FARSCOPE NEWSLETTER WINTER 2024

Welcome to the Winter 2024 FARSCOPE Newsletter which includes the latest news, updates and a range of information relevant to the CDT.

FARSCOPE STUDENT UPDATES

It has been a busy time since the last Newsletter, with a number of students submitting their thesis.

The following students have passed their viva with corrections and subject to confirmation from the exam board:

A huge congratulations to these students!

Mickey Li
Emma Milner
Matthew Uppington
Christopher Bennett

Julian Hird
Joe Daly
Mihai Anca
Alex Smith

…and a further congratulations to:

Dr Ridhi Bansal, who has graduated from University of Bristol with a PhD!
Mickey Li is starting a new position as Senior Research Fellow in Robotics, AI and LIDAR Software Engineering for Aerospace Applications at University College London

Liam Fletcher is starting a new role as Senior Research Engineer at the Alan Turing Institute.

A message from Lizzie Stone:

Interested in robotics? Want to chat with like-minded people outside of work? Want to see some fun and interesting robotics talks from people across Bristol? Watch this space and get in touch today!
We're aiming to create a shiny new meetup where anyone and everyone with an interest in robotics - professionals, academics, hobbyists, students (18+) etc. etc. - can meet at free monthly evening gatherings. Each event will consist of a couple of short talks (~30mins), and possibly lightning talks (~2mins), with plenty of socialising and (hopefully) food and drink. Looking to replicate the format of other Bristol tech meetups (e.g. MLOps Bristol, PyData Bristol, BrisTech) but with a robotics theme.
We're just starting out so do get in touch if:
- you think it sounds good and you might want to turn up to events like this (so we can gauge possible numbers, and let you know when we have a date and venue for our first meetup)
- you'd be keen to give a talk on something robotics related (any topic, just send us a quick summary/idea)
- you think you could sponsor our event(s); mainly looking for venues and refreshments
- you'd like to get involved or help out with running and organising these meetups
Email Lizzie ( lizzie.stone@brl.ac.uk ) or get in touch on LinkedIn.

First Place

IROS Functional Fashion Competition 2023

And congratulations to Ajmal Roshan, Amy Hicks and the Sumbrella team from SoftLab Bristol who won first place at the Functional Fashion Competition at IROS Conference 2023!

At the competition in October, Ajmal and Digital Health student, Amy Hicks, presented the Sumbrella. The Sumbrella is a portable robotic wearable device, resembling an umbrella hat designed and built by the Bristol-based roboticists and robpsychologists. It contains soft bio-inspired tentacles which responsively interact with humans or objects in the surrounding environment via tuning movement and changing their shapes for a wide range of dynamic behaviours.

The 2024 Conference will be held in Abu Dhabi in October.

We want our students to be the focus of our newsletters, but we can’t put it in what we don’t know! If you have anything you would like in the next newsletter, whether that is an recent achievement or project, an event you are looking forward to or a hobby you are passionate about, please email your request to Eddy.Fowler@bristol.ac.uk.

Robotics and Automation 2024

March 19 - 20
NEC Birmingham

Robotics and Automation – the UK’s largest dedicated robotics and automation exhibition – will be returning to the NEC Birmingham on the 19th & 20th March 2024.

This two-day event is a must-attend for businesses seeking the latest and next-generation robotics and automation technologies, products and services to drive efficiency, reduce costs and provide a competitive edge.

What’s more, Robotics and Automation 2024 will also host a dedicated conference theatre on both days of the exhibition, offering a free and comprehensive learning opportunity for visitors to discover the latest research, trends and insights in robotics and automation from industry leaders.

The Automation and Robotics Show is taking place on the 28th of March, 2024 at the Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes.

The Automation and Robotics Event is an annual gathering that focuses on automation technologies, robotics, and their applications across various industries. This event serves as a platform to bring together professionals, businesses, technology providers, and experts to explore the latest advancements, trends, and opportunities in the field of automation and robotics.

Over 100 speakers and 200 exhibitors will inform and educate the delegates who have come to network and listen to key note talks.

