UKRI AI CDT in Dependable and Deployable AI for Robotics (CDT-D2AIR)
UKRI AI CDT in Dependable and Deployable AI for Robotics (CDT-D2AIR)
As cutting-edge research in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) reaches the stage where widespread deployment is feasible, issues around safety, dependability and trustworthiness become ever more critical. These emerging applications need robotics to be certifiable, reliable and capable of interacting safely with the environment and users. While AI methods are finding increasing adoption within robotics, much of this technology was not originally designed with safety and other important human-centred requirements in mind. Making AI truly applicable to, and deployable in, robotic solutions requires advanced sets of skills and new ways of thinking.
The UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training in Dependable and Deployable AI for Robotics (CDT-D2AIR) is a joint 4-year PhD training programme offered by Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh. CDT-D2AIR trains students in the latest methods in AI, verification, design, and robotics, along with practical skills to ensure that robotic systems can be safely developed and deployed. The training programme combines state-of-the-art robotics, machine learning, optimisation, and software engineering, with verification and testing. Training is conducted within the context of emerging legal standards and regulations, sustainability, ethics, Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI), and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), all through engaging learning activities, to create a new generation of graduates working on dependable and deployable AI for robotics.
Students will specialise in topics related to the four research themes of CDT-D2AIR, gaining a deep understanding of the technical aspects and theoretical foundations of the intersection between AI and robotics:
Trustworthy and Rigorous AI for Robotics,
Robust Robot Design,
Dependable AI for Human-Robot Interaction (HRI),
AI for Deployable Robot Systems and Field Systems.
CDT-D2AIR is part of the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics (ECR), a joint research initiative between Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh, encompassing the full spectrum of AI and robotics disciplines and world-leading research from over 70 academic staff.