Empa announced on Thursday. A special propeller design also enables the robot to cross the air-water barrier in just 0.35 seconds. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.swissinfo.ch/ger/luft-wasser-drohne-nutzt-taxis--um-energie-zu-sparen/47607770 |
| Description | Switzerland Global Enterprise: DRONE CAPABLE OF DIVING, FLYING AND HITCHING A RIDE |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | A team of scientists from Empa has developed a robot alongside colleagues from London and Beijing that can switch from an underwater drone to an aerial vehicle practically in the blink of an eye. Moreover, it is also able to hitch a ride on a whale or ship, for example, in order to save energy. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.s-ge.com/en/article/news/20222-robotics-diving-flying-and-hitchhiking-drone |
| Description | TAROS 2018 Conference Presentation (invited) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | As the winner of the Best UK PhD in robotics, Rob Siddall was invited to give a short talk detailing his thesis on Aerial-Aquatic Locomotion at the TAROS 2018 conference in Bristol. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Talk (RACE, Culham, UK) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Dr Mirko Kovac presented latest technologies for aerial manipulation and construction at RACE in challenging environments Symposium, Culham, UK, during October 2017. The presentation has initiated a number of collaborative activities on the use of aerial robots in exploration and repair in challenging environments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | http://www.race.ukaea.uk/ |
| Description | Talk : SberBank Executive Education Day |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Executive Education Day tailored for SberBank. Dr. Mirko Kovac gave a 1.5hr talk on research which focusses on the development of novel, biologically inspired flying robots for distributed sensing in air and water and on autonomous robotic construction for future cities. Dr. Kovac's particular specialisation is in robot design, hardware development and multi-modal robot mobility. This followed with an opportunity for attendees for a practical hands-on session to create their own drone with a view to how SberBank could utilise this. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Talk and presentation in TEDxBolognaWomen (Laura Margheri) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | TEDxBolognaWomen: http://www.tedxbologna.com/perspectives/ It was held on December 8, 2018. I talked about the multidisciplinary of biorobotics, from my experience etc and I showed a video of the AquaMAV among the examples. The outreach was mainly at national level (Italy), even if the video is globally online: |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8xP8lMsl3Q |
| Description | Talk at PwC School of Mines |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Dr Mirko Kovac participated in the panel discussion around the potential uses of drones/AI/robotics in Mining at the PwC annual conference "London School of Mines" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Talk to a Secondary School (St George's Catholic College |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Talk at the annual awards ceremony for a secondary school in southampton, GCSE students and parents invited. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Talk to a sixth form school group |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | A talk on robotics and question session with a large school group (Year 9 - A2 Level) |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| Description | Talk: Baiosphere the bavarian ai network |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Leading minds from various disciplines discussed how we can solve social, environmental and economic problems with AI - and how it is changing us. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://baiosphere.org/aibay2023-speaker/ |
| Description | Teamwork on the ground and in the air |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | AM Expo Luzern, Switzerland Date: 12/09/2023 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Tech Explore: 3D-printing drones work like bees to build and repair structures while flying |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | 3D-printing drones work like bees to build and repair structures while flying The technology, which has been tested in the lab, could ultimately be used for manufacturing and building in difficult-to-access or dangerous locations such as tall buildings or help with post-disaster relief construction, say the researchers. This new approach to 3D printing-led in its development by Imperial and Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories of Materials Science and Technology-uses flying robots, known as drones, that use collective building methods inspired by natural builders like bees and wasps who work together to create large, intricate structures. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://techxplore.com/news/2022-09-3d-printed-drones-bees.html |
| Description | Tech Explore: A quadcopter that works in the air and underwater and also has a suction cup for hitching a ride on a host |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | A team of researchers at Beihang University, working with colleagues at Imperial College London and Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, has developed a quadcopter drone that is capable of flying in the air and maneuvering underwater. It also has a suction cup for hitching a ride on a host. They describe their drone in the journal Science Robotics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://techxplore.com/news/2022-05-quadcopter-air-underwater-suction-cup.html |
| Description | Tech Xplore: Skills development in Physical AI could give birth to lifelike intelligent robots |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The research suggests that teaching materials science, mechanical engineering, computer science, biology and chemistry as a combined discipline could help students develop the skills they need to create lifelike artificially intelligent (AI) robots as researchers. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://techxplore.com/news/2020-11-skills-physical-ai-birth-lifelike.html |
