PhD Research Studentships
Pet-bot: Multisensory-integrated robot-animal interactions
| Supervisor: | Kaspar ALTHOEFER |
| Apply by: | 31 January 2024 |
| Start in: | September (Semester 1) |
Description
From industrial farming to pet care, the development of robotics for animal welfare is an important and growing research area, focused on the evaluation and enhancement of health, wellbeing and quality of life in animals. Demand for animal care is huge and cannot be handled uniquely by human labour and pet owners. Robots are able to safely interact with animals, addressing their needs, and are a solution to production on ethical issues. We will pioneer this field by developing “pet-bot” an innovative robot capable of taking care of animals through a range of robot-animal interactions. Pet-bot will integrate visual, tactile and acoustic sensors with different actuators, engaging animals in social activities that can improve their wellbeing: affective touch (based on soft robotics actuators from Althoefer's lab), acoustic playback and visual engagement in response to vocal/visual feedback (building on current work at the Versace's lab). Pet-bot will target two species with high socioeconomic value, benefitting from the integration of multisensory robotic agents: poultry chickens (available at newly refurbished facilities on campus) and dogs at rescue shelters (via Mielke’s lab). Both species are convenient model systems, and also central for economic reasons, with several opportunities to target UKRI and charities to further expand the impact of this project. The successful candidate will be a self-motivated researcher, strong in programming, skilled in robotics, mechatronics, software engineering, able to work both independently and in a team. Experience with animal behaviour is welcome but not required. Get in touch with us for informal inquiries.
Information on the co-supervisors:
Elisabetta VERSACE, https://www.qmul.ac.uk/sbbs/staff/elisabettaversace.html
Alexander MIELKE, https://www.qmul.ac.uk/sbbs/staff/alexander-mielke.html
Funding
Funded by: China Scholarship CouncilCandidate will need to secure a CSC scholarship.
Under the scheme, Queen Mary will provide scholarships to cover all tuition fees, whilst the CSC will provide living expenses and one return flight ticket to successful applicants.
Eligibility
- The minimum requirement for this studentship opportunity is a good honours degree (minimum 2(i) honours or equivalent) or MSc/MRes in a relevant discipline.
- If English is not your first language, you will require a valid English certificate equivalent to IELTS 6.5+ overall with a minimum score of minimum score of 6.0 in each of Writing, Listening, Reading and Speaking).
- Candidates are expected to start in September (Semester 1).
Contact
For informal enquiries about this opportunity, please contact Kaspar ALTHOEFER.
Apply
Start an application for this studentship and for entry onto the PhD Mechanical Engineering full-time programme (Semester 1 / September start):
Please be sure to quote the reference "SEMS-PHD-585" to associate your application with this studentship opportunity.
| Related website: | https://www.sems.qmul.ac.uk/staff/k.althoefer | |
| SEMS Research Centre: | ||
| Keywords: | Behavioural Biology, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Graphics, Human Computer Interaction, Machine Learning, Software Engineering, Control Systems, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics |