The societal needs such as helping elderly and rapid technological advances have transformed robotics in recent years. Making robots autonomous and at the same time able to interact safely with real world objects is desired in order to extend their range of applications to highly interactive tasks such as caring for the elderly. However, attaining robots capable of doing such tasks is challenging as the environmental model they often use is incomplete, which underlines the importance of sensors to obtain information at a sufficient rate to deal with external change. In robotics, the sensing modality par excellence so far has been vision in its multiple forms, for example lasers, or simply stereoscopic arrangements of conventional cameras. On other hand the animal world uses a wider variety of sensory modalities. The tactile/touch sensing is particularly important as many of the interactive tasks involve physical contact which carry precious information that is exploited by biological brains and ought to be exploited by robots to ensure adaptive behaviour. However, the absence of suitable tactile skin technology makes this task difficult. PRINTSKIN will develop a robust ultra-flexible tactile skin and endow state-of-the-art robotic hand with the tactile skin and validate the skin by using tactile information from large areas of robot hands to handle daily object with different curvatures. The tactile skin will be benchmarked against available semi-rigid skins such as iCub skin from EU project ROBOSKIN and Hex-O-Skin. The skin will be validated on at least two different industrial robotic hands (Shadow Hand and i-Limb) that are used in dexterous manipulation and prosthetics. The robust ultra-thin tactile skin will be developed using an innovative methodology involving printing of high-mobility materials such as silicon on ultra-flexible substrates such as polyimide. The tactile skin will have solid-state sensors (touch, temperature) and electronics printed on ultra-flexible substrates such as polyimide. The silicon-nanowires based ultra-thin active-matrix electronics in the backplane will be covered with a replaceable soft transducer layer. Integration of electronic and sensing modules on a foil or as stack of foils will be explored. 'Truly bottom-up approach' is the distinguishing feature of PRINTSKIN methodology as the development of tactile skin will begin with atom by atom synthesis of nanowires and finish with the development of tactile skin system - much like the way nature uses proteins and macromolecules to construct complex biological systems. This new technological platform to print tactile skin will enable an entirely new generation of high-performance and cost-effective systems on flexible substrates. Fabrication by printing will have important implications for cost-effective integration over large areas and on nonconventional substrates, such as plastic or paper. Printing of high-performance electronics is also appealing for mask-less approach, reduced material wastage, and scalability to large area. The proposed programme thus has the potential to emulate yet another revolution in the electronics industry and trigger transformation in various sectors including, robotics, healthcare, and wearable electronics.

This project is an extension of the Engineering Fellowship for Growth: Printable Tactile Skin (PRINTSKIN). PRINTSKIN focused on developing a robust ultra-flexible tactile skin, endowing state-of-the-art robotic hand with the tactile skin and validating it by using tactile information from large areas of robot hands to handle daily object with different curvatures. The tactile skin is critical for autonomy of robots and for the safe human-robot interaction need to meet societal needs such as helping elderly. The tactile feedback is critical in such tasks as the robots often use incomplete environmental model which are insufficient to deal with external changes. The touch sensing is also needed to augment other sensory modalities (e.g. vision) in robotics. Inspired by nature, numerous works including PRINTSKIN project, have harnessed the technological advances to develop e-skin with some features mimicking human skin - particularly the contact parameters and morphological features. However, just morphology of skin or capturing few parameters that we experience as touch is not enough. To develop an effective tactile skin, there is also a need to understand the perceptual mechanism and to find the ways to extract the information from large tactile data (especially in the case of large area tactile skin). Research suggests that distributed computing takes place in the biological tactile sensory system. For example, the ensemble of tactile data from peripheral neurons is considered to indicate both the contact force and its direction. This means raw tactile data is not sent to brain and that some distributed computing takes place in our skin. This is in sharp contrast with current e-skin approaches which transmit the as acquired tactile data to higher perceptual levels. The research proposed here will break this trend by introducing neuron like processing and bring a step change in the tactile sensing research by developing the first neuromorphic tactile skin or the brainy skin. A new neural layer, developed using the printed silicon nanowire methodology developed in PRINSKIN, will be integrated under the e-skin to enable fast, energy efficient and distributed tactile data processing. This groundbreaking research will lead to the first hardware implementation of neuromorphic tactile skin. Innovative schematic, with novel neural nanowire field effect transistors and memory devices as building blocks, will be used to develop the neurons which will eventually lead to the neural layer. The advanced tactile skin will be benchmarked against available semi-rigid skins and the skin developed through PRINTSKIN. The skin will be validated on at least three different robotic hands (Shadow Hand, i-Limb, and custom 3D printed hand) used for dexterous manipulation and prosthetics. By adding neural layer underneath the current tactile skin, this extension project will add significant new perspective to the fellowship achievements and trigger transformations in strategic areas such as robotics, prosthetics, neurotechnology, wearable systems, next-generation computing and flexible and printable electronics.

