Cognitive Robotics Research Centre

Mission

The Cognitive Robotics Research Centre studies different aspects of cognition and intelligent behaviour with an emphasis on cognitive capabilities in robots.

Understanding the structural and interaction-related principles behind the emergence of intelligent behaviour is the greatest scientific challenge of the present time. Studying these principles in robots is advantageous for two reasons.

While robots face all the complexities of real world interaction, they are easier to study than animals, including humans. Animals provide working examples but, for practical and ethical reasons, we cannot easily manipulate their control systems for experimental purposes. Robots allow us more freedom to explore different principles for autonomous control.
By reproducing intelligent behaviour in robots we can automate tasks that are undesirable or dangerous to humans.

Organisation

The Cognitive Robotics Research Centre is led by Dr. Torbjørn Dahl and is physically located in Room D22 on the City Campus. The centre is funded partially by the University of Wales, Newport, by the Newport Business School, by Science Research Infrastructure Funding (SRIF) from the Higher Education Funding ;Council for Wales (HEFCW), partly by a research grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and partly by a research grant from the European Commission's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

Latest news

April 2011 Our New University of Wales (Newport) Robot Football Team Facebook page has been launched featuring the latest photos and news from our robot football team.
March 2011 Our New CRRC YouTube channel has been launched featuring the latest video: RoboCup 2011 - An Interview with Torbjorn Dahl.
January 2011 Our RoboCup team, Kouretes-NOXious, has qualified as one of 24 teams world-wide, for the standard platform league at RoboCup 2011 in Istanbul, Turkey. The Kouretes-NOXious team is a collaboration between the Technical University of Crete, the University of Oxford and ourselves. We will also be particapating in the German Open and Iran Open competition as team NOXious.
October 2010 We have received the world's first Nao robot covered in robot skin.
September 2010 The public call for proposals for applications of the robot skin technology used on our ROBOSKIN project has just been released.
September 2010 We have updated our web site to reflect our new status as a research centre. The University has also published a video interview with Dr Dahl.
May 2010: CRRC, in collaboration with the Institute for Advanced Broadcasting are arranging the RoboCup Exhibition and Engagement Event, Eisteddfod of Wales 2010.
Old news...

Contact Details:
Dr. Torbjørn S. Dahl, Cognitive Robotics Research Centre	Telephone: +44 (0)1633 432344
University of Wales, Newport	Fax: +44 (0)1633 432307
City Campus, Usk Way	Email: torbjorn.dahl@newport.ac.uk
Newport NP20 2BP, United Kingdom	Telephone (lab direct line): +44 (0)1633 432677