Centre ‘to create robot industry’

A NEW research centre launched this week aims to help build a strong UK robotics industry.

The Sheffield Centre for Robotics, known as SCentRo, will bring together experts from the city’s two universities to develop machines that could perform dangerous tasks or even help people around the home.

Professor Tony Prescott, who will direct the centre, said: “The aim is to try and help build a local robotics industry which is really quite weak at an industry level. We don’t manufacture industrial robots in the UK, we have some small robotics companies and some that have robotics as a sideline.

“We would like to develop a specialised high tech robotic industry by spinning out technology from the universities. We want to do research that is applied and generates ideas for industry, particularly UK industry.”

Professor Tony Prescott said the sector’s growth areas were likely to be in service robotics, focusing on machines helping people at home or in places such as hospitals, and field robotics, performing tasks in areas such as agriculture.

“These are areas where the market is growing strongly and there are more opportunities for new compaines,” he said.

The launch of SCentRo coincides with the Towards Automatic Robotics Systems conference organised by the two universities which will feature an exhibition of machines including a robotic arm that could be used in catering and Guardians, robots that help firefighters tackle blazes safely.