| Description | Technewsboy: 3D-Printed Drones Work Like Bees To Build And Repair Structures While Flying |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | 3D-Printed Drones Work Like Bees To Build And Repair Structures While Flying The technology, which has been tested in the lab, could ultimately be used for manufacturing and building in difficult-to-access or dangerous locations such as tall buildings or help with post-disaster relief construction, say the researchers. 3D printing is gaining momentum in the construction industry. Both on-site and in the factory, static and mobile robots print materials for use in construction projects, such as steel and concrete structures. This new approach to 3D printing-led in its development by Imperial and Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories of Materials Science and Technology-uses flying robots, known as drones, that use collective building methods inspired by natural builders like bees and wasps who work together to create large, intricate structures. The drones in the fleet, known collectively as Aerial Additive Manufacturing (Aerial-AM), work co-operatively from a single blueprint, adapting their techniques as they go. They are fully autonomous while flying but are monitored by a human controller who checks progress and intervenes if necessary, based on the information provided by the drones. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://technewsboy.com/3d-printed-drones-work-like-bees-to-build-and-repair-structures-while-flying... |
| Description | Technology Demonstration for SberBank |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Demonstrated the pipeline repair using aerial robots for the visiting group. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | The Daily Beast.com: Drones Will 3D Print Our Future Homes and Offices on the Fly |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Drones Will 3D Print Our Future Homes and Offices on the Fly An international team of engineers have taken 3D printing to a whole new level by designing a fleet of drones that can build structures while in flight, unlocking new approaches to construction in hard-to-reach, unstable, or otherwise inaccessible places. These robots are the first of their kind to 3D print and hover simultaneously, and in proof-of-concept research published on Wednesday in Nature, researchers showed that the drones were able to coordinate and build tall cylinders out of polyurethane foam and a cement-like material. "We've demonstrated the first-ever robots that are 3D-printing in flight, and it's a pretty amazing achievement," Robert Stuart-Smith, an autonomous manufacturing researcher at University College London and the University of Pennsylvania, and a co-author of the study, told The Daily Beast. By working with swarms of small robots that can make decisions as they build, tomorrow's architects will be able to change building designs halfway through construction and tailor projects to fit a dynamic environment, he added. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.thedailybeast.com/scientists-invent-flying-3d-printing-drones-to-construct-buildings |
| Description | The International Symposium on Robotics Research (isrr2022.org) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Sustainability Robotics |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://ras.papercept.net/conferences/conferences/ISRR22/program/ISRR22_ProgramAtAGlanceWeb.html |
| Description | The Telegraph: Drone will 3D print our future homes and offices on the fly |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The Telegraph: Drone will 3D print our future homes and offices on the fly |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.macon.com/news/politics-government/article266116176.html#storylink=rss |
| Description | The heat-resistant drone designed to keep firefighters safe |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | CNN's Tech for Good meets researchers who have designed a drone that can fly into burning buildings, gathering crucial data on trapped people and unexpected hazards. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2023/11/10/heat-resistant-drone-hnk-spc.cnn |
| Description | The new science of intelligence, part of the 10th edition of the Maker Faire |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Sustainability Robotics for Environmental Protection |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | This heat-resistent drone can find and help people trapped in burning buildings or wildfires |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Current drones used to hoist fire hoses up tall buildings and drop fire retardants are made of plastics and cannot fly near a fire. When it comes to wildfires, Europe is facing potentially one of the worst summers it has seen this year. According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), more than 119,000 hectares had already been reduced to cinders across the European Union by June 18. Researchers in Switzerland have successfully developed a heat-resistant drone that could be deployed in burning buildings and forests. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/07/06/this-heat-resistent-drone-can-be-find-and-help-people-trapp... |
| Description | Times of India: Drones That Shoot Sensor Darts In Tall Trees Will Give Forest Health Data |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | The researchers have developed drones that can shoot darts containing such sensors onto trees several meters away. As can be understood, the method can be used to place sensors high atop tall trees, even in cluttered forest regions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.indiatimes.com/technology/news/drones-sensor-darts-tall-trees-for-forest-data-527072.htm... |
