Welcome to THE ROBOTICS AND AGENTS RESEARCH LAB

Overview

 

The Robotics and Agents Research Lab started as a merger between UCT's Agents Research Group from Computer Science and the Robotics Group affiliated with Mechanical Engineering.
 
Since the Lab was founded in 2008, we concentrate on teaching and research in the fields of robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Computational Intelligence.
 
In the core robotics field, we currently develop rescue robots, swarm robots and autonomous underwater vehicles.

 

Mission Statement

 

  • Design and Program Intelligent Autonomous Robots
  • Combine the Fields of Computational Intelligence and Knowledge-Based AI
  • International Collaboration
  • Scientific Research in Socially Significant Issues

 

 

 

Robocup Junior

RoboCupJunior is a project-oriented educational initiative that sponsors local, regional and international robotic events for young students. It is designed to introduce RoboCup to primary and secondary school children, as well as undergraduates who do not have the resources to get involved in the senior leagues yet. The focus of the Junior league lies on education. The tournament offers to the participants the chance to take part in international exchange programs and to share the experience of meeting peers from abroad. RoboCupJunior offers several challenges, each emphasizing both cooperative and competitive aspects. For young students, RoboCupJunior provides an exciting introduction to the field of robotics, a new way to develop technical abilities through hands-on experience with electronics, hardware and software, and a highly motivating opportunity to learn about teamwork while sharing technology with friends. In contrast to the one-child-one-computer scenario typically seen today, RoboCupJunior provides a unique opportunity for participants with a variety of interests and strengths to work together as a team to achieve a common goal

The Sunday Times - 10 April 2011

Fri, 2011-04-15 13:21 — potgieter

Sturdy robot rescuer rolls out of UCT

It can tell if a trapped earthquake victim is breathing and knows the word "help".

It can go where no human rescue worker can go - or would dare to - and can even recognise a human hand in the debris of a collapsed building.

After 10 years and four lesser versions, a robot designed by a team of whiz kids at the University of Cape Town holds the promise of saving lives in mine collapses and earthquakes.

Rescue robots surged to prominence last month when a number from the US and Japan were successfully used in the Japanese disaster.

They were used to help save trapped survivors, to brave unstable buildings so humans wouldn't have to and to operate in the lethal radiation levels at the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant.

One was an 8m-long "snake" robot that slithered through cramped spaces; another was a powerful unit which could lift more than 90kg. There is even a global response body called Roboticists Without Borders.

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