EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Robotics and Autonomous Systems (CDT-RAS)

机器人和自主系统(RAS)将在可预见的未来给世界经济和社会带来革命性的变化，为我们工作，在我们身边，并与我们互动。英国迫切需要具备技术技能和行业意识的毕业生，以创建一条从学术研究到全球市场的创新管道。主要应用领域包括制造、建筑、运输、近海能源、国防以及卫生和福利。最近的工业战略审查提出了四大挑战，以解决RAS对整个经济和社会的潜在影响。应对这些挑战需要下一代毕业生在RAS和人工智能方面接受关键使能技术和基础理论方面的培训，并能够在跨学科项目中有效地工作。CDT-RAS拟议的总体主题可以被描述为“安全互动”。首先，机器人必须安全地与环境进行物理交互，需要合规的操作、主动传感、世界建模和规划。其次，机器人必须通过面对面的自然对话或通过先进的多模式界面与人安全互动。第三，安全互动的关键是内省状况监测、预测和健康管理的能力。最后，所有这些互动的成功取决于基本的互动推动因素，如视觉和机器学习技术。爱丁堡机器人中心(ECR)结合了赫里奥特-瓦特大学和爱丁堡大学，已被证明是CDT的有效场所。ECR结合了国际领先的科学和卓越的开采记录，以及世界级的基础设施，来自政府和包括国家机器人馆在内的行业约1亿GB的投资。超过50名经验丰富的监督员涵盖了对RAS安全交互至关重要的基础学科。在设施方面，ECR在机器人和空间的范围内具有变革性，这些空间可以通过实验配置来研究通过机器人实施的物理交互，以及现场远程操作和人-机器人合作。这一点，再加上支持员工和与项目合作伙伴的联系，为探索人类、机器人和他们的环境之间的协作互动提供了世界上独一无二的综合能力。ECR从31个行业项目合作伙伴那里获得了额外的支持，提供了额外的23个学生名额和大约1100万GB的额外支持，这证明了ECR的声誉。CDT-RAS培训计划将与非常成功、成熟的CDT-RAS四年期博士课程保持一致，并进一步发展，包括与创造力、个人创新和创新方面的职业相关技能密切相关的基础理论和最新研究培训的授课课程。CDT-RAS将提供以队列为基础的培训，具有三个毕业生特点：i)高级技术培训，ii)基础国际经验，以及iii)创新培训。学生将根据个人的兴趣和需要制定一份评估的学习档案，并根据需要接触行业和最终用户。招聘工作的重点将是吸引一批不同的、高素质的学生，他们渴望学习。位于爱丁堡的单一城市位置使我们能够开展具有刺激性的全群体活动，建立商业意识、跨学科团队合作、公共宣传和道德理解，以便中心毕业生能够指导技术和商业的颠覆并从中受益。我们对CDT-RAS的愿景是在目前成功的基础上再接再厉，确保CDT-RAS继续成为一支主要的国际力量，能够在培养准备创新的研究生方面实现代际飞跃，他们将在现实世界中安全部署机器人和自主系统。

Robots and autonomous systems (RAS) will revolutionise the world's economy and society for the foreseeable future, working for us, beside us and interacting with us. The UK urgently needs graduates with the technical skills and industry awareness to create an innovation pipeline from academic research to global markets. Key application areas include manufacturing, construction, transport, offshore energy, defence, and health and well-being. The recent Industrial Strategy Review set out four Grand Challenges that address the potential impact of RAS on the economy and society at large. Meeting these challenges requires the next generation of graduates to be trained in key enabling techniques and underpinning theories in RAS and AI and be able to work effectively in cross-disciplinary projects.The proposed overarching theme of the CDT-RAS can be characterised as 'safe interactions'. Firstly, robots must safely interact physically with environments, requiring compliant manipulation, active sensing, world modelling and planning. Secondly, robots must interact safely with people either in face-to-face natural dialogue or through advanced, multimodal interfaces. Thirdly, key to safe interactions is the ability for introspective condition monitoring, prognostics and health management. Finally, success in all these interactions depends on foundational interaction enablers such as techniques for vision and machine learning.The Edinburgh Centre for Robotics (ECR) combines Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh and has shown to be an effective venue for a CDT. ECR combines internationally leading science with an outstanding track record of exploitation, and world class infrastructure with approximately £100M in investment from government and industry including the National ROBOTARIUM. A critical mass of over 50 experienced supervisors cover the underpinning disciplines crucial to RAS safe interaction. With regards facilities, ECR is transformational in the range of robots and spaces that can be experimentally configured to study both the physical interaction through robot embodiment, as well as, in-field remote operations and human-robot teaming. This, combined with supportive staff and access to Project Partners, provides an integrated capability unique in the world for exploring collaborative interaction between humans, robots and their environments. The reputation of ECR is evidenced by the additional support garnered from 31 industry Project Partners, providing an additional 23 studentships and overall additional support of approximately £11M. The CDT-RAS training programme will align with and further develop the highly successful, well-established CDT-RAS four-year PhD programme, with taught courses on the underpinning theory and state of the art and research training, closely linked to career relevant skills in creativity, RI and innovation. The CDT-RAS will provide cohort-based training with three graduate hallmarks: i) advanced technical training with ii) a foundation international experience, and iii) innovation training. Students will develop an assessed learning portfolio, tailored to individual interests and needs, with access to industry and end-users as required. Recruitment efforts will focus on attracting cohorts of diverse, high calibre students, who have the hunger to learn. The single-city location of Edinburgh enables stimulating, cohort-wide activities that build commercial awareness, cross-disciplinary teamwork, public outreach, and ethical understanding, so that Centre graduates will be equipped to guide and benefit from the disruptions in technology and commerce. Our vision for the CDT-RAS is to build on the current success and ensure the CDT-RAS continues to be a major international force that can make a generational leap in the training of innovation-ready postgraduates, who will lead in the safe deployment of robotic and autonomous systems in the real world.