For all those who want to break into the field of cooperative robots, the organizing Group of Multirobotic Systems from FEE CTU has prepared an intensive program full of lectures, seminars and designing algorithms for cooperative robotics starting on Monday, July 29, 2024. On Friday, August 2, after four days of theory, participants will apply the acquired knowledge in the practical deployment of cooperative aerial robots in the Eagle.One test arena on Císařský ostrov. They will use the state-of-the-art autonomous drone platform developed by the Multirobotic Systems Group (MRS) in cooperation with the Czech robotics company Fly4Future, an official spin-out of CTU. The drones, with unique software, are equipped with on-board artificial intelligence and can independently perform assigned tasks without the intervention of a operator.
During Friday's outdoor experiment, groups of four students will test how well they have mastered the methodology and programmed algorithms for real robotic systems. "This year's practical task is related to autonomous security of industrial facilities, which is a very topical issue. The drones will be tasked with guarding a protected area and monitoring objects found on the protected perimeter via cameras. We have tried to take inspiration from real scenarios and a team of autonomous robots will therefore use a combination of thermal and colour cameras to check a parked car, a baby stroller found, and even detect a human mannequin and a robot dog. The team that can do this the fastest and makes the fewest mistakes will win," explains Assoc. Martin Saska, head of the Multirobotic Systems Group at the Department of Cybernetics at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of CTU. Many students from even the most prestigious universities are looking forward to being able to touch real flying robots and work with them in action, because in robotics there is a gap between theoretical designs and their implementation.
Scientific celebrities, networking and learning about beer culture attract to Prague
Among the biggest stars of this year's school will be the professors in front of the blackboard. Andrew Davison of Imperial College London is a renowned scientist who has been credited with several breakthrough systems in robotics. Some of his innovations have found their way into technology in the home - such as the Dyson 360 Eye robotic vacuum cleaner. Professor Sebastian Scherer of Carnegie Mellon University, for his part, holds several firsts in research on autonomous behaviour of robotic systems in challenging environments, and his team has competed in the unofficial SubT Challenge Robot Olympics organised by the government agency DARPA. Among the world's best teams three years ago, a team from FEE CTU with Assoc. Martin Saska and Dr. Tomas Baca from the Multirobotic Systems Group. Their practically oriented seminars will introduce students to the development of fully autonomous drone swarms with on-board artificial intelligence, on which MRS FEE CTU cooperates with several world-leading institutes. The line-up of lecturers at the summer school will be complemented by researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), the University of Edinburgh and other world-leading institutions.
The organisers from FEE CTU also place great emphasis on the social dimension of the event, where students from different countries connect on the basis of common interests. This happens both in the classrooms, where participants will work together in groups to solve various tasks, and during the informal afternoon and evening programme. Each day of the summer school will offer participants events such as a welcome and closing party or a gala banquet. "Year on year, there has been a significant increase in interest in a walk through the historic centre of Prague combined with beer tasting. The fame of our beer tour is spreading through the robotics community like an avalanche, and this year more than half of the participants registered for the tour," adds Martin Saska. The role of guides will be taken by students of the host faculty of the CTU.
The informal atmosphere and the opportunity to network contribute to the exceptional reputation of the Prague Summer School. "At the annual meeting of the IEEE RAS MRS Committee, under whose auspices the event is held, leading roboticists agreed that the Prague School is the most important event of its kind. Participants are signing up for us based on recommendations from alumni of previous years and also because word is spreading that our group at the CTU in Prague is the furthest along in deploying robotic drone teams in real-world scenarios," summarizes Assoc. Saska from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of CTU.
The summer school is attended by students or PhD students, as well as people from research who are already using drones to solve specific tasks. Anne Kemeren from the Dutch institution TNO for Applied Scientific Research is developing a multi-robot system in collaboration with the police that can autonomously explore a drug lab, thereby preventing police officers from being exposed to dangerous substances and situations. The research brings with it several challenges: from mapping an unfamiliar environment to seamlessly coordinating the operator with the robot, even when they cannot be relied upon to communicate with each other. "We can only succeed in this project by knowing the latest academic knowledge and collaborating with the brightest minds," says Anne Kemeren of her motivation for attending the Prague school.
Photos from the previous year 2023, source Petr Neugebauer, FEL CTU
