We involved in the Cambridge Festival, which aims to engage the public in the work of the University. We worked with Agnes Hoctor, Knowledge Exchange Co-ordinator at Newnham College, to bring a team over to College from the Bio-inspired Robotics Lab at the Department of Engineering. 

The event on Saturday 29 March, held as part of the Festival's Family Weekend, saw 120 people (young and old) pass through the College to learn about the various research projects that the team are involved with. The researchers' work covers a wide range of applications; including the use of robots in agriculture, how robots are helping us understand the evolution of life from the oceans onto the land, and how robots are being developed to conduct tasks that require senstivity of touch, using sensors and soft materials to mimic skin.

The demonstrations included a mix of small robots and computer simulations, accompanied by brief presentations and the opportunity for the participants to ask lots of questions.

Many thanks to the researchers Chapa Sirithunge, Yue Xie, Yi Zhang, Narges Khadem Hosseini, Catherine Merchant, Amanda Xu and Michael Yoshiharu Ishida.

The relationship between the body and mind of a robot has been a topic of debate for centuries, driving scientists to explore intelligent and adaptive behaviour in both animals and machines. In robotics, this relationship is critical to designing systems that can interact meaningfully with their environments, adapt to new challenges, and exhibit humanlike intelligence. Embodied Intelligence studies how physical interactions shape thoughts, emotions, and actions—not just in humans but also in robots.

In the age of AI and Machine Learning, this research is vital, offering insights that enhance traditional AI technologies by integrating physical embodiment and environmental interaction. Robotics plays a central role in this exploration, serving as both a tool for studying intelligence and a field that benefits directly from embodied principles.

This topic is particularly relevant and timely given the underrepresentation of women in robotics. Promoting diverse perspectives is essential for fostering innovation and ensuring that the field reflects a broad range of ideas and experiences. By engaging young researchers, especially women, this workshop aims to inspire participation and contributions to a field where diversity is needed to address complex challenges and drive meaningful progress.

This event is organised by the Women-in-Robotics Cambridge initiative and sponsored by the Centre for Human-Inspired AI (CHIA).