As society’s use (and need) for robots grows, there are many aspects of future life, work and play that will require their presence: understanding the complexities of our relationship with robots is crucial. The unique event showcases collaborative research that took place across the country over the last three years, exploring the challenges and opportunities that arise when Humans and Robots share Public Space.

How can we design robots that are able to engage with us socially? Would we trust them to communicate on our behalf? How can we preserve privacy in human robot communication? Being There brought together researchers from the Universities of Exeter, Bath, Oxford, Cambridge and the Bristol Robotics Laboratory, in collaboration with Watershed and a team of creative practitioners to explore how the world of robotics can encourage, support and even represent people (from the meeting room to the bar).

The Being There Showcase will feature a keynote from legendary designer Sebastian Conran, lightening talks from leading robotics researchers and creatives, as well as opportunities to play with some commissioned robot games, dance with ‘robot-lets’, and meet the people behind these diverse projects which span technology, engineering, psychology and security. All this plus a fabulous Robot Cabaret featuring three fantastical robot performances hosted by Bill Thompson of BBC Click.

Being There is funded by the EPSRC under research grant as part of its IDEAS Factory Sandpits call on Digital Personhood.

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