Brighton Astro: Autonomy in Robotics for Exploration
Dexter Shepherd from the University of Sussex
February 5 @ 7:00 pm – 9:30 pm
- DOORS: 7.00pm
- LECTURE: 7.30pm
Exploring distant worlds presents a unique challenge: robots in space can’t rely on real-time control from Earth because communication is limited by the speed of light. Although today’s missions, such as Curiosity and Perseverance, carry software that helps them stay safe, we are still far from achieving true robotic autonomy. The future of space exploration will depend on robots that can make their own decisions, protect themselves, and boldly venture into places no robot has gone before.
In this talk, Dexter will share his research on how we can help robots begin to understand their environment. Often, we don’t have detailed training data to tell a robot exactly what actions are right or wrong, we only know whether it succeeded at the task. This opens the door to powerful approaches inspired by nature: using evolutionary algorithms to allow robots to evolve their own behaviours, or drawing directly from the strategies insects use to navigate the world.
However, moving from simulated or biological inspiration into the real world brings challenges. Robots need rich, reliable sensing to connect what they learned in simulation with what they encounter in reality. In this talk, we will explore these sensing challenges, the “simulation-to-reality gap,” and the key steps needed to create truly autonomous robots for the next era of space exploration.
Dexter Shepherd is finishing his PhD in Bio-inspired Artificial intelligence and robotics at the University of Sussex. Here he has spent many years researching into robots that understand and adapt to their terrain through tactile sensing and evolutionary strategies. In addition to his research, he has been greatly involved in outreach in schools and internationally where he leads educational courses in hardware and machine learning across the African continent.
Attendance is free, but we would be grateful if those of you who are able to could donate a few pounds to help cover the cost of hiring this event space. We will have a card reader and a money box you can drop your donations in on the night. We also have a bank account you can donate to electronically.
Please only come along if you’ve signed up, as we’re limited on space so won’t be able to fit anyone else in.
If you can no longer attend, please update your status to say that you are no longer attending so that someone on the waiting list gets a place.
