It’s not your typical research lab, it’s a makerspace.
Nik Watson Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Nottingham
Based in the University of Nottingham, the Cobot Maker Space supports the exploration, research and design of human-robot interaction.
6+ Robots
4 Lab Bays
9+ People
99 Sq metres
The Cobot Maker Space is a 99m² facility that offers ultramodern robots and equipment to explore and design human-robot interaction. The space is supported by a diverse, interdisciplinary team of researchers and academics at the University of Nottingham.
Based in the Nottingham Geospatial Building, the Cobot Maker Space consists of:
The Lab Space – offering flexible space to assemble, trial and research ideas our lab is fitted with biometric sensors, data processing facilities and recording equipment – for instant switching between making and researching.
The Workshop – equipped with a range of tools and a 3D printer to support rapid prototyping.
The Living Space – 43m² this resembles the appearance of an office or living room, this space allows people to test their ideas in an everyday environment.
Opportunities, futures, value.
We design, research and make with an open, critical mindset, constantly reflecting and refining our own practises.
People, groups, businesses.
We are an interdisciplinary, vibrant research community that is ready to meet you.
Ideas, projects, relationships.
Collaboration sits at the very core of everything we do. Our transparency and openness will connect researchers, entrepreneurs and actively build community.
Working and living with robots may sound like it is taken straight from a science-fiction novel, but cobots are already a reality - especially in hazardous contexts and manufacturing: Cobots often support people with tasks that are uncomfortable, repetitive or even impossible, such as holding and moving heavy materials or surveying inaccessible areas. Effectively, cobots can bridge gaps in our senses, augment our own capabilities and compliment them.
Considering the technological progress within robotics and consumer electronics, encountering cobots as a part of our everyday life is a certainty. The Cobot Maker Space was founded to explore this potential further; both to research what can be possible right now, and to think ahead. We are not only a research environment, but also a space for tinkering, making and breaking technology.
Create, Connect and Collaborate.
It’s not your typical research lab, it’s a makerspace.
Nik Watson Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Nottingham
The Cobot Maker Space consists of 4 readily configurable labs to provide flexibility to create and tailor environments and is equipped with mobile robots and state of the art human sensing technologies for prototyping and assembling novel devices.
The main lab area is where we house our robots, including service robots Robin and Spot. Also available are Franka arms, a UV disinfection robot, a UR3E robot arm with grippers, reconfigurable cameras with audio recording, and biometric sensing facilities. Our workshop area is equipped with a 3D printer, soldering facilities and a vast range of tools.
Our Living Space has been set up to resemble a standard home environment where we can deploy a variety of digitally enhanced products to enable exploration and interaction between people and intelligent systems.
Cobots
Boston Dynamics Spot
Dog-like mobile robot, suitable for use on a variety of terrains (including outdoor usage). Can be extended with additional sensors
Franka Emika Panda (x2)
Arm with 7 degrees of freedom, equipped with gripper.
Universal Robots UR3e
Arm with 6 degrees of freedom. The following grippers are available.
Lily Humanoid Robot
Humanoid style robot with poseable head and arms. On-board audio and video can be used for speech and face recognition. A large touchscreen attached to the front can be removed.
Helios Ultraviolet Cleaning Robot
Mobile base containing 6 tubes emitting ultraviolet light in the C wavelength, and an internal fan with HEPA filters and UVc LEDs.
Double Robotics Double 3 Telepresence Robot
Self-driving video-conferencing robot.
Other Equipment
Fluke 9132 Blackbody for calibration of infrared cameras
Tobii Pro Glasses 3 head won gaze tracker
Tobii Pro Fusion monitor mounted gaze tracker
Biopac MP160 with electrocardiogram and electrodermal-activity sensors
Viavi MicroNIR OnSite-W spectrometer
IT Equipment
Storage cluster with 260TB of storage capacity.
GPU processing cluster with 8 NVIDIA 2080 Ti GPUs, 32 CPU cores, and 256GB RAM.
Audio /Visual Equipment
Dalsa Genie Nano C2050 Machine Vision Cameras
Dalsa Genie Nano C1450 Machine Vision Cameras
2 Sony FCB-EV7520A Machine Vision Cameras equipped with powerful optical and digital zoom lenses.
Flir A655sc Thermal Camera with a resolution of 640×480 pixels, calibrated by the supplier for high accuracy.
Yamaha MG20XU 20 Channel Mixing Console
AKG CHM99 condenser microphones (x4)
AKG C520 head-worn microphones (x2)
AKG CK99L lapel microphones (x2)
AKG wireless microphone transmitters and receivers
Steve Benford
Professor of Computer Science & Dunford Chair in Computer Science
University of Nottingham
Michel Valstar
Professor in Computer Science
University of Nottingham
Nik Watson
Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering
University of Nottingham
Joel Fischer
Associate Professor in Computer Science
University of Nottingham
Ayse Kucukyilmaz
Assistant Professor of Robotics and Autonomous Systems, Computer Science
University of Nottingham
Praminda Caleb-Solly
Professor of Embodied Intelligence, Computer Science
University of Nottingham
Ben Coomber
Research Development Manager, Smart Products Beacon, Computer Science
University of Nottingham
Dominic Price
Horizon Digital Economy Research Fellow, Computer Science
University of Nottingham
Hazel Sayers
Knowledge Exchange and Impact Officer, Computer Science
University of Nottingham
Lynn Rees
Institute Operations Manager, Computer Science
University of Nottingham