Dale Benton

Two University of Lincoln professors will help develop software and research for a £7.2 million project to build specialist robots that will learn how to act intelligently from experiences in real-world environments.

The Spatio-Temporal Representations and Activities for Cognitive Control in Long-term scenarios (STRANDS) project involves security company G4S Technology and the Academy of Ageing Research, an Austrian care home provider where the technology developed throughout the project will be tested.

Professor Tom Duckett and Dr Marc Hanheide from the University of Lincoln’s School of Computer Science have been awarded £750,000 in funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework programme led by the University of Birmingham.

The aim of the professors’ research will be to create mobile robots capable of operating intelligently based on an understanding of 3D space and how this space changes overtime.

The professors are tasked with developing the software to process the sheer volume of experiences the robots will face.

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Professor Ducket, Director of the Lincoln Centre for Autonomous Systems Research, will lead the research on creating 4D maps (3D mapping over extended time periods) of the environment and investigate methods for detecting changes and unusual situations.

He said: “The idea is to create service robots that will work with people and learn from long term experiences. What’s unusual about any environment depends on the context.

“In a security scenario a robot will be required to perform regular patrols and continually inspect its surroundings for variations from its normal experiences.

“Certain changes such as finding a person in a restricted area may indicate a security violation or a burglary.

“In a care home a robot will be required to act as an assistant for elderly patients, fetching and carrying things while also being alert to incidents such as people falling over.

“It’s not just about developing a care home or security robot. We are trying to enable robots to learn from their long term experience and their perception of how the environment unfolds in time.

“The technology will have many possible applications,” Professor Ducket explained.

Not only will the robots require an understanding of the environment around them, they will also need to understand person detection, tracking and activity recognition.

Dr Hanheide, with a background in Artificial Intelligence, will take charge of researching how robots gather and process information about their surroundings and apply this knowledge to interact appropriately with human users.

Dr Hanheide spoke of aiming to develop robots that can develop a “common-sense attitude” on how the world should be and be able to identify deviations:

“The robots are curious to learn about the environment – they will see if something has changed and whether that’s a one off or a regular occurrence. Our robots will be active for long periods in dynamic and changing environments.”

Current industry robots can run for 24 hours a day in well-controlled environments but these robots do not adjust or improve due to a lack of understanding of their long term experience. Cognitive robots can learn and adapt, but most are used for singular experiments.

“We want to build a bridge between the two by creating robots that can run for long periods of time and also make use of life-long learning capabilities to adapt to the needs of different users.”

New students arriving in Lincoln this September are being welcomed and advised by Lincolnshire Police on how to stay safe in the city.

With the University of Lincoln Freshers’ Week beginning on September 22, officers will be at the Engine Shed giving out welcome packs and offering advice on respecting local communities and protecting themselves from crime.

Local beat manager Luke Casey of the Lincolnshire Police, said: “It’s really important for us to get to know local students for a number of reasons.

“We want to welcome them to the city and make sure they know who to get in touch with if they need help with various problems.

“We also like to give them crime prevention advice in a number of areas.”

This comes after a recent spike in crimes across the city, with police warning residents of an increase in overnight burglaries.

Over the past month, police responded to 20 burglary offences overnight, with unlocked doors and windows to blame, and Casey acknowledges that this is a pressing issue.

“Multiple occupancy student houses do get targeted by burglars who take advantage of the likelihood of valuable laptops in ground-floor bedrooms and the fact that people often leave doors and windows unlocked as they think someone else in the house will take care of it.

“We offer advice about closing the curtains on ground-floor windows and not leaving valuables on display – along with the obvious messages on locking up properly.”

PC Luke Casey and PCSO Mel Waldren from Carholme Neighbourhood Policing Team pose for the camera. Photo: Lincolnshire Police

The Lincoln nightlife will be an important aspect for new students too, but this is where they are most vulnerable.

“Walking home alone at night drunk leaves people particularly vulnerable to attack so we’ll be explaining those dangers and giving personal safety tips,” Casey added.

Lincolnshire Police have also warned about an organised gang of smartphone thieves targeting nightclubs.

Also, police have been issuing advice on how to reduce cycle theft, an increasing problem for residents and students.

“Students often also fall foul of the bicycle theft issues we have around the city, so we’ll be giving advice about using good quality D-locks and information on how to get your bike fitted with an Immobitag security device.”

As well as addressing their own personal safety, Lincolnshire Police will stress the importance of students respecting the local community around them.

Casey said: “Beyond all that we also want to get across the importance of respecting local communities in terms of noise and antisocial behaviour.

“We want students to have a great time in Lincoln, but to also think about people trying to sleep at night when they are coming home from pubs and clubs.”

Lincolnshire Police will be carrying out dedicated patrols in student designated residential areas to minimise the impact on the local community and ensure the safety of students.