The vision for our CDT in Optical Medical Imaging is to train the next generation of entrepreneurs with a "Heart for Science and a Brain for Business". The CDT will focus on a major priority area in applied physical sciences, optical imaging. Optical imaging /sensing is a major technological platform that is now ubiquitous in biomedicine and is rapidly emerging as an efficacious 'point of care' sensing and imaging modality in clinical medicine exemplified by its rapid, economic and high-throughput applicability. The future expansion and dissemination of physical sciences in optical imaging will depend on scientists with both academic and commercial acumen. Therefore alongside excellence of training and supervision in world-leading scientific environments our training program features a bespoke masters course in Healthcare Innovation and Entrepreneurship delivered by the University of Edinburgh Business School and the Hunter Centre (at University of Strathclyde) with the expectation that this unique and formal entrepreneurial training will breed a new generation of physical scientists trained within a clinically focused setting with the ability to fully exploit the UKs research potential in healthcare technologies. Key elements of our CDT are: (i). From outset we will engender 'cohort' cohesiveness. This will be achieved through initial weekend team building activities (including supervisors) at outdoor centres. Specific scientific training will be delivered 'en-bloc' in summer and winter schools and the establishment of 2 virtually-linked physical 'hubs' will allow activities such as a weekly journal club. Furthermore, twice monthly meetings of the entire CDT will ensure efficient communication/networking/collaboration. We will also explore the use of portable communication tools that allow all CDT members immediate communication and sharing of papers and information between the hubs. (ii). PhD in Optical Medical Imaging: "CDT Scholars" will be assigned a supervisory committee comprising at least two supervisors originating from different schools (e.g. physical and medical/clinical), a pastoral mentor and a clinical mentor with the aim of enhancing the level of collaboration and the multi-disciplinary nature of the training. The PhD will encompass taught scientific components alongside week long intensive summer and winter schools to consolidate subject specific training. Scientific excellence is an absolute prerequisite. (iii). CDT Scholars will gain an MSc in Healthcare Innovation and Entrepreneurship: A key aim of our training program is to produce business-ready graduates who are equipped with the skills required to translate their advanced knowledge of physical and clinical sciences into commercial and clinical reality. The cohort of CDT scholars will participate in MSc training encompassing business and entrepreneurship skills; ethical innovation and new idea generation; venture financing; corporate partnering. CDT Scholars will also participate in comprehensive problem-based learning modules and 3-month secondments including placements with regulators, patent attorneys, innovation/incubator centres and companies. (iv). Clinically focused training: "CDT Scholars" will receive generic and bespoke training. Generic training will include comprehensive problem-based learning modules in: Ethics; Regulatory governance; GLP/GMP processes; First-in-man clinical study development delivered by regulatory consultants and active clinicians. Bespoke training/exposure will be provided by clinician mentors aligned to the individual CDT projects who will provide bedside teaching within the adjoining Royal Infirmary. In Summary, this CDT in Optical Medical Imaging will train the 'next generation' of healthcare scientists who will be empowered to gain the maximum impact from their research, commercial ventures, industrial applications and social engagements.

