The Foundation aims to advance the safety benefits from RAS with a primary focus on:
- asset self-certification
- assurance of RAS learning systems
- software system integrity
- shared curation of RAS knowledge.
Other areas of interest are: open data standards; open data sets; cyber security of RAS; ethical and trusted RAS frameworks; and assured skills for RAS.
The Foundation’s first step through this call is to find out which companies and research organisations are active in these areas with a view to potential collaboration in a network or programme. The Foundation is also interested in programmes, projects and interventions made by others relevant to the focus areas. It does not wish to duplicate work done elsewhere but aims to build upon and leverage other initiatives if relevant.
Download details of the call and how to apply here.
The Foundation, a UK charity, is a leading supporter of engineering related research, training and education. This programme will be one outcome of the Foundation’s Foresight review on robotics and autonomous systems: Serving a safer world, which was published in October 2016. The report found there are some important areas which need addressing if society is to see the safety benefits from the implementation of RAS, and where the Foundation may be well positioned to lead or support other international efforts. The Foundation aims to begin work on these priority areas through this new call, seeking to secure high technical standards to enhance the safety of life and property.
The contact point for this call is Jan Przydatek, Lloyd’s Register Foundation. Expressions of interest and enquiries should be sent to ras@lrfoundation.org.uk.
The closing date is 28 February 2017; expressions of interest received after this will still be considered but may miss early opportunities.
About RAS
Emergent technologies is one of the research priorities identified in the Foundation’s strategy. RAS is one of these emerging research disciplines which the Foundation can help to develop. Smart, connected machines, or robotics and autonomous systems (RAS), are acting as tools to support us, making independent decisions and even learning. They act and sense in the real world, connected and collaborating in the internet of things, generating and enabled by large quantities of data, using artificial intelligence to reason, classify, control and interact. They have emerged from research prototypes into practical applications. Autonomous and semi-autonomous cars on our streets are one very public example.