The Lighthouse Robotics project

Project motivation and organization

Robotics is a technology area which will be essential for future Norwegian industry to ensure competitiveness and high quality products. Robotics is an enabling technology with a number of application areas such as oil & gas production, process industry, medicine, and health and welfare. It is also a multidisciplinary theme which involves a number of technologies such as communication technologies, automatic control and autonomy, human-machine interfaces, sensor technologies, electronics, and computer science. Robotics can substitute high cost labor in demanding environments and contribute to the reduction of production costs and more efficient operations. Research in robotics is essential to bring new robotic technologies to the Norwegian industry and society to solve our future challenges.

The main purpose of the Lighthouse Robotics project is to strengthen and further develop cutting edge research in robotics at the IME faculty at NTNU by supporting and initiating new collaboration initiatives within IME technology areas. The project is part of ROBOTNOR and includes 2 PhD positions and 1 PostDoc position.

The project is organized as shown below. Board meetings are organized regularly to discuss recent and upcoming activities. The current organization of the boards comprises personnel from IET, ITK and IDI. The project is coordinated by Pål Liljebäck at ITK.

Project activities

As illustrated and described below, the project has a broad scope and involves several activities aimed at strengthening robotic research at NTNU. You may also download a short presentation of the project here (1 slide) and here (4 slides).

Initiatives towards the European Commission and the Research Council of Norway

• Application for a FRINATEK research project (7 mill NOK) submitted to the RCN in May 2013.
• Initiative towards a Marie Curie application to the EC in 2013 to fund a PostDoc fellowship in robotics at NTNU.
• Our robotics group is involved in SFF AMOS (Centre for Autonomous Marine Operations and Systems).
• Our robotics group is involved in two ongoing SFI applications (Centres for Research-based Innovation).

Marketing and recruitment of students

• New showroom for robotic systems, which is frequently visited by school classes, visiting researchers, and industry clients.
• Representation at the National Science Week and Researchers’ Night 2013.
• Participation at Eurobot (annual international robotics contest for students).
• New web pages (www.robotnor.no) and Facebook pages (www.facebook.com/ROBOTNOR).

Education of two PhD candidates

• PhD 1: Underwater robotic manipulation with adaptive communication links. More info here.
• PhD 2: Nanoscale robotics in liquid environment. More info here.

Collaborations in robotics between departments at IME

• ITK, IET and IDI already have collaborative activities as a result of the Lighthouse initiative.
• Workshop in robotics for all departments at IME to be held 3 October 2013.