Intelligent Robots in Science and Society
Lead Research Organisation:
University of the West of England
Department Name: Faculty of Environment and Technology
Abstract
I am privileged to lead the EPSRC public engagement project 'Walking with Robots', a project that is taking the UK's intelligent robotics research out of the research lab and into public spaces, science centres, science festivals and schools. Walking with Robots is proving to be an extraordinary success. In its first two years the project has either organised or participated in 160 different events and activities around the UK, reaching an audience of about 60,000. The project is educating and entertaining young children and their families, encouraging teenage children to think about what impact robots might have in their lifetimes and engaging adults in serious debates about the ethical questions raised by intelligent robots in society.I am passionate about science and engineering, and passionate about communicating science and engineering. I believe that there is much more that I can do to explain and interpret advances in the very broad and multidisciplinary field that intelligent robotics now is and, through robotics, convey the excitement and value of research to the public. Furthermore, my broad experience as an electronic engineer, entrepreneur and facilitator of knowledge transfer from research idea to commercial product, means that I can set my public engagement work in the real-world context of economics and wealth creation.I propose a Senior Media Fellowship with a focus on intelligent robots in science and society. A theme that will explore and explain the very rapid advances in intelligent robotics, and the wider implications of those advances to society. I propose a programme of media activities structured around my current research projects, especially EPSRC project 'The Emergence of Artificial Culture in Robot Societies'. Those activities will include a TV documentary telling the story of the artificial culture project as it unfolds. The project will encompass both traditional broadcast TV and online project TV; the latter designed to reach younger audiences and connect those audiences with research in a way that is not possible with traditional broadcast media.
People |
ORCID iD |
| Alan Winfield (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Boden M
(2011)
Principles of Robotics: Regulating Robots in the Real World
Boden M
(2017)
Principles of robotics: regulating robots in the real world
in Connection Science
Bryson J
(2017)
Standardizing Ethical Design for Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems
in Computer
Grand A
(2012)
Open Science A New "Trust Technology"?
in Science Communication
Grand A
(2010)
Muddying the waters or clearing the stream: Open Science as a communication medium
in Int. Conf. on Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST 2010)
Grand A
(2010)
On open science public engagement with engineering
in European Association for the Study of Science and Technology (EASST 2010)
Grand A
(2012)
It feels like the right thing to do: ethical perspectives of open science
in Quality, honesty and beauty in science and technology communication (PCST 2012)
Grand A
(2016)
Mapping the hinterland: Data issues in open science.
in Public understanding of science (Bristol, England)
Vanderelst D
(2018)
The Dark Side of Ethical Robots
Winfield A
(2019)
Ethical standards in robotics and AI
in Nature Electronics
| Description | The focus of this Senior Media Fellowship was Intelligent Robots in Science and Society. Its overall aim was to explore and explain the very rapid advances in intelligent robotics, and the wider implications of those advances to society. In addition to broad coverage of Intelligent Robotics issues through public lectures and events, online engagement, press and media appearances, and print media, the Fellowship proactively developed two areas: Robot Ethics and Open Science. As a result of the Fellowship Alan Winfield was appointed Director of the Science Communication Unit at UWE, Bristol. In Robot Ethics Alan Winfield co-organised a workshop on Robot Ethics, which brought together senior figures from academia and industry from a wide range of disciplines including engineering, artificial intelligence, law, ethics and the social sciences. The workshop developed and in 2011 published a set of Principles of Robotics. Winfield widely disseminated these Principles both within the robotics community, and to the general public, provoking debate, raising awareness and generating press and media attention. In Open Science Alan Winfield undertook two threads of activity. One was research to advance understanding of Open Science and its symbiotic role with Public Engagement; this research was undertaken through a successful PhD programme (Ann Grand, PhD). The other was advocacy, in calling for greater transparency in Science Engineering and Technology. Both research and advocacy were underpinned by using online Open Science approaches within Winfield's robotics research. Summary of project outputs, including highlights: * 35 public lectures and debates including: 3 lectures at the Royal Institution, 1 TEDx talk, 2 IET public lectures, and appearances at the Cheltenham and Edinburgh Science Festivals and the HowTheLightGetsIn Festival; * 34 Press and Media appearances including: 30 minute documentary for Spanish TV, BBC TV Bang Goes the Theory webcast, interviews for 2 part BBC R4 radio series 'Robots that Care', film interviews for 3 other TV documentaries (BBC, National Geographic and Discovery Channel); * 5 public engagement events including: Ignite Bristol (2011), Bright Club (science stand-up comedy), I'm a Scientist get me out of here (2011), and liaison with the London Science Museum to create the Robotville exhibition, the UK's contribution to European Robotics Week, 2011; * 60 online articles (blog posts) with ~120,000 page views; the blog was ranked in the top ten computer science blogs in 2012; * 9 print publications, including one book: Robotics: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2012; * 1 PhD completion. |
