Engineering news
Innovate UK has invited businesses to apply for a share of £5 million in a bid to speed up the development of innovative applications of robotics and autonomous systems.
Disruptive technologies related to robotics and autonomous systems (RAS) include mobile internet, automation of knowledge work, advanced robotics, and automated and autonomous vehicles. A recent report by McKinsey, Disruptive Technologies, predicts that technologies related to RAS will have a potential annual economic impact in 2025 between $9.8-19.3 trillion.
The competition, also funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), seeks to help UK companies looking to explore new opportunities that will speed up the path towards demonstration and commercialisation for RAS technologies.
The funding competition seeks proposals for systems that are physical, for example a next generation robot, but they can also be digital only, for example an automated decision-making system.
Paul Mason, director of emerging and enabling technologies at Innovate UK said: "As we are a business focused organisation, Innovate UK recognises that there are a number of challenges and risks in developing, integrating and validating technologies and systems in this area. That is why we, along with EPSRC, have developed this competition to target support for the sector.
"It will de-risk those developments and will ensure that UK companies are well-placed to take a market lead in the development of next generation robotics and more autonomous, 'self-learning' systems."
Projects should last between six and 15 months and cost between £50,000 to £500,000. The deadline for registration is 26 October 2016. A briefing webinar will be held on 27 July and more information can be found
here.