Find out more

ICAV Cluster: Automation and Robotics Conference 2024

March 28
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes

Find out more

UPCOMING EVENTS

OPPORTUNITIES

RAICo Fellows & Junior Fellows Scheme

Deadline: 31st January 2024

The Robotics and AI Collaboration (RAICo) is offering Innovation Awards through the RAICo Fellows and Junior Fellows Scheme:

RAICo Fellow Scheme: An opportunity for women and early career researchers working in the field of nuclear robotics. Successful applicants will receive a grant of up to £20,000 and a bespoke package of mentoring, coaching and business support.

RAICo Junior Fellow Scheme: An opportunity for PhD students to develop their work in the field of nuclear robotics. Successful applicants will receive a £5,000 grant and a bespoke package of mentoring, coaching and business support.

RAICo is a collaboration between the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, UK Atomic Energy Authority, Sellafield Ltd and The University of Manchester that aims to lead the development and exploitation of robotics technology to address challenges in nuclear decommissioning. RAICo is based in the RAICo1 facility, located in Whitehaven, Cumbria.

For more information, please check out the UoM Robotics website or contact us at reel@manchester.ac.uk.

Conception X Cohort 7

Deadline: 26th of January

Conception X is a 9-month programme that helps PhD students to translate groundbreaking research into deeptech ventures. Designed to fit around your commitments as a PhD student, the programme can support you to explore entrepreneurship and accelerate a startup based on your research.

From day one, Conception X connects you with industry experts and investors, it helps you become eligible for innovation grants, awards and venture capital funding, and access coaching as well as a wide range of networking opportunities.

To date, about 360 PhD teams have joined Conception X, and its portfolio startups have raised £57 million in capital and grants. Cohort 7 startups focusing on AI, quantum computing, robotics, biotech and other breakthrough technologies will have the chance to be considered for £100,000 in funding through the programme’s partnership with XTX Ventures.

Download the programme’s brochure or come to one of our Discovery Sessions to learn more. If you have questions, please reach out to hello@conceptionx.org.

Reservoir Computing: Progress in Methods, Applications and Implementations

Deadline: 29th of January

EMERGE partners from UNIPI are organizing a special session entitled "Reservoir Computing: Progress in Methods, Applications, and Implementations" during the next #IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence (WCCI 2024), to be held between June 30th and July 5th, 2024, in Yokohama, Japan.

Reservoir Computing (RC) is a computational framework derived from efficient training methods for recurrent #neuralnetwork models, which consists of a fixed hidden recurrent layer (called a reservoir) and a trainable output layer (called a readout). RC is a rapidly growing research topic, while being closely related to #machinelearning, dynamical systems theory, #neuroscience, and bio/natural-computing, and #AI hardware. This special session is intended to be a hub for discussion and collaboration within the Neural Networks community, and therefore invites contributions on all aspects of RC, from theory to new models to emerging applications.

Important dates:
>> Paper submission deadline: January 29th, 2024.
>> Decision notification: March 15th, 2024.
>> Final Paper Submission & Early Registration Deadline: May 1st, 2024.

Find out more here.

Wellbeing

For detailed information on the range of support services available to our students, please see www.bristol.ac.uk/students/wellbeing/ and www.uwe.ac.uk/life/health-and-wellbeing/

If you are ever in need of urgent help, here are some further options:

* Contact your doctor's surgery and request an emergency appointment. If your surgery is not open, contact the NHS Out of Hours Service on 111 available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobiles.

* Call the Samaritans on 116 123 available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Calls are free from landlines and mobiles.

* If you feel at immediate risk of harm to yourself, go straight to your nearest hospital Accident and Emergency department or call Emergency Services on 999.

Bristol Light Festival 2024

February 2 - 11

In-case you missed it last year, the Bristol Light Festival is returning in February. Evocative light installations will be found across the city, most of them audio-visual. Try find them all across the two weekends.

Mini Robot Wars

February 17

It might be a cliche that those interested in Robotics are also into robot wars, but we’d hate for anyone to miss out! Head down to St Michael’s Centre from 11am for this event.

Tuning Into Addis Ababa

February 10

Embark on a sound walk with artist researcher Ximena Alarcon that takes you through the noise of Bristol, whilst simultaneously experiencing the streets of the Ethiopian capital.

Music at the Jam Jar

Various

Whether you’re in the mood for a funky brass brand, a tropical Valentine’s day or an all-day event in support of Palestine, the Jam Jar in Old Market has some of the best music on over the next couple of months.