| Exploitation Route | This Senior Media Fellowship was not primarily a research project. Most of its work including public lectures and events, online engagement, press and media appearances, and print media was for non-academic audiences. The Fellowship's work in Robot Ethics was also widely disseminated to non-academic audiences. Research findings in Open Science could be applied by other researchers who are seeking greater transparency for their research projects. |
| Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Electronics,Government, Democracy and Justice,Other |
| URL | http://alanwinfield.blogspot.com |
| Description | The findings of the Senior Media Fellowship have been used in a variety of ways, including: 1. Policy and standards: A major outcome was the drafting and publication of the EPSRC/AHRC principles of robotics. This was disseminated via the press and media (e.g. BBC and New Scientist), and via public lectures and debates, and has achieved significant traction in the robotics community. This led to Winfield's appointment to the British Standards Institute working group on Robot Ethics, and the recent publication - by the working group - of a draft document, for comment, which could become a candidate new standard. Further impact includes (i) Winfield's engagement in the wider European discourse on the Ethical, Legal and Societal impact of robotics, and (ii) Winfield's membership of an expert panel briefing for a G8 committee, on potential risks from robotics and AI. 2. New research directions: WInfield's work on robot ethics has led to new thinking and research toward ethical robots. This led to new collaborative EPSRC project Verifiable Autonomy (EP/L024861/1), with Fisher (Liverpool, project lead), and Veres (Sheffield), in which Winfield's work will be to research verifiable ethical robots. 3. Open Science. Research on the link between open science and public engagement, focussed on an EPSRC DTA funded PhD programme, has led to publications and wider impact, including for instance Winfield's involvement in the Governance work package of EU FET flagship bid Robot Companions, and an invitation, as speaker on open science, to 2014 H2020 European conference on Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). 4. Public discourse: More general impact has been to broad the public discourse on societal and economic impact of Intelligent Robotics through media, including online media. Evidence of this impact includes an invitation to contribute a chapter to NESTA book: Our work here is done - visions of a robot economy. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2010 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Creative Economy,Education,Government, Democracy and Justice,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections,Other |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |
| Description | Appointed to UK Space Agency Space Exploration Advisory Committee |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | It is clear that the economic scale and impact of the UK space industry is significant and growing, and I believe the SEAC contributes to that impact; as a member I hope I can make a small contribution to increasing that impact. |
| Description | Attended a meeting with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Business, Energy and Industry Strategy to discuss the future of work in the light of advances in robotics and AI. |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Chair of IEEE Standards Association working group P7001 drafting a new standard on Transparency in Autonomous Systems |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| URL | http://sites.ieee.org/sagroups-7001/ |
| Description | Invited to give oral evidence to the Lords Select Committee inquiry on Artificial Intelligence |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/artificial-intellig... |
| Description | Invited to participate in an expert briefing to a G8 committee |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Member of British Standards Institute working group on Robot Ethics, part of technical committee AMT/010 on robotics and robot devices |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Impact | The work resulted in publication of a new British Standard - BS8611:2016 Robots and robotic devices. Guide to the ethical design and application of robots and robotic systems, in April 2016. |
| URL | http://shop.bsigroup.com/ProductDetail?pid=000000000030320089 |
| Description | Membership of the World Economic Forum Global Futures Council on Future Technology Values and Policy |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| URL | https://www.weforum.org/communities/the-future-of-technology-values-policy |
| Description | Membership of the expert advisory panel of the Topol Review |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | Alan Winfield contributed to the NHS Health Education England review, led by Dr Eric Topol, which led to publication of the final report "Preparing the healthcare workforce to deliver the digital future" - an independent report on behalf of the secretary of state for Health and Social Care, published in February 2019. Alan Winfield was a member of both Robotics & AI and ethics panels. |
| URL | https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/topol-review |
| Description | Participation in the IEEE Standards Association Global Initiative on Ethical Considerations in the Design of AI and Autonomous Systems, as chair of the General Principles committee |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Impact | The first output of this work is discussion document: Ethically Aligned Design: A Vision for Prioritizing Human Wellbeing with Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Systems |
| URL | https://standards.ieee.org/develop/indconn/ec/autonomous_systems.html |
| Description | Provided written evidence to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Science and Technology inquiry on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| URL | https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201617/cmselect/cmsctech/145/145.pdf |
| Description | Debating driverless futures: Anticipatory governance and responsible innovation for self-driving cars |
| Amount | £500,089 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | ES/S001832/1 |
| Organisation | Economic and Social Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 01/2019 |
| End | 12/2022 |
