Government backs University’s robot research

A £4.3 million national facility is set to make the University of Leeds a world leader in robot design and construction. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) National Facility for Innovative Robotic Systems, announced on July 17, is part a government drive to improve Britain’s international competitiveness in robotics. It will give researchers and commercial partners access to a world-beating suite of technologies including the latest 3D printing technology, a high-precision cutting system that fires a laser beam through a jet of water and “micromanipulators”” for assembling tiny robots. The research of the new facility will build on the University’s existing strengths in robotics for surgical applications, patient rehabilitation, prosthetics, and exploration. Dr Rob Richardson, Director of the Institute of Engineering Systems and Design at the University’s School of Mechanical Engineering, said: “We looked at the most innovative robots being made around the world and made sure that the facility would have the capability to build them. We then added a suite of equipment that will enable us to build robots using new and innovative techniques. We will be building new robots that can do new things in areas that matter to people’s lives.