smARTLab (swarms, multi-Agent, Robot Technology, and Learning lab) is a state-of-the-art robotics laboratory at the Department of Computer Science, University of Liverpool. The lab is affiliated with the University’s Centre for Autonomous Systems Technology (CAST). The smARTLab team have been dedicated to the research in robot perception with vision and tactile sensing, and learning technologies (both single and multi-agent), with applications to robot grasping and manipulation.
smARTLab includes two large experimentation facilities (approximately 60 square meters each), of which one has high ceilings (about 4 meters) for experimentation with UAVs (but also UGVs). The lab hosts £400k of specialist facilities including: two collaborative (UR5) robot arms, four state-of-the-art 2/3-finger robot grippers, 10 Parrot Bebop 2 drones, 10 CrazyFlie nanocopters, 20 e-puck robots, 30 Turtlebot II robots, an octocopter, three KUKA youBots, an Optitrack motion capturing system, and a fleet of small robots. Check out our robot members here! The lab also includes computational facilities (both CPU and GPU servers) and two hardware workbenches. Feel free to step in and have a look.
The smARTLab team won the 2014 RoboCup@work and RoCKIn2015@work competitions. Check out our achievements here!
The laboratory will be a key element of the University’s new Digital Innovation Facility (DIF) that will open in 2021. The DIF is a new £12M building and will bring together complementary areas of research in computer science, robotics and engineering. It will become a centre of excellence in autonomous systems, distributed simulation and immersive visualisation, enabling collaborative R&D and supporting industry linked to the exploitation of digital technologies.
The lab is led by Dr. Shan Luo. Check out more our lab members here!