Skip to content

TechRepublic

  • Top Products
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • Accounting
  • CRM
  • Academy
Resources
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • Newsletters
  • Resource Library
  • Forums
  • Sponsored
Go Premium
Popular Topics
  • Top Products
  • AI
  • Developer
  • Payroll
  • Security
  • Project Management
  • Accounting
  • CRM
  • Academy
  • Project Management
  • Innovation
  • Cheat Sheets
  • Big Data
  • Tech Jobs
View All Topics
Go Premium
Innovation

Inside UK’s largest robotics lab

By Nick Heath May 10, 2012, 12:02 AM PDT

Image
1
of 10

brl1.jpg
brl1.jpg
Inside UK’s largest robotics lab

ntThe largest robotics laboratory in the UK officially opened on Thursday – bringing together an array of humanoid, flying and intelligent robots under one roof.

n

ntThe Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) houses 70 academics and businesses conducting research into nouvelle and service robotics, intelligent autonomous systems and bioengineering.

n

ntResearch projects at the lab include developing robots that can power themselves using sugar or dead flies, unmanned flying bots and work to develop robotic muscle and organs.

n

ntProfessor Chris Melhuish, director of BRL, said: “Our interdisciplinary research focuses on key areas of robot capabilities and applications ranging from human-robot interaction, medical robotics, soft robots with artificial muscles, giving robots a sense of touch, to autonomous flying robots and robots that turn biomass into energy.”

n

ntThe facility, which cost more than u00a31.65m ($2.65m), covers 2,400 square metres and includes two flying arenas and more than 300 square metres of specialised laboratory space. The lab is a partnership between UWE Bristol – the University of the West of England – and the University of Bristol.

n

ntPhoto: Bristol Robotics Laboratory

Inside UK’s largest robotics lab

ntThis is Bert 2, which has been designed to study how robots interact with humans.

n

ntThe robot is equipped with an expressive digital head, torque sensors, an artificial skin and agile limbs.

n

ntBert 2 is being used to develop a robot capable of interacting with the world and other people using natural-looking human gestures, such as pointing at an object it wants or passing an item to a person.

n

ntPhoto: Bristol Robotics Laboratory

Inside UK’s largest robotics lab

ntResearchers work on developing a robot with enough touch-sensitivity to be able to grasp a paper cup without crushing it.

n

ntPhoto: Bristol Robotics Laboratory

Inside UK’s largest robotics lab

ntThe artificial heads shown here are used in humanoid robot research. The lab is using robotic heads to explore how a bot could mimic the subtle changes in facial expression that occur during human-human communication.

n

ntThe lab has a range of projects aimed at developing robots that can interact with people. The plan is eventually to combine these projects to produce a robot that will be able to mimic human gestures, facial expressions, speech, non-language utterances and body positions convincingly, and interact with people safely.

n

ntPhoto: Bristol Robotics Laboratory

Inside UK’s largest robotics lab

ntA technician works on micro-engineering a robot hand at the BRL.

n

ntPhoto: Bristol Robotics Laboratory

Inside UK’s largest robotics lab

ntResearchers here are working on the Symbrion project, a Europe-wide programme to develop a pack of small bots that swarm together to form a larger robotic organism.

n

ntThe aim is to create an artificial organism made up of swarming bots that can communicate and coordinate their own actions, and which will eventually be capable of self-configuring, self-healing, self-optimising and self-protecting.

n

ntPhoto: Bristol Robotics Laboratory

Inside UK’s largest robotics lab

ntResearch is taking place into how robots can power themselves using foodstuffs and other sources from the natural world.

n

ntThe lab is developing microbial fuel cell technology to extract electrical energy from refined foods such as sugar and unrefined foods such as insects and fruit.

n

ntThe fuel cells are being used to power a series of robots, such as Ecobot I and Ecobot II.

n

ntEcobot II is being developed to run on rotten fruit or dead flies. Researchers believe that if robots are to be autonomous it will be important for them to be able to extract energy from the environment, in the same way that animals do by eating food.

n

ntPhoto: Bristol Robotics Laboratory

Inside UK’s largest robotics lab

ntA robotics engineer at work in the lab.

n

ntPhoto: Bristol Robotics Laboratory

Inside UK’s largest robotics lab

ntThe device in the foreground, a haptic controller, is being used to control the robot manipulator arm in the background.

n

ntPhoto: Bristol Robotics Laboratory

Inside UK’s largest robotics lab

ntThis is RoboThespian, a life-sized humanoid robot designed to be an automated interactive actor.

n

ntThe bot can be controlled over the internet, allowing users to see what it sees, make it move or tell it what to say.

n

ntIt was created to educate, communicate, and entertain by Engineered Arts and is being used by BRL in several research projects.

n

ntPhoto: Bristol Robotics Laboratory

  • Innovation
  • Account Information

    Share with Your Friends

    Inside UK’s largest robotics lab

    Your email has been sent

Share: Inside UK's largest robotics lab
Image of Nick Heath
By Nick Heath
Nick Heath is a computer science student and was formerly a journalist at TechRepublic and ZDNet.
  • Account Information

    Contact Nick Heath

    Your message has been sent

  • |
  • See all of Nick's content

Daily Tech Insider

If you can only read one tech story a day, this is it.

TechRepublic TechRepublic
  • TechRepublic on Facebook
  • TechRepublic on X
  • TechRepublic on LinkedIn
  • TechRepublic on YouTube
  • TechRepublic on Pinterest
  • TechRepublic RSS
Services
  • About Us
  • Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
  • Site Map
  • Site Help & Feedback
  • FAQ
  • Advertise
  • Do Not Sell My Information
  • Careers
Explore
  • Downloads
  • TechRepublic Forums
  • Meet the Team
  • TechRepublic Academy
  • TechRepublic Premium
  • Resource Library
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Editorial Policy
  • Legal Terms
  • Privacy Policy
© 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All rights reserved.
CLOSE

Create a TechRepublic Account

Get the web's best business technology news, tutorials, reviews, trends, and analysis—in your inbox. Let's start with the basics.

Already registered? Sign In
Use Facebook
Use Linkedin

* - indicates required fields

CLOSE

Sign in to TechRepublic

Not a member? Create an account
Use Facebook
Use Linkedin

Lost your password? Request a new password

CLOSE

Reset Password

Please enter your email adress. You will receive an email message with instructions on how to reset your password.

Check your email for a password reset link. If you didn't receive an email don't forgot to check your spam folder, otherwise contact support.

Back to login
1 Finish Profile
2 Newsletter Preferences
CLOSE

Welcome. Tell us a little bit about you.

This will help us provide you with customized content.

No thanks, continue without
1 Finish Profile
2 Newsletter Preferences
CLOSE

Want to receive more TechRepublic news?

Newsletter Name
Subscribe
Daily Tech Insider
Daily Tech Insider AU
TechRepublic UK
TechRepublic News and Special Offers
TechRepublic News and Special Offers International
Executive Briefing
Innovation Insider
Project Management Insider
Microsoft Weekly
Cloud Insider
Data Insider
Developer Insider
TechRepublic Premium
Apple Weekly
Cybersecurity Insider
Google Weekly
Toggle All
No thanks, continue without

You're All Set

Thanks for signing up! Keep an eye out for a confirmation email from our team. To ensure any newsletters you subscribed to hit your inbox, make sure to add [email protected] to your contacts list.

Back to Home Page
×