Robots everywhere: Robotics in industry and at home

Robots everywhere: Robotics in industry and at home

Despite daily news coverage of robotic technology and the wide range of tasks and actions robots are being programmed to perform, most people have only a vague idea of how this technology is evolving and what the future might hold.

Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering and science that involves mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science and other disciplines from the social sciences.

The University of Auckland is a key centre of robotics research in New Zealand and is holding a free public lecture series where researchers from within the University and outside will explain and discuss their work.

The first speaker, Professor Bruce MacDonald from our Faculty of Engineering, will give an overview the state of robotics research and the uses to which robots are likely to be put in the near future including horticultural harvesting.

Mike Shatford, Managing Director of Design Energy, gives a lecture summarising how robotics and supporting technologies are solving problems for industry, world-wide and in New Zealand, particularly in small and medium enterprises.

From our Department of Computer Science, Associate Professor Patrice Delmas will discuss the problems and challenges of providing robots with vision.

The final lecture from Associate Professor Elizabeth Broadbent from our Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences presents some of the social issues involved in interacting with robots and her research in the area of health robots which assist the elderly in their homes.

Lectures begin on Thursday 3 May and continue each following Thursday on 10, 17 and 24 May.

All lectures start at 6.30pm and will be held in the Owen G Glenn Building (Business School) at 12 Grafton Avenue, Auckland.

Lectures on 3, 17, 24 May will be held in 260.088, Level 0 Foyer, Owen G Glenn Building.

The lecture for 10 May will be held in John Hood Plaza, Level 1, Owen G Glenn Building.

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