UK Robotics Week adds Contagious Disease Challenge

A major new Medical Robotics for Contagious Diseases Challenge has been added to this year’s annual UK Robotics Week programme – and is open to leading robotics research teams from across the world with innovative ideas that could offer solutions to the current COVID-19 health crisis and future global pandemics.

The competition – run as part of the EPSRC UK Robotics & Autonomous Systems (UK-RAS) Network’s annual celebrations – will take place entirely online, with flexibility for remote working. Teams will be competing for a prize fund of £15,000, offered by the Challenge’s generous sponsors Intuitive Surgical, The Wellcome Trust and Imperial College London.  Challenge finalists will have the opportunity to present their ideas to a prestigious and highly experienced international judging panel.

Professor Robert Richardson, Chair of the EPSRC UK-RAS Network said: "The global community is facing an unprecedented challenge as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. What we are seeing is that now, more than ever, medical robotics and robotics platforms have a key role to play in the response to COVID-19 and in tackling future pandemics – from robots disinfecting hospitals to delivering vital supplies, supporting testing, infection control and performing surgery. The COVID-19 pandemic offers a unique opportunity to galvanize medical robot technologies and we hope this challenge will offer an opportunity to celebrate current work in development that seek to offer solutions as part of a multi-faceted response to this and future global pandemics.”

Applicants are asked to submit a 2-minute preview video by September 30th 2020 and entries will be reviewed and accepted by October 14th 2020.  The final 2-minute preview video, presentation and two-page paper will need to be submitted by October 28th 2020 and finalist teams will be invited to give an online presentation and take part in a videoconference interview with the judging team on November 6th 2020. 

Further details on www.uk-ras.org