| Description | Standard Research scheme, project Verifiable Autonomy |
| Amount | £340,338 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | EP/L024861/1 |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2014 |
| End | 03/2018 |
| Description | Appearance as a guest on BBC R4 series The Life Scientific |
| 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 | A received a significant level of feedback and interest folllowing the broadcast of this programme in February 2017, including a number of invitations to give talks or participate in panels on robot ethics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08ffv2l |
| Description | Autonomous Robots panel debate, Cheltenham |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The debate - illustrated with real robot demonstrations and chaired by Timandra Harkness, generated excellent questions and discussion, especially from younger members of the audience. Several people reported that fears about robot autonomy were allayed, and understanding of robot autonomy deepened. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Bristol Museums Winter lecture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The talk 'The Robots of the Bristol Robotics Lab' generated great audience questions - especially from young people, and discussion. Several young people asked for advice on how to study robotics, and a number of follow-up visits to the lab were arranged. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Bristol TEDx talk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The talk 'How to make an artificial companion you can really trust' generated great questions and debate. Follow-up visits to the lab. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | CaSE Annual Lecture 2018 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) Annual Lecture 2018 was on the theme of: 'Making Artificial Intelligence A Reality', and consisted of a panel debate with myself and Dame Wendy Hall, chaired by Professor Jim Al Khalili. The event was hosted by the Institute of Physics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://www.sciencecampaign.org.uk/engaging-with-policy/events/case-annual-lecture-2018-ai.html |
| Description | Can Robots Think, panel debate at Cheltenham Science Festival |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The panel, with Professors Murray Shanahan and Lilian Edwards, prompted very lively questions and debate. Audience members reported that the panel deepened their understanding of robot intelligence. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| Description | Christmas Lecture, Nottingham Medico-Chirurgical Society |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This evening Christmas lecture for families and medical practitioners, organised by the Nottingham Medico-Chirurgical Society, sparked a great deal of discussion and interest. Several audience members remarked that they were much less afraid of robots than they had been; others said that the talk had helped them to better understand and interpret developments in robotics that appear in the press and media. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | DAVOS 2016 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Invitation by NATURE to present work on Ethical Robots as part of an IdeasLab at the World Economic Forum 2016, in Davos Switzerland. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ2zHL4x5r8&index=3&list=PL7m903CwFUgkv0-OOrqJaZNgO4_AhWJWG |
| Description | Dances with Robots, Ignite 20x20 talk, Spike Island, Bristol |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The talk sparked a good deal of interest in the EPSRC Artificial Culture project. A number of people, including press and media, contacted me following the talk. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QTEJ1sypKM |
| Description | Festival of Ideas, Bristol |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The talk asked the question: Can Robots teach us about Culture? And sparked a good deal of discussion. Audience members reported that they had not realised that experiments with robots might reveal something about the evolution of culture. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | IET Public Lecture, Sheffield |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | In this talk 'The Ethical Roboticist' I advocated an ethical approach to the development and application of robots. A great deal of interest and discussion was generated. Audience members explained to me that they had not previously considered the ethical dimension of robotics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | IET/AFR event Robotics: from innovation to service |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | My talk 'New robotics and new opportunities' was followed by a panel debate, chaired by Quentin Cooper; there were excellent questions and debate from both professional and non-professional audience members. Some difficult questions about the economic and social impact of robots were raised and discussed. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| Description | Ikeda elementary school talk, Osaka, Japan |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Organised and facilitated by the British Embassy, Tokyo, this talk and swarm robotics demonstration generated discussion about robotics with children, parents and teachers. No notable impacts that I am aware of. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| URL | http://www.alanwinfield.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/e-pucks-in-osaka.html |
| Description | International Robot Workshop, Osaka, Japan |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Organised and facilitated by the Bristol Embassy in Tokyo, the talk sparked a great deal of interest in the work of the Bristol Robotics Lab. Strengthening links between UK and Japanese robotics communities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | Interviewed by Stephen Sackur for BBC News programme HARDtalk |
| 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 | I have received very positive feedback following this interview, which was first broadcast in October 2017 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5cW76iRDpo |
