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RobotvilleEU takes over the Science Museum
Imagine a world where robots are part of everyday life. Do you wish you had domestic
help from a robot? Would you play with a pet robot? Could a robot talk to you and
share your feelings? Fancy meeting your robot self face to face? All will be revealed at
the Science Museum’s RobotvilleEU where a whole range of amazing robots from
around the world will be on display to educate, surprise and fascinate.
RobotvilleEU, taking on board an original idea by EUNIC London (European Union
National Institutes for Culture), in partnership with the European Commission-funded
Cognitive Systems and Robotics Programme and the European Commission
Representation in the UK, celebrates the most cutting-edge in European robot design
and innovation and explores the cultural significance of robots.
Science Museum’s RobotvilleEU will play host to over 20 unique robots, many of which
have just come out of European research labs and will be on show to the British public
for the first time. The exhibition is divided into six zones; with a range of domestic
robots, swarming robots, swimming robots, exploring robots, and humanoid robots on
show. Roboticists, from the UK and Europe, will also be on hand to demonstrate their
work and talk to visitors.
When:
Where:
Times:
Cost:
Details:
1st - 4th December
Science Museum
From 10am 1st December – 6pm 4th December
Free
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/robotville
Paulina Latham, Head of Events, Polish Cultural Institute and acting project leader for
EUNIC London said; “Europe has a rich history and tradition of robotic development in
science as well as in our culture. The concept of artificial intelligence and robotics goes
back nearly 3000 years, so this event shows how far we have come. 2011 also marks
the 90th Anniversary of the term ‘robot’ - coined by Czech writer Karel Čapek in his play
RUR - so what better way to celebrate than a festival of the most advanced and
progressive of robots.”
RobotvilleEU, sponsored by the Blu-ray and DVD release of Transformers: Dark of the
Moon, begins on 1st December at the Science Museum and is open for four days only.
Stuart Umbo, Content Developer at the Science Museum, said; “Robotville explores
how robots will become an inherent part of life in the future. It explores how the idea of
robots has pervaded our culture for hundreds of years but is only now becoming a
reality. We’re very excited to be able to showcase the latest and greatest in European
robotic research and design all under one roof at the Science Museum.”
RobotvilleEU, opens the Science Museum’s month long celebration of robots
throughout December, consisting of talks with experts, robot workshops, Q&As with
curators, art installations and multimedia and much more all the way up to the New
Year.
Libor Král, Head of Unit, European Commission, said; “The European Commissionfunded Cognitive Systems and Robotics Programme supports Robotville in the
broader context of European Robotics Week, which will highlight the growing
importance of robotics in a wide variety of applications, across Europe. Robotville is a
great opportunity for EU-funded projects to show the public how European robots will
be able to help them in their daily lives.”
RobotvilleEU at the Science Museum took on board an original idea by Paulina Latham
and Anna Tryc-Bromley from the Polish Cultural Institute in London, developed
together with EUNIC London (European Union National Institutes for Culture). It is
being run in partnership with the European Commission-funded Cognitive Systems
and Robotics Programme and the European Commission Representation in the UK.
Ends
For further information please contact, Science Museum Press Office –
[email protected] / 020 7942 4328. Visitor Information:
Science Museum, Exhibition Road, London, SW7 2DD. Open daily 10.00 to 18.00,
except 24-26 December. www.sciencemuseum.org.uk / 0870 870 4868
Notes to Editor
About Transformers: Dark of the Moon
From director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg, Transformers: Dark of the
Moon is available Blu-ray Triple Play (Blu-ray, DVD + Digital Copy) and DVD on Monday,
November 28, 2011. Transformers: Dark of the Moon is the latest instalment of the wildly
popular TRANSFORMERS franchise, surpassing its predecessors to earn over $1.1 billion at
the worldwide box office. Distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment. Paramount
Entertainment press site http://he.paramountpressroom.co.uk
Science Museum
The Science Museum’s collections form an enduring record of scientific, technological and
medical change from the past. Aiming to be the best place in the world for people to enjoy
science, the Science Museum makes sense of the science that shapes our lives, sparking
curiosity, releasing creativity and changing the future by engaging people of all generations and
backgrounds in science, engineering, medicine, technology, design and enterprise.
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
The European Commission-funded Cognitive Systems and Robotics Programme
The EU has been funding research into Cognitive Systems & Robotics since May 2004 and
helping Europe to become a world-leader in this field. The EU's Cognitive Systems & Robotics
programme supports over 100 research projects, involving several hundred of Europe's top
researchers from academia and industry with a funding of nearly € 400 million (roughly GBP
350 million). The research address topics such as scene and situation understanding,
perceiving the world through artificial senses (computer vision, haptics etc) and physical
behaviour such as grasping objects or locomotion in everyday surroundings.
The long-term aim of EU funded Cognitive Systems & Robotics research is to make robots
more intelligent, more autonomous and more capable of assisting humans in everyday tasks.
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/cognition/projects/areas-projects_en.html
European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC)
EUNIC is the network of the international cultural relations institutes from the member states of
the European Union. Formed in 2006, it has 30 members from 25 countries. EUNIC members
have an international reputation as Europe’s leading cultural relations practitioners.
EUNIC London, established in September 2007, has at present 23 members and associate
members who share knowledge and resources on a common European agenda. EUNIC
London initiates, develops and supports creative projects which show Europe's extraordinary
richness and diversity in arts, culture and language, mainly in collaboration with British partners.
For more information please visit: www.eunic-london.org
The European Commission Representation in the UK
The European Commission has offices, called Representations, in all the member countries of
the European Union. The UK Representation is in London; there are also Offices in Belfast,
Cardiff and Edinburgh. Their chief duties are: Speaking for the Commission as its voice in the
UK. This includes providing background briefings for the media as well as on-the-record
comment on issues relevant to the Commission,
Reporting back to the Commission in Brussels on political, economic and social developments
in the UK.
Providing information about the European Union across the UK through recognised outlets
such as public libraries, business advice centres and education services.
http://ec.europa.eu/uk