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Centre for Process Innovation Researcher in Residence

Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and delivered by the Innovation Launchpad Network+ at the University of Sheffield, the Researcher in Residence (RiR) scheme connects researchers with Catapults – private, non-for-profit Research and Technology Organisations that unite innovators, government and industry. The scheme frees academics from their teaching responsibilities and other commitments to undertake a project in an area of strategic importance for Catapults.

Robot Swarms: flocking together

Swarm robotics is when many robots come together to work on a common goal. Researchers working to develop these self-organising, multi-robot systems often find inspiration within the natural world, and there are certainly many striking parallels between the behaviour of robot swarms and living organisms – from mimicking coordinating flocks of birds that can travel long distances and seek safety in numbers, to harnessing the example of industrious colonies of ants, bees, wasps and termites, which gain many benefits through division of labour and cooperation using comparatively simple rules.

Digitalisation could support the industry significantly

Dr Oyekan talks about what digitalisation can do primarily to support the textile & apparel industry, specifically focusing on AI and digital twin technologies. He explains that these new tools can help companies to become more efficient, intelligent and sustainable, and that significant financial savings could also be made. Elsewhere, he discusses the relationship between humans and robots, explaining that humans can never be fully replaced and that the ideal scenario is for robots to complete the repetitive manual tasks, leaving humans time to carry out more meaningful work.

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