Our proposal requests five distinct bundles of equipment to enhance the University's capabilities in research areas ranging across aerospace, complex chemistry, electronics, healthcare, magnetic, microscopy and sensors. Each bundle includes equipment with complementary capabilities and this will open up opportunities for researchers across the University, ensuring maximum utilisation. This proposal builds on excellent research in these fields, identified by the University as strategically important, which has received significant external funding and University investment funding. The new facilities will strengthen capacity and capabilities at Glasgow and profit from existing mechanisms for sharing access and engaging with industry. The requested equipment includes: - Nanoscribe tool for 3D micro- and nanofabrication for development of low-cost printed sensors. - Integrated suite of real-time manipulation, spectroscopy and control systems for exploration of complex chemical systems with the aim of establishing the new field of Chemical Cybernetics. - Time-resolved Tomographic Particle Image Velocimetry - Digital Image correlation system to simultaneously measure and quantify fluid and surface/structure behaviour and interaction to support research leading to e.g. reductions in aircraft weight, drag and noise, and new environmentally friendly engines and vehicles. - Two microscopy platforms with related optical illumination and excitation sources to create a Microscopy Research Lab bringing EPS researchers together with the life sciences community to advance techniques for medical imaging. - Magnetic Property Measurement system, complemented by a liquid helium cryogenic sample holder for transmission electron microscopy, to facilitate a diverse range of new collaborations in superconductivity-based devices, correlated electronic systems and solid state-based quantum technologies. These new facilities will enable interdisciplinary teams of researchers in chemistry, computing science, engineering, medicine, physics, mathematics and statistics to come together in new areas of research. These groups will also work with industry to transform a multitude of applications in healthcare, aerospace, transport, energy, defence, security and scientific and industrial instrumentation. With the improved facilities: - Printed electronics will be developed to create new customized healthcare technologies, high-performance low-cost sensors and novel manufacturing techniques. - Current world-leading complex chemistry research will discover, design, develop and evolve molecules and materials, to include adaptive materials, artificial living systems and new paradigms in manufacturing. - Advanced flow control technologies inside aero engine and wing configurations will lead to greener products and important environmental impacts. - Researchers in microscopy and related life science disciplines can tackle biomedical science challenges and take those outputs forward so that they can be used in clinical settings, with benefits to healthcare. - Researchers will be able to develop new interfaces in advanced magnetics materials and molecules which will give new capabilities to biomedical applications, data storage and telecommunications devices. We have existing industry partners who are poised to make use of the new facilities to improve their current products and to steer new joint research activities with a view to developing new products that will create economic, social and environmental impacts. In addition, we have networks of industrialists who will be invited to access our facilities and to work with us to drive forward new areas of research which will deliver future impacts to patients, consumers, our environment and the wider public.

Robots will revolutionise the world's economy and society over the next twenty years, working for us, beside us and interacting with us. The UK urgently needs graduates with the technical skills and industry awareness to create an innovation pipeline from academic research to global markets. Key application areas include manufacturing, assistive and medical robots, offshore energy, environmental monitoring, search and rescue, defence, and support for the aging population. The robotics and autonomous systems area has been highlighted by the UK Government in 2013 as one the 8 Great Technologies that underpin the UK's Industrial Strategy for jobs and growth. The essential challenge can be characterised as how to obtain successful INTERACTIONS. Robots must interact physically with environments, requiring compliant manipulation, active sensing, world modelling and planning. Robots must interact with each other, making collaborative decisions between multiple, decentralised, heterogeneous robotic systems to achieve complex tasks. Robots must interact with people in smart spaces, taking into account human perception mechanisms, shared control, affective computing and natural multi-modal interfaces.Robots must introspect for condition monitoring, prognostics and health management, and long term persistent autonomy including validation and verification. Finally, success in all these interactions depend on engineering enablers, including architectural system design, novel embodiment, micro and nano-sensors, and embedded multi-core computing. The Edinburgh alliance in Robotics and Autonomous Systems (EDU-RAS) provides an ideal environment for a Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) to meet these needs. Heriot Watt University and the University of Edinburgh combine internationally leading science with an outstanding track record of exploitation, and world class infrastructure enhanced by a recent £7.2M EPSRC plus industry capital equipment award (ROBOTARIUM). A critical mass of experienced supervisors cover the underpinning disciplines crucial to autonomous interaction, including robot learning, field robotics, anthropomorphic & bio-inspired designs, human robot interaction, embedded control and sensing systems, multi-agent decision making and planning, and multimodal interaction. The CDT will enable student-centred collaboration across topic boundaries, seeking new research synergies as well as developing and fielding complete robotic or autonomous systems. A CDT will create cohort of students able to support each other in making novel connections between problems and methods; with sufficient shared understanding to communicate easily, but able to draw on each other's different, developing, areas of cutting-edge expertise. The CDT will draw on a well-established program in postgraduate training to create an innovative four year PhD, with taught courses on the underpinning theory and state of the art and research training closely linked to career relevant skills in creativity, ethics and innovation. The proposed centre will have a strong participative industrial presence; thirty two user partners have committed to £9M (£2.4M direct, £6.6M in kind) support; and to involvement including Membership of External Advisory Board to direct and govern the program, scoping particular projects around specific interests, co-funding of PhD studentships, access to equipment and software, co-supervision of students, student placements, contribution to MSc taught programs, support for student robot competition entries including prize money, and industry lead training on business skills. Our vision for the Centre is as a major international force that can make a generational leap in the training of innovation-ready postgraduates who are experienced in deployment of robotic and autonomous systems in the real world.