| Description | Towards Autonomous Robotic Systems Conference (TAROS 2021) - Physical AI for Soft Aerial Robotics |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | TAROS is the longest-running UK-hosted international conference on Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS), which is aimed at the presentation and discussion of the latest results and methods in autonomous robotics research and applications. TAROS offers a friendly environment for robotics researchers and industry to take stock and plan future progress. It welcomes senior researchers and research students alike and specifically provides opportunities for research students and young research scientists to present their work to the scientific community. As in previous years, the TAROS 2021 proceedings will be published in the Springer Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence series. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://lcas.lincoln.ac.uk/wp/taros-2021/ |
| Description | UCL - Ocado Workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | - discuss engagement with Ocado related to mobile robotics and autonomous systems for logistics |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | UCL - Shimizu |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | - discussion to explore opportunities for UCL and Shimizu to work together on a set of robotic construction challenges |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | University of Sheffield Pipebot Seminar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Soft Aerial Robotics for Infrastructure Sensing and Repair |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Unmanned Maritime Systems Conference, May 16-17 2018, London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Mirko Kovac was invited speaker at the second annual Unmanned Maritime Systems Technology conference, held in London on the 16th and 17th May 2018, organised by the SMi Group. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.smi-online.co.uk/defence/uk/conference/Unmanned-Maritime-Systems#tab_overview |
| Description | Urban Explorers Children's Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Participated in the Urban Explorers childrens conference, talking with primary/secondary school children about robotics and the work of Imperial College Researchers |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Venice Architecture Biennale Exhibit |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | European Cultural Center Venice Architecture Biennale Exhibition in Palazzo Bembo: 20th of May until the 26th of November, 2023. This exhibit would have been viewed by 10s if not 100s of thousands. The exhibit was on collective robotic construction that included 2 x looping videos, a large 5m wide full-height poster mural, a scaled architectural model and a robot drone hardware on display. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://ecc-italy.eu/exhibitions/2023archbiennial |
| Description | Venice Architecture Biennale, Italy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | To propose and showcase architectural solutions to contemporary societal, humanistic, and technological issues. The theme of the 2023 Biennale is "The Laboratory of the Future", in which the near and the far are simultaneously presented, including vernacular methodologies to the state-of-the-art robotic construction techniques. We are displaying Aerial Additive Manufacturing Platform (Photo below: Middle), 18th May -30th Nov 2023. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Workshop: Bio-inspired Soft Aerial Robotics - Year 2 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | P. H. Nguyen, A. Farinha, F. Wiesem ¨uller, S. Hamaza, S. Sukho, A. Ollero, and M. Kovac. Bio-inspired Soft Aerial Robotics - Year 2. Organized in-person workshop at 2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), Singapore April 2023). Soft Robots for Environmental Intelligence, Barbara Mazzolai, Mirko Kovac - Imperial College London and Empa Material Science Institute, 2023 IEEE International Conference on Soft Robotics (RoboSoft), Singapore (April 2023). [RoboSoft 2023 in the most famous interdisciplinary soft robotics research workshop at the present moment. Our team is currently the leading group in soft aerial robotics and we wanted to share the community's research on this topic. As the Laboratory of Sustainability Robotics, we also dived deep into conversations of bioinspiration and sustainability in future robotics for the betterment of the environment.] |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Workshop: Invited Speaker: International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2020 Workshop on "Self-Assembling and Reconfigurable Systems" |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Self-assembly is a process where pre-existing components form a structured system without external control due to the local interaction between the components. It is ubiquitous in many different fields like biology, chemistry, medicine, robotics and materials science. Self-assembly is a very important aspect in biological and robotics systems. Biological systems are inherently hierarchical, and as such self-assembly remains the critical process by which the fundamental units form into functional structures, that in turn form living organisms. A shining example of this is the fundamental building block of life, base-pairing with hydrogen bonds to make double-stranded DNA. As the complexity of biological organisms is achieved from the self-assembly of nucleotides, self-assembly in robotics also presents a great opportunity for building functional systems. Robustness and reconfigurability has been a major objective for robotics researchers in recent years. Robust and reconfigurable systems offer improved systems, such as lower cost per unit as the individual requirements per robot is reduced, and a level of parallel redundancy that is not yet prevalent in robotics. Self-assembly lies at the intersection of biology and robotics, and it can help inform better robotics solutions. This workshop aims to open a dialogue about self-assembly between researchers in biology and robotics. The workshop will be divided into two main sub-themes: (1) Self-assembly in biological systems and (2) Self-assembly in robotics. The workshop aims to bridge the gap between both sub-themes and foster collaboration between the two fields. The former sub-theme entails the most interesting aspects of biological self-assembly. The latter sub-theme entails challenges in self-assembling robots and how processes in biological systems can help improve the system design aspect of these robots. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.selfassemblingsystems.org/invited-speakers |
| Description | Workshop: The Co-evolution of Digital Twins and Aerial Robotics for Sustainable Human Habitats |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The Co-evolution of Digital Twins and Aerial Robotics for Sustainable Human Habitats, (Aug, 2023). [The construction industry is increasingly using digital twins as they offer many benefits throughout the entire construction lifecycle, including collaboration and communication, efficiency, safety, accuracy and quality, and cost-savings. This workshop was to discuss the great potential of this mutual relationship between the robots and digital twins in the case of the DroneHub - NEST, Empa. (Attended by over 70 people)] |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Workshop: Translational soft robots in successful real-world applications |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | • Translational soft robots in successful real-world applications - Pham Huy Nguyen, Amy Kyungwon Han, Jun Shintake, Yong-Lae Park, and Sukho Song, Organized in-person workshop at Robotics: Science and Systems (RSS) 2023 Conference in Daegu, Republic of Korea (July, 2023). [RSS is one of the most well-known robotics and science conferences. We invited top professors in the field of soft robotics, start-ups, as well as major companies such as Facebook/Meta to discuss how soft robotics could be translated into real world value, not just for economic gains but helping people in real life.] |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Workshop: robosoft2020: Material Intelligence |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The role of soft, adaptive matter in Robotics is intensively growing with the increasing demand for compliant, intelligent and collaborative robotic behavior. Development of intelligent material systems combining actuation, sensing and computation has become one of the grand challenges for realizing this vision of next generation soft robotics. Material intelligence, the concept of material-level acquisition and application of knowledge and skills, embodies a critical synergy of sensing, actuation and computation with the potential to redefine our expectations of material behavior. However, the advancement of this idea faces several challenges due to the technical breadth, complex implementation and conceptual paradigm shift of material behavior it requires. In addition, physical integration of these capabilities and concepts is inherently interdisciplinary, requiring input and the development of a common language across numerous disciplines, including Materials Science, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Bioengineering, Architecture and others. The present workshop aims to host "under one roof" the leading researchers in the fields of soft-material actuation, sensing and computation to create a dialogue on the state of the art, identify technical/conceptual barriers, and outline key challenges and opportunities for Material Intelligence. The workshop will include a special Dialogue Panel along with classical presentation sessions and extensive networking time. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.material-intelligence.com/ |
| Description | Workshop: • Origami-based structures for designing soft robots with new capabilities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | • Origami-based structures for designing soft robots with new capabilities - Stephane Viollet, Jamie Paik, Kanty Rabenorosoa, Cynthia Sung, Pierre Renaud, Mirko Kovac, 2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), 2023, in London (May, 2023) [ICRA 2023 organized in London, is the biggest and most prestigious robotics conference in the world, boasting more than 6000 attendees this year. We organized a well-needed workshop on the use of origami structures in all applications from space to manipulators, to flight.] |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Yahoo News: Drones Will 3D Print Our Future Homes and Offices on the Fly |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Drones Will 3D Print Our Future Homes and Offices on the Fly An international team of engineers have taken 3D printing to a whole new level by designing a fleet of drones that can build structures while in flight, unlocking new approaches to construction in hard-to-reach, unstable, or otherwise inaccessible places. These robots are the first of their kind to 3D print and hover simultaneously, and in proof-of-concept research published on Wednesday in Nature, researchers showed that the drones were able to coordinate and build tall cylinders out of polyurethane foam and a cement-like material. "We've demonstrated the first-ever robots that are 3D-printing in flight, and it's a pretty amazing achievement," Robert Stuart-Smith, an autonomous manufacturing researcher at University College London and the University of Pennsylvania, and a co-author of the study, told The Daily Beast. By working with swarms of small robots that can make decisions as they build, tomorrow's architects will be able to change building designs halfway through construction and tailor projects to fit a dynamic environment, he added. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://uk.news.yahoo.com/drones-3d-print-future-homes-152335559.html |
| Description | lecture on biorobotics during a workshop organized by the IAAD (Laura Margheri) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Laura gave a lecture on biorobotics during a workshop organized by the IAAD (https://www.iaad.it/en/). She made a sort of review of bio-robots, including the AcquaMAV. It was a lecture for about 20-25 students, from Italy and Israel. It was held on February 11, 2019. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.iaad.it/en/ |
| Description | msn: Drones That Shoot Sensor Darts In Tall Trees Will Give Forest Health Data |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | In today's world, several aspects of forests are monitored using sensors. These wireless sensors track the movements of animals and insects in the forests, while also monitoring the forest itself for changes in temperature, humidity and light. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.msn.com/en-in/money/markets/drones-that-shoot-sensor-darts-in-tall-trees-will-give-fores... |