Robotics
The Dyson School of Design Engineering is expected to be widely engaged in the domain of robotics and physical computing, with emphases on fundamental research in sensing, actuation, control, design, and robotic intelligence.
The potential applications of the developed technologies include humanoid robots, quadruped robots, service robots, rescue robots, collaborative robots, domestic robots (dom-bots), robotic gadgets, mobile robots and other ground-based robotic applications.
Despite its rapid growth, robotics is a relatively young discipline. There are still significant opportunities for disruptive innovations that can change the direction of the field. The Dyson School of Design Engineering will focus on robotics research that seeks such innovations in the design, manufacture, control, and intelligence of robotic systems.
The physical component of the research in robotics is extremely important, i.e. physically building robotic prototypes, testing their limits, identifying drawbacks and optimizing the design for the next iteration. The Dyson School of Design Engineering has extensive expertise in both design and manufacturing, making it an excellent place for agile robotic prototyping.
Research areas broadly include:
- Motor skill learning
- Supervised learning
- Force and impedance control
- System integration
- Reinforcement learning
- Motion planning
- Human robot interactions
Example research
Morph-lab
Coming soon
Media
Videos
Autonomous Snack Delivery by Robot DE NIRO
Published on 26 September 2017
This is a demo from the ASDA project at the Robot Intelligence Lab.
The autonomous mobile robot DE NIRO fetches snacks to the students by navigating inside the building while avoiding obstacles, operating the lift, and interacting with people.
Autonomous Snack Delivery by Robot DE NIRO
This is a demo from the ASDA project at the Robot Intelligence Lab.
Published on 26 September 2017
This is a demo from the ASDA project at the Robot Intelligence Lab.
The autonomous mobile robot DE NIRO fetches snacks to the students by navigating inside the building while avoiding obstacles, operating the lift, and interacting with people.
Robot Intelligence Lab Introduction
The research activities of the Robot Intelligence Lab, presented by Dr Petar Kormushev.
Published on 19 October 2016
The research activities of the Robot Intelligence Lab, presented by the Head of the lab - Dr Petar Kormushev
The Robot Intelligence Lab is part of the Dyson School of Design Engineering.
The robot in the video is DE NIRO --- Design Engineering's Natural Interaction Robot. Robot DE NIRO is based on a Baxter robot that was heavily modified for the purpose of conducting research on mobile manipulation and robot learning. The biggest modification was to replace the fixed stand with a mobile electric platform, to allow DE NIRO to move freely around the environment.
DE NIRO crossing a road
This is the first time our robot DE NIRO has crossed a public road!
Published on 09 October 2016
We managed to turn quite a few heads in South Kensington, next to Royal Albert Hall with DE NIRO. This is the first time our robot DE NIRO has crossed a public road!
Meet DE NIRO
Meet DE NIRO (Design Engineering's Natural Interaction Robot).
Published on 03 June 2016
DE NIRO (Design Engineering's Natural Interaction Robot) is the first robot in the Dyson School of Design Engineering, Imperial College London. The robot is a member of ROBIN Lab (Robot Intelligence Laboratory) lead by Dr Petar Kormushev.
DE NIRO is based on a Baxter robot produced by Rethink Robotics that will be modified for conducting research on robot learning.
Q Bot SprayBot
Video showing Q-Bot's latest SprayBot applying insulation.
Published on 17 March 2016
Video showing Q-Bot's latest SprayBot applying insulation.
People
Academics
Dr Thrishantha Nanayakkara
Dr Thrishantha Nanayakkara
Theme Academic Lead
Prof. Peter Childs
Prof. Peter Childs
Academic
Dr Petar Kormushev
Dr Petar Kormushev
Academic
Dr Nicolas Rojas
Dr Nicolas Rojas
Academic