Sheffield Robotics

Living Machines 2025

📍University of Sheffield, The Diamond
📅 15-18 July 2025

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.

https://livingmachinesconference.eu/2025/

📣 Well done Team BOW 👏

Spinout company, BOW, has secured a massive £4 million investment from Northern Gritstone to unleash the power Robotics!

BOW will bridge the gap between different robotic systems, allowing developers to focus on creativity instead of technical hurdles.

👇

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/university-sheffield-spinout-company-receives-ps4-million-investment-unleash-full-potential-robotics

Robot Talk

Gianmarco Pisanelli from the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre chatted to Claire Asher about how to promote the safe and intuitive use of robots
in manufacturing. 🤖 🏭

Listen now: www.robottalk.org/2025/01/17/e...

Episode 105 – Working with robots in industry - Robot Talk Claire chatted to Gianmarco Pisanelli from the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre about how to promote the use of robots in manufacturing.

Research Associate in AI & Machine Learning Methods for Robots Inspecting Underground Sewer Systems, School of Electronic & Electrical Engineering

You must have a PhD (or be close to completion, or with relevant, equivalent experience) in Robotics, AI areas, electrical engineering, mathematics, or a related area. The following background will be useful: machine learning, statistical signal processing, probability theory, Bayesian inference optimisation methods or equivalent experience, deep learning, computer vision, sensor data fusion methods as well as experience of developing software in Python/ MATLAB/ ROS. You will also be experienced in conducting research projects both individually and as part of a team.

You will contribute towards the creation of resilient, uncertainty-aware methods for resource-constrained robot path planning, creation of topological and semantic maps for robots to operate with scene perception under limited battery resources. Creativity is essential for developing different methods, including Bayesian methods (e.g. transfer learning), deep learning methods (e.g. Yolact) and embedding them on hardware devices as part of robot platforms. These include methods for classification and segmentation of the defects, in the process of scene perception that the sewer pipe domain imposes.

Closing date: 12.01.2025

Further information 👇

https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DLD408/research-associate-in-ai-and-machine-learning-methods-for-robots-inspecting-underground-sewer-systems

Public Talk
Professor Tony Prescott: The Psychology of Artificial Intelligence

We are pleased to announce that Professor Tony Prescott will be giving a talk on the themes of his recently launched book The Psychology of Artificial Intelligence.

This event will be taking place in the Diamond Lecture Theatre 02 on Thursday 23rd January 2025, please arrive at 5.15pm for a 5.30pm start.

There will be a presentation from Professor Tony Prescott and a Q&A session, then refreshments and networking in the Foyer.

Please complete this form by close of play on Tuesday 7th January to register your attendance.

Professor Tony Prescott- The Psychology of Artificial Intelligence Please join us on Thursday 23rd January for a talk from Professor Tony Prescott on the themes of his recently launched book The Psychology of Artificial Intelligence. Blurb: What is Artificial Intelligence? How will AI impact society? Is AI more powerful than human intelligence? The Psychology of AI...

Are social robots deceptive?

In Professor Tony Prescott's new blog post, he argues that social robots are not deceptive when they are designed to respect some important principles based on a relational view of ethics

https://tonyjprescott.com/2024/12/15/designing-socially-assistive-robots-a-relational-approach/

📢Winners of the Sheffield Robotics Winter Showcase

Presentation; Best Innovation and Best Lesson Learned at the Sheffield Robotics Winter Showcase👏

Best Presentation:
Muhammad Aitsam, Sheffield Hallam University
Title: Can Neuromorphic Computing Redefine the Future of Robotics and
Vision Systems?

Best Innovation:
Kavyan Zoughalian, Sheffield Hallam University
Title: Revolutionizing Healthcare with SAR: Secure, Private, and
Transparent Robotic Solutions

Best Lesson Learned:
David Wilkinson, Robotics and Autonomous
Manufacturing Systems Lab, University of Sheffield
Title: Time-optimal trajectory generation for precision motion control

Take a look at the presentations from the Winter Showcase
👇
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1i5VHTRG6WQQ-QWRHvp9JTXXMSdZPclJ3/view?usp=sharing

Awesome presentations by some Awesome PhD students at the UoS and SHU.

Well done all👏

Winners of the Best Presentation; Best Innovation and Best Lesson Learned will be shared online tomorrow 😀

Living Machines Conference
📅 15th - 18th July 2025
📍 Sheffield, UK

We are delighted to announce that Prof Agniezska Wykowska, Head of the Social Cognition in Human-Robot Interaction Unit at the Italian Institute of Technology, will give a plenary talk at Living Machines 2025.

https://livingmachinesconference.eu/2025/plenary-speakers/

👏Congratulations to Dr Chaona Chen, who has been elected to the Executive Committee of the EPSRC UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Network. 

This prestigious Network provides national leadership in robotics innovation, fosters collaboration between academia and industry, and integrates efforts across 37 UK universities, cutting-edge research facilities, and doctoral training centres.

In her role as Executive Representative for Pillar 3: Enabling Early Career Researchers, Chaona will lead efforts to advance interdisciplinary research and provide vital support to ECRs, while further strengthening the existing valuable ties between the RAS Network, the AMRC, and the School of Computer Science.

https://uk-ras.org.uk/

We are hosting the 14th edition of the Living Machines International Conference on Biomimetic and Biohybrid Systems in Sheffield

📅 15 - 18th July 2025
📍The Diamond Building, Sheffield

Call for papers
https://livingmachinesconference.eu/2025/call-for-papers/

We'd love to see you there!