Tag: University of Skövde

Embodied Cognition for automated driving – AIR members guests speakers at SAFER-seminar

AIR members Maria Klingegård (RISE) and Jessica Lindblom (University of Skövde) were guest speakers at a SAFERs seminar on the consequences of Embodied Cognition for automated driving. Held at Göteborg science park Lindholmen, on November 22nd.

Researchers from academia and industry joined forces to discuss the newest insights in embodied cognition and its consequences for automated driving. Embodied cognition provides a different perspective which focus on how interaction is shaped by body and context.  With the increase of automation in vehicles, the driver is increasingly disengaged from the driving task.

However, one can question if we even want (!) to be embodied with the car? Theoretical insights, and historical outlook from an embodied cognition perspective was provided and future direction for automated driving were considered.

Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia visited AIR

On October 23rd researchers from the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) came to University of Skövde to discuss Human-robot interaction and to visit and be inspired at ASSAR – Industrial Innovation Arena. 

IIT-RBCS has a long lasting activity on social robotics with special focus on investigating the role of social signs (such as gestures’ dynamic parameters and gaze direction). So on October 23rd the AIR consortia opened up the talk held by IIT to researchers. 

Human-robot interaction
The visiting researchers were Giulio Sandini, Alessandra Sciutti and Francesco Rea from the Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences unit at IIT, in Genova, Italy. The researchers gave the attendants an insight to both the cognitive basis underlining social interaction and how social skills in robotics can be designed and implemented on the humanoid robot iCub to promote natural human-robot interaction.

Giulio Sandini, Alessandra Sciutti and Francesco Rea from the Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences unit at IIT, in Genova, Italy.
Francesco Rea, Alessandra Sciutti and Giulio Sandini from the Robotics, Brain and Cognitive Sciences unit at IIT.

Tour of ASSAR
After the talks, Jessica Lindblom and Erik Billing from the AIR team Skövde took Francesco, Alessandra and Giulio to ASSAR-industrial innovation arena. A meeting place where education, innovation and research supply industry with new solutions. The environment focuses on the development of production, production methods, and production technology as well as bear the stamp of diversity and equality—a meeting place where sustainable manufacturing will be created together. The name ASSAR is a historical tribute to the initiator of the Volvo companies, Assar Gabrielsson, but also a name which is looking to the future with the meaning “the one who gives answers.”

AIR workshop: Autonomous systems in industrial environments

On October 17th and 18th Örebro University hosted a lunch-to-lunch workshop with focus on scenario Autonomous systems in industrial environments. All partners of the distributed research environment participated as well as participants from industrial partner companies.

Day one, the 17th of October, started with Professor Achim Lilienthal, coordinator of the AIR project at Örebro University, presenting AIR. Thereafter, researchers Martin Magnusson, Erik Schaffernicht and Henrik Andreasson (ORU) gave presentations on how the AIR project has helped develop research within other Örebro University research projects. After the presentations, Alex Liebert from Usify, lead a workshop including different exercises aiming at reaching and discussing new research ideas in cooperation with the participants from AIR and the industrial partner companies.

New research ideas
During day two, the 18th of October, the focus was the new research ideas reached during day one and the future of AIR. With the support of Lovisa Svensson and Emyr Williams, representatives from Örebro University’s Grants Office, the distributed research environment discussed what is going on in the research fields, how to continue the collaboration and applying for different funding opportunities and which partner companies could have an interest in future research projects.

ICMR-Conference

On September 13th AIR members participated and presented research from the  AIR project at ICMR2018 – International Conference on Manufacturing Research. Skövde’s Pepper robot also participated in the science fair at the final day of the conference held at ASSAR –  Industrial Innovation Arena.

With the accelerating globalisation of manufacturing in the 21st century, the urgent need to keep pace has produced rapid advancements in technology, research and innovation. ICMR solicits papers on both cutting edge theoretical research and its recent industrial applications with the goal of bringing together practical and theoretical knowledge from academic, governmental and industry organisations across the world.

In 2018 the ICMT conference was held at Skövde University campus and ASSAR Industrial innovation arena. ICMR was initiated by The Consortium of UK University Manufacturing and Engineering (COMEH) and has been the UK’s main manufacturing research conference for 32 years and an international conference since 2003 – bringing together researchers, academics and industrialists together to share their vision, knowledge and experience, and discuss emerging trends and new challenges. A perfect arena for the AIR consortia to discuss research result and share ideas with colleagues within the field.