EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Future Autonomous and Robotic Systems - FARSCOPE

2001年，全球机器人和自主系统(RAS)市场规模为255亿美元，而且还在不断增长。未来机器人和自主系统的市场潜力对英国具有巨大的价值。这一重要领域的扩张必要性得到了充分的认识，英国财政大臣宣布2012年在该领域投资3500万GB，国际清算银行在2012年发布的《技术和创新未来》报告中强调了这一领域，2013年英国大学和科学部部长将机器人和自主系统确定为将推动未来增长的“8大技术”之一。这种扩张将由RAS能力的逐步变化推动，而这一变化的关键是它们的适应性增强。例如，家庭护理机器人必须安全地适应其所有者不可预测的行为；微型飞行器将被送进受损建筑，而不知道布局或障碍物；高价值制造机器人将需要制造小批量不同的部件。实现更高适应性的关键是，开发它们的创新者本身必须是适应能力很强的人。FARSCOPE，未来自主和机器人系统博士教育中心，旨在满足对新一代创新者的需求，这些创新者将在未来十年和以后推动机器人和自主系统部门。该中心将培训50多名学生基本的RAS技术基础技能，整合RAS知识和技术以解决现实世界问题的能力，以及理解RAS的更广泛影响和应用，以及在该部门内外创新的能力。FARSCOPE将由布里斯托尔大学(UOB)和英格兰西部大学(UWE)合作提供。它将汇集欧洲最大的机器人实验室之一、占地3000平方米的布里斯托尔机器人实验室(BRL)，以及来自UOB和UWE的培训和监督团队，在自主系统和相关主题方面提供广泛的经验和深度的专业知识。FARSCOPE中心将利用BRL的优势，包括医疗和医疗机器人、能源自主机器人、安全人-机器人交互、软机器人、非传统计算、实验心理学、生物仿生、机器视觉(包括基于视觉的导航和医学成像)以及广泛的空中机器人产品组合，包括无人驾驶飞行器和自动飞行控制。在整个为期四年的培训计划中，行业和利益相关者合作伙伴将积极参与CDT，帮助交付该计划，并与FARSCOPE学生分享他们的领域专业知识和商业经验。这包括定期系列研讨会、工业实习、集体“大挑战”项目、企业培训和为期三年的个人研究项目。合作伙伴包括BAE系统公司、DSTL公司、蓝熊系统公司、SciSys公司、国家复合材料中心、劳斯莱斯公司、东芝公司、NHS西南公司和OC Robotics公司。FARSCOPE还得到了来自欧洲、美洲和亚洲的一系列国际合作伙伴的承诺，这些合作伙伴提供学生交换名额，并将增强该方案的全球视角。

The global Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) market was $25.5bn in 2001 and is growing. The market potential for future robotics and autonomous systems is of huge value to the UK. The need for expansion in this important sector is well recognised, as evidenced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer's announcement of £35m investment in the sector in 2012, the highlighting of this sector in the 2012 BIS Foresight report 'Technology and Innovation Futures' and the identification of robotics and autonomous systems by the Minister for Universities and Science in 2013 as one of the "8 great technologies" that will drive future growth.This expansion will be fuelled by a step change in RAS capability, the key to which is their increased adaptability. For example, a home care robot must adapt safely to its owner's unpredictable behaviour; micro air vehicles will be sent into damaged buildings without knowing the layout or obstructions; a high value manufacturing robot will need to manufacture small batches of different components. The key to achieving increased adaptability is that the innovators who develop them must, themselves, be very adaptable people.FARSCOPE, the Future Autonomous and Robotic Systems Centre for PhD Education, aims to meet the need for a new generation of innovators who will drive the robotics and autonomous systems sector in the coming decade and beyond. The Centre will train over 50 students in the essential RAS technical underpinning skills, the ability to integrate RAS knowledge and technologies to address real-world problems, and the understanding of wider implications and applications of RAS and the ability to innovate within, and beyond, this sector. FARSCOPE will be delivered by a partnership between the University of Bristol (UoB) and the University of the West of England (UWE). It will bring together the dedicated 3000 square metre Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL), one of the largest robotics laboratories in Europe, with a training and supervising team drawn from UoB and UWE offering a wide breadth of experience and depth of expertise in autonomous systems and related topics.The FARSCOPE centre will exploit the strengths of BRL, including medical and healthcare robotics, energy autonomous robotics, safe human-robot interactions, soft robotics, unconventional computing, experimental psychology, biomimicry, machine vision including vision-based navigation and medical imaging and an extensive aerial robotics portfolio including unmanned air vehicles and autonomous flight control. Throughout the four-year training programme industry and stakeholder partners will actively engage with the CDT, helping to deliver the programme and sharing both their domain expertise and their commercial experience with FARSCOPE students. This includes regular seminar series, industrial placements, group 'grand challenge' project, enterprise training and the three-year individual research project. Engaged partners include BAE Systems, DSTL, Blue Bear Systems, SciSys, National Composites Centre, Rolls Royce, Toshiba, NHS SouthWest and OC Robotics. FARSCOPE also has commitment from a range of international partners from across Europe, the Americas and Asia who are offering student exchange placements and who will enhance the global perspective of the programme.