| Description | Invited panelist at When will Robots Outsmart us?, Royal Society panel at the Science Museum, London, 21 July 2017 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was a very engaging panel with excellent Q&A from audience members, chaired by Dr Adam Rutherford. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2017/07/science-museum-ai-panel/ |
| Description | Invited speaker at Machine Morality: Robot Ethics in the 21st Century, Royal Institution, London, 22 June 2017. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Co-organised by the French Embassy, this event at the Royal Institution included talks by myself and Prof Raja Chatila, followed by a chaired debate including audience Q&A. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.rigb.org/whats-on/events-2017/june/public-machine-morality-robot-ethics-in-the-21st-centu... |
| Description | Invited talk at AI@Oxford, September 2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Alan Winfield gave a short (10 minute) invited talk entitled 'What could possibly go wrong? Why we need Robot Accident Investigations', presenting the RoboTIPS project, on Tuesday 17 September 2019 at AI@Oxford (billed as Oxford's first major international conference on Artificial Intelligence). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://alanwinfield.blogspot.com/2019/09/whats-worst-that-could-happen-why-we.html |
| Description | Invited talk for Bristol Model Engineering Society, Bristol February 2020 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alan Winfield gave an invited talk to the Bristol Model Engineers Society (founded 1909) on 19 February 2020, entitled: Robot bodies and how to evolve them. The talk outlined the work of the Autonomous Robot Evolution project. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Invited to give the annual Parliamentary Advisory Council on Transport Safety (PACTS) Lecture, Palace of Westminster, London, 11 December 2017. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Introduced by Barry Sheerman MP, I gave a lecture entitled: The implications of robots in the transport sector |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | http://www.pacts.org.uk/2017/11/the-2017-westminster-lecture-on-transport-safety/ |
| Description | IoP Physics in Perspective Lecture, Royal Institution, London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | The talk and practical demonstration generated great interest, questions and discussion from the teenage audience members. Several audience members asked questions about which A-level or degree courses they should pursue, in order to study and work in robotics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | Kelvin Lecture for the Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow |
| 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 was invited to a give a public lecture for the Royal Philosophical Society of Glasgow, on the subject of 'The Thinking Robot'. At the end of the lecture I was awarded the 2018-19 Kelvin Medal. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | http://royalphil.org/Sessions/Session-217/Lecture%20217-8.pdf |
| Description | Keynote lecture for the York Festival of Ideas |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Alan Winfield was invited to give the keynote lecture for the theme 'Artificial Intelligence: Promises and Perils' hosted by the University of York as part of the York Festival of Ideas. The keynote was entitled What is Artificial Intelligence? and was chaired by Sir Malcolm Grant. Autonomous Robot Evolution was one of the projects used to illustrate the talk. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://yorkfestivalofideas.com/2018/talks/what-is-ai/ |
| Description | Lecture to launch the Centre for Internet Law and Policy, University of Strathclyde |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The talk 'Regulating Robots: re-writing Asimov's Laws for the Real World', given jointly with Professor Lilian Edwards, sparked discussion with Law academics and practitioners. Several people contacted me following the talk, including a law firm asking me to give an in-house seminar on the subject of intelligent robots. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | Ron Arad lecture, British Technion Society, Royal College of Physicians, London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The talk was organised by the British Technion Society and given jointly by myself and Dr Alon Wolf, of the Technion, Israel; our talk generated a great deal of interest and discussion. The primary impact was to start a new collaboration with Alan Wolf and the Technion, Haifa. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009,2010 |
| Description | Talk for Ethical, Legal and Societal Issues Workshop, European Robotics Forum, Vasteraas, Sweden |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | I introduced the wider European community to the UK EPSRC/AHRC Principles of Robotics I have become involved in the wider EU discourse on Ethical, Legal and Societal issues in robotics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2011 |
| Description | Talk for University of the Third Age (U3A), Weston super Mare |
| 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 talk sparked a great deal of discussion afterwards, and several people contacted me directly as a result with follow-up questions. After the talk, several audience members remarked that they were much less fearful of robots than they had been; others said that the talk would help them to better understand and interpret developments in robotics that appear in the press and media. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |
| Description | The Thinking Robot, Public Lecture at Edinburgh Science Festival 2012 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A great deal of interest and discussion was generated by the talk. One outcome was an extended interview by the EU AWARE project, published online. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1hjl1ghzPY |
| Description | Tomorrow's Technology talk, Royal Institution, London |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | The talk prompted great excitement, questions and discussion. Several people attending the talk asked me how they could pursue robotics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2009 |