Salford exchanging robotics skills with world-leading US college

Photo caption (l-r) Salford Vice-Chancellor, Professor Martin Hall; an as yet unnamed robotic gorilla and Don Marinelli of Carnegie Mellon University

The University of Salford has signed a memorandum of understanding to exchange robotics knowledge for entertainment and media skills with the US-based Carnegie Mellon University.

At a formal signing ceremony at MediaCityUK, the University of Salford’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Martin Hall agreed a deal which will see students from Salford exchanging with counterparts from Pittsburgh to complete study placements and learn from experts on both sides of the Pond.

Photo caption (l-r) Salford Vice-Chancellor, Professor Martin Hall; an as yet unnamed robotic gorilla and Don Marinelli of Carnegie Mellon University

At Salford, the expertise comes from the University’s Centre for Autonomous Systems & Advanced Robotics which specialises in the application of robotic technology for uses such as intelligent manufacturing, the nuclear sector and assisted technology for elderly people with neurological impairments.

This knowledge will be applied in new ways at Carnegie Mellon’s Entertainment Technology Center, which is a world leader in the creative and technical skills used in the media and creative industries such as computer games, film and music.

There will also be ongoing talks between academics at both centres with a view to creating new courses and collaborating on research initiatives.

The University of Salford already has strong links with Carnegie Mellon, which was ranked 21^st in the most recent Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

Last year the University signed a similar agreement based at Salford’s MediaCityUK facility. This included student exchanges, course development, and research collaboration in acoustics, media asset management and ‘edutainment’, and Salford has already hosted five American students on an exchange.

At the same time as the signing of the robotics partnership, Rema Karen Nancy, Professor of Management Science & Healthcare Informatics at Carnegie Mellon, also visited the University to give a seminar at the College of Health & Social Care to discuss prescribing medicine.

Professor Samia Nefti-Meziani, Head of the Centre for Advanced Robotics, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for us to work with a world-leading Centre to extend our research portfolio into the area of entertainment technology.

“We hope that this will give another dimension to the application of robotics in our Centre and allow us to build on the work we have already done in the health, nuclear and manufacturing industries.”

For more information about the gorilla pictured and all the other science and technology news from Salford, follow our dedicated Twitter feed or ‘like’ us on Facebook.