WMG is to be part of the new revolutionary EPSRC UK-RAS Network, which brings together the UK’s core academic capabilities in robotic innovation under national coordination for the first time.

Robotics and autonomous systems has been recognised by the government as one of the eight great technologies that support UK science strengths and business capabilities. WMG’s research focus is on the Smart and Connected Vehicle aiming to understand and inform the trust in autonomous control and the security of driverless cars.

A multi-sensory virtual real-world environment will be built in the National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC) which will enable intelligent vehicle systems to be developed to learn driver behaviour. The systems will be optimised to enable drivers to reduce emissions and fuel consumption, assist monotonous tasks and react to hazards, increasing vehicle safety. Experts will also research the cyber security of vehicles to ensure that increasingly computerised cars have the maximum resilience and protection against the possibility of cyber-attacks in the future.

The research will be underpinned by a drive-in, driver-in-the-loop, multi-axis driving simulator (3xD), which is the world's first immersive, simulated environment for smart and connected vehicles which includes full emulation of wireless communications. This £3.2m EPSRC funded simulator will be a centrepiece as part of NAICs Virtual Reality centre. WMG has gained support from industry including a further £1 million of funding to begin research projects with the new technology led by research students embedded in JLR.

Chairman and founder of WMG, Professor Lord Bhattacharyya, said: “We are pleased to be a part of this Robotics and Autonomous Systems Network. At WMG we have been working in this area for many years and have developed a reputation for delivering innovative design and technical solutions. We will be using the Network to further our academic and industry collaborations to accelerate the development and adoption of this technology.”

The National Automotive Innovation Centre, which opens in 2017, will be the largest research centre of its kind in Europe and will enable industry to work side-by-side with academics on cutting edge research to deliver exciting new products. The Centre will enhance the UK's capacity and capability in key areas of automotive research including smart and connected vehicle research and covers several broad areas such as Autonomous Operations, Next Generation Intelligent Systems and Future HMI (Human-Machine Interface).

UK-RAS Network was unveiled on Wednesday (24 June) at the Science Museum in London. It was established with the mission to provide academic leadership in Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS), expand collaboration with industry and integrate and coordinate activities at eight Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded RAS capital facilities and Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) across the UK. Along with Warwick the founding members are Imperial College London, Bristol Robotics Lab, University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University, University of Leeds, University of Liverpool, Loughborough University, University of Oxford, University of Sheffield, University of Southampton, and University College London.

Notes to Editors

About UK-RAS Network

The EPSRC UK Robotics and Autonomous Systems Network (UK-RAS Network) is dedicated to robotics innovation across the UK, with a mission to provide academic leadership in Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS), expand collaboration with industry, and integrate and coordinate activities at eight Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded RAS capital facilities and Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs) across the country.

Press contact: Nicky Denovan, EvokedSet, Email: nicky@evokedset.com, Mobile: +44 (0)7747 017654

WMG Press Contact: Lisa Barwick, Head of Marketing and Communications 07824 540 845 or L.Barwick@warwick.ac.uk