Human Robotics Interaction Hack

WHAT

London innovation consultancy, Big Radical, in partnership with Agritech start-up Small Robot Company, is running a 2-day hackathon on the 27th and 28th of April in their Clerkenwell studios. The hackathon aims to produce insights for a first-of-its kind commercial Human Robot Interaction guide that considers and neutralises the dangers of humanising artificially intelligent robotics.

WHY

There is growing concern of the ethical and safety implications of developing a society where AI robots coexist without defining solutions needed to guarantee a harmonious, positive and progressive environment

As a leader in agritech and robotics, Small Robot Company wants to develop a commercial Human Robotics Interaction guide to help pioneers in commercial robotics frame how we shift towards a harmonious and collaborative human and robot – or ‘cobot’ – society.

Big Radical wants to ensure the steps taken to achieve the insights for the HRI guide are properly prioritised and considered, and that a value-creating, sustainable approach is applied in order to truly improve the way we work, live and look after ourselves and the planet.

WHO

The hack will be open to practitioners in tech and design industries, product owners, strategists and from the academic research communities.

A selection of experts from relevant industries will be invited to present stimulus and provide insight for the hackers.

A panel of experts will be invited to review and critique the solutions developed throughout the 2-day event.

Big Radical will provide the facilitators

HOW

Big Radical facilitators will split attendees into teams and guide them through a mix of specially designed exercises allowing them to collaborate, explore and co-create conceptual prototype solutions for the Human Robotics Interaction guide across agricultural, healthcare and hospitality scenarios.

The hack will include experts across the agricultural, robotics, psychology/sociology, healthcare and artificial intelligence industries and disciplines that will provide the stimulus and information needed for attendees to collaborate, explore and co-create conceptual prototypes that define the optimal interaction between humans and robots.

Over the 48 hour sprint, attendees will consider the balance of intrinsically human virtues and the benefit of robotics in society, considering factors that influence and affect the stakeholders involved in each interaction.

Concluding the exploration and design function of the hackathon the judging panel; comprised of specialists in robotics, analytics and psychology will review and critique the effectiveness of the solutions and select a winning team.

ABOUT

Small Robot Company is an agritech company building robots that will make farming more profitable, more efficient and more environmentally friendly. They are looking to create seamless, empathetic human-robot interaction experiences for farming.

Big Radical is an innovation consultancy that use business strategy and practical design to deliver tangible, evidence-based investment cases for businesses, products or services.

Click here to view previous Big